The End of the Catalog Era: Why "Kate" Not the Boss, Decides Your Success

Do you remember those days? Huge trade fair halls in Berlin or London, backaches from carrying kilograms of glossy catalogs, and the ritual exchange of business cards that eventually ended up in a drawer. That era is over.

Today, selling destinations and tourism services (DMC) has moved to the digital sphere, but—paradoxically—it has become more human and psychological than ever before. However, the target of your efforts has changed. The CEO of the travel agency signs the contract, but they are not the one who chooses it.

Here is the new reality where "Kate" (the Product Manager or Proposal Specialist) rules, and a guide on how to get her to choose your country and you.

Many tourism service suppliers (hoteliers, local tourism boards) make the same mistake: they aim for the "top." They send emails to the President, CEO, or Owner of the agency.

Meanwhile, the Boss looks at margins, risk, and the bottom line. They do not have time to browse through photos of beaches, select hotels, or check transfer logistics. That task falls to "Kate."

Who is Kate? She is an operational employee. She is overworked, juggling dozens of inquiries, and chasing deadlines. She is the filter. If your offer doesn’t delight her with its ease of implementation and attractiveness, it will never reach the Boss's desk for a signature.

Golden Rule: The Boss makes the financial decision, but Kate makes the substantive and emotional decision.

For Kate to take on your destination and choose you as a partner, you must understand her psychological needs. In these times, specific mechanisms are at play:

1. The Law of Least Effort (Cognitive Ease)

Kate doesn't want to "build an offer from scratch." She wants a ready-made solution.

• Mistake: Sending a link to a website with the caption "check out our offer."
• Solution: Send her a ready-to-use, editable program in Word, a set of high-resolution photos (no watermarks!) that she can immediately paste into the client proposal, and ready-made marketing descriptions.
• Effect: She will choose you because you made her job easier. Your country will "jump" into the offer faster than the competition that forced her to search for information.

2. Risk Elimination and a Sense of Safety

For an employee, the biggest nightmare is a screw-up in front of the boss and the client. If she recommends your company and the transfer is late or the hotel is dirty—she takes the heat.

• Action: Build authority. Show that you are the "safe choice." Instead of promising miracles, show emergency procedures (e.g., what you do when a client loses their passport).
• Psychology: In times of uncertainty, people value predictability more than the lowest price.

3. Social Proof

In the age of Instagram and TikTok, Kate needs to know that your destination is "trending."

• Action: Show her that others are already there, but she can be the sales leader. "Last month we had 3 groups from your region, everyone was asking about this specific spot we are just opening."
• Conclusion: Reassure her that by promoting your country, she is betting on a horse that is already winning.

4. The Likability Rule and Relationships 2.0

In the past, relationships were built over vodka during trade fairs. Today, they are built on responsiveness.

• If you reply to an email in 15 minutes while the competition takes 2 days—you win.
• Kate will choose to work with someone who "gets it" and with whom she enjoys talking on Zoom, even if they are 5% more expensive.
• Tip: Remember the little things. A personalized welcome video recorded on your phone works better than a stiff newsletter.
  

Kate has seen hundreds of hotels and thousands of beaches. They all blend into one. To convince her to introduce a new destination (your country), you must give her sales ammunition.

She needs to be able to "sell" the idea to the end client.

• Don't write: "We have five 4-star hotels."
• Write: "The last episode of [Popular Series] was filmed in this hotel," or "Only here will the client have breakfast with a view of the jungle where there is no GSM signal."

Storytelling is a tool Kate will use in conversation with the client. If you give her a ready-made story, she becomes your brand ambassador.

The times when it was enough to simply be present in a catalog are gone forever. Today, the winner is the one who:

1. Understands that the real decision-maker is the person preparing the offer, not just the one signing it.
2. Maximally eases their workload (ready-made materials, speed of reaction).
3. Removes the burden of responsibility (sense of safety).
4. Delivers emotions that they can pass on.

Do you want sales to grow? Stop selling to the "company." Start helping Kate become the hero in her own office.