Take Flight With Business Travelers

By Melissa SeposLife on the road can be lonely. The more than 34 million tired and weary American business travelers are looking for convenience, added-value and premiums to make their more than 200 million trips worth the hassle.According to Business and Convention Travelers 2001 edition, corporate travel comprises 22 percent of total U.S. domestic flights. Of that: <About half of all business trips are taken for general business purposes, such as meetings, presentations and consulting. Of that number, 13 percent are taken for the primary purpose of attending a convention or seminar.<About one-third of business trips include air transportation.<Among overnight business trips, 85 percent include a stay at a hotel, motel or bed and breakfast.<And 18 percent include multiple adults from the same household; 7 percent include children.Business travelers tend to be mid-level managers, salespeople or marketing professionals. CEOs and other high-level executives don't travel as much as the middle echelon, but they certainly hold a place in the market.Overall, more men travel for business than women (by nearly a 3-1 ratio, as witnessed by the many lists available). One exception to the gender rule: lists of marketing professionals, a female-dominated profession. And some e-mail lists have a higher number of women subscribers than men.Magazines and newspapers, such as Selling Power and National Law Journal are geared toward top executives, says Jim Scova, sales manager at XactMail Network, a permission-based e-mail network and a division of VentureDirect Worldwide.Datacards for these publications show subscribers to be among the highest earners in the business traveler segment. They have large amounts of discretionary income, and tend also to have families—unlike most of the actives on other lists. These readers typically are good targets for publications, catalogs, financial services, software, seminars and conferences. Business travelers are considered active buyers with corporate purchasing power. There are two segments of business travelers: younger (aged 20 to 49) with a moderate discretionary income of $50,000 to $100,000, and older (average age is 44) with a high income of $150,000. Both groups have a high percentage of college graduates.Not Too Busy to HaggleAirlines are offering better and more flexible frequent-flyer programs. Travelers tend to favor one or two airlines. Data show that they'll go out of their way to book a flight on the airline that offers the best rewards.Today, flyers can join online services or other providers that will do the legwork to find them the best deals on airfares and hotels, as well as the most advantageous rewards.More than 54 companies nationwide offer discounts on dining, room rates, airfare and car rentals for business travelers. These categories top business travelers' list of desirables. From continuity clubs to frequent-flyer miles, VIP airline memberships to long distance calling cards and discount dining cards, such products and services enable travelers to be tapped into every resource that can make their travel more rewarding.To be sure, competition is fierce in this segment. Right now retention is the name of the game. Business travelers are being wooed with deep discounts, upgrades and other offers. Premiums and freebies rank high among travelers—particularly free cell phone time, first-class upgrades and double mileage.What They BuyIn addition to perks, business travelers are looking for services and products that make travel easier. Gadgets, travel clothes, luggage, travel guides, and online plane and hotel reservations are among the items of interest.Business travelers are interested in reward programs, sales incentives and premiums, says Anthony Dinino, director of the list services group for The XactMail Network. They are so focused on using their rewards and getting the most for their travel money that merchants have responded by creating a new computer program, Air Miles Software, that can be loaded onto a PDA to keep track of frequent-flyer miles.Milesource.com registrants enroll to earn miles by shopping at partner sites/stores, answering surveys, visiting featured sites, playing games, and using Milesource to check weather and sports news. Milesource points are redeemable for rewards from more than 900 participating stores, and a quick look at the purchases made by Milesource.com subscribers, a list compiled by XactMail, lets you inside these travelers' homes. In addition to travel-related products, these prospects also buy CDs, books, high-end food products, fine dining, computers and entertainment (e.g., sporting events and concerts).Meeting Planners This demographic also contains planners, that is, those who schedule conventions, conferences and meetings. Such prospects are good targets for convention space, bulk hotel room buying, exposition services, corporate credit cards and telecommunication services.According to John LoGiudice, list manager for Edith Roman Associates, to reach planners you must get to the right person. This can be tricky with business-to-business lists, that's why it's important to select one that has the name and title of the meeting manager.Edith Roman's b-to-b lists come from qualification cards. Typical selects include company size, geography, title and industry. And they've been enhanced to include the number of Web sites."Selectivity of the title makes sure it gets to the right person," LoGiudice says. "Above everything else is dollars and cents. Getting a good deal for them is primary. The publications they get are the route through which most direct marketers travel."LoGiudice says brochures with pictures of the resort along with a lift letter are common packages in the industry.Regardless of which segment you target, mail to impress. This demographic appreciates the extra mile.Melissa Sepos is a Philadelphia-based freelance writer.

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