Some people do guiding in their native towns or even abroad without considering it as a very serious profession. In fact, everyone is a little bit of a tour guide. While you lead your family or friends, or just help a foreigner to get around and find the way. It is in our nature and instincts – we like to show others that we know something. And we get excited when we guide other people in their deeds or decisions.
Firstly, Jerulita Tour Guides are a team of people who like an interaction with people. Secondly, they like history, culture, heritage, geography, architecture, religion, you name it. Thirdly, Jerulita Tour guides have to follow the tradition and standard of service providing. This standard was coined by Yulik, the founder, and also by You. Yes, our clients have always been highly curious and hungry for knowledge. Maybe, a bit too demanding sometimes. But we love it, as it made us what we are today. Finally, Jerulita Tour Guides love what they do, and smile when they come to work.
We make seminars every once in a while and share the expertise and knowledge and teach each other to follow the next rules.
#1 Prep in Advance
Most tour guides specialize in a certain geographical area and usually know it very well. But sometimes, during a tailored tour or due to a client’s special request, the itinerary can vary from what they’re used to. It’s important to go through the expectations and make sure the program is exactly what the clients will expect. As a Jerulita tour guide, I consider the detailed program and schedule, as a contract between my guests and the company. Matching the expectation is really important, and when all is done, a tour guide has to get ready to fullfil the contract in the best way.
#2 Contact your client beforehand to get a sense of expectations
It’s always a great idea to get in touch with a client in advance. It’s important to introduce yourself, and get an idea of what the guests are looking for and what they expect. If you are aware of their interests–art or music, the offbeat or the general–then you can tailor the tour’s nuances to each guest specifically. It’ll give them the satisfaction of being taken care of, and instill confidence in them of your company’s professionalism. What’s more, you’ll be able to prepare yourself and your tour better to meet their needs. Frankly speaking, Jerulita Tour Guides not always have time to do it, but you will definitely be contacted by one of our team members prior to your tour as a reminder and afterward for feedback.
#3 Send a reminder e-mail – people like when they are taken care of
A day or a few days in advance, I find it’s generally good practice if you send a reminder email, confirming the meeting time and place. It will cost you literally nothing, and people will feel more secure. When travelers are arriving in a foreign place, they can feel disoriented. It will make a difference if they feel like they have a friend on the ground. Guests will feel secure and looked after.
You can think that it is an automatic system generated an e-mail. No, we do it ourselves, as we care about you.
Finally, Jerulita Tour Guides love what they do, and smile when they come to work.
#4 Wash your car before you meet clients
It’s the little details that make all the difference. Polish your shoes, clean your car, dress appropriately, and don’t overdo it with luxury accessories. Be polite and maintain a healthy personal distance. Show your guests that you respect them and their time with these little details. And always, wash your car.
Vilnius Cathedral Square
#5 Don’t be late to pick them up
First impressions are everything! The worst start with a client to be late to pick them up. My grandma used to say, “I would better wait for a train for half an hour than it would not wait for me even a minute.” Arrive early. At Jerulita Travel, we really care about our clients. Showing up late is inconsiderate of their time and what it took for them to travel to the destination. Jerulita Tour Guides are required to arrive at the meeting point 10-15 minutes earlier. In my personal experience, many times travelers come earlier as well. These 10 minutes give you a credit to have an informal conversation and win the sympathy of the clients.
#6 Be an informative and entertaining tour guide
I shouldn’t have to share this with you, but be both informative and entertaining. A great tour guide shares a wealth of information and balances all the history, fun facts, anecdotes–with good humor, jokes, and interesting ideas. Help your guests absorb the information with engaging stories. Tours aren’t supposed to be dusty lectures or mind-boggling courses on history. Extract the most interesting pieces of stories and history and stay positive, amusing, charming, and compelling. Bring history and geography to life.
#7 Do not exaggerate with testing the knowledge of a client
Many tour guides like to address their clients with questions before launching into their stories: Do you know why? You must know that… Most probably you know that… everybody knows that…
I find that such phrases can kill a conversation. They make people feel that you know better and are more knowledgeable than them. Nobody likes that. People pay you to tell them a story and to show the places, not for a pop quiz or to test their knowledge. On the contrary – Jerulita Tour Guides give compliments if they understand that you know things about their country.
Traveler excited in Sweden
#8 Don’t go overboard with the jokes
Good-natured humor is great, but I suggest tour guides not to tell more that one joke per hour. A good joke can spice up a good story, and vice versa. But too many jokes and you can come across as trivial. Another challenge of a tour guide might be a person in a group who tells jokes more than it is appropriate. We always try to find a polite way to stop their interruptions. People join the tour to get the guiding and not to listen to jokes of the group members.
#9 Let your clients ask questions
So there you are, all is well, you’re telling your clients a fascinating story. Suddenly, a wild question appears! You might feel a bit bitter or upset that your story is interrupted. What do you do? First of all, relax – the worst thing is to respond with irritation. Secondly, you can either their question right away, or say that you’ll come to it a bit later. If you answer right away, other guests may feel like their time is being wasted. But if you dismiss the question, you may insult your guest.
After hundreds of these types of situations, I’ve gathered that it’s usually the best practice to give at first a short answer, then follow up with more details to this question when it’s appropriate. Jerulita Travel Guides find a quiet moment to pull them aside and tell them all the juicy details. Or, in the instance that their question is actually in the tour program, then you can say graciously, with a smile: “I’ll come to that in a moment.”
Another option is to ask the group if they’re interested in hearing the answer, and then you have the group’s permission to go ahead.
Daniel Gurevich in Vilnius University
#10 Tour guides shouldn’t stand in one place too long
Tours often involve a lot of standing and lecturing on the guide’s part. Too long, however, and you may lose your guests’ interest. Make a point to always keep on your toes and move every so often. Try to find places with benches so that people are comfortable and at ease while listening. If you can incorporate a takeaway coffee, that’s even better. The more you take care of your guests, the more they will like you and what you tell them.
If the area isn’t the best for comfort, try to stick to the point and don’t stand the same scenery for longer than 10-15 minutes–some guides may even prefer 8-10 minutes.
#11 Summarize!
Whether it’s food, history, religion, art — you’re deeply familiar with your subject, you swim in it like a fish in the sea. But don’t forget that people on a tour hear it for the first time in their life. Even if they’ve read a bit in preparation, it’s largely brand-new to them. That’s why it’s useful to summarize your content every so often, which systemizes it in their memory. This way, they better retain what they hear. You care about your clients, that they will go home enriched by your tour, and have a story to bring home. A tour guide’s work is all about taking care of clients.
#13 Show the client that you love what you do
You love your job – otherwise, why would you be a tour guide? In every tour, choose at least one topic you like more than others and show off your passion. Allow people to enter your world and your excitement. Speak like you’re talking about it for the very first time, with a close friend. Your guests will take notice and will remember this piece of the tour more than the rest.
#14 Last Tips
Don’t forget the restroom and coffee/tea stops. Be polite. Keep a healthy social distance. Avoid political debates. Refer to your personal experiences and stories, and Smile Smile Smile!
