On 4 September 2026, Lead-UP Academy of Practical Management, in collaboration with Hoi An Travel, conducted the first day of the “Professional Consultative Selling Skills” training programme. The programme was delivered and facilitated by consulting and training expert Pham To Hoai, Founder of Lead-UP Academy of Practical Management.

From the opening activities, the class demonstrated a positive, open-minded spirit and a strong readiness for change. The participants not only remained focused on acquiring new knowledge but also proactively engaged in discussions and shared practical situations encountered in tour consultation, customer care, and the coordination required to address emerging customer requests.

[General Director Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan and Expert Pham To Hoai pose for a commemorative photograph with participants immediately following the Opening Ceremony]

Expectations from the Leadership and the Dedication of the Programme Implementation Team

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ms Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, General Director of Hoi An Tourism – Service Joint Stock Company, emphasised the programme’s significance in strengthening the team’s professional capabilities and enhancing the quality of customer service at Hoi An Travel. She expressed her expectation that every participant would approach the programme with seriousness, proactively share their experiences, and demonstrate a readiness for change in order to translate acquired knowledge into concrete workplace actions: “I expect that, following the programme, each participant will not only have strengthened their knowledge and skills but will also be able to transform their approach to customers: moving beyond the simple introduction of tour programmes and provision of tour information and quotations towards listening, understanding, and recommending genuinely appropriate solutions. The knowledge and skills acquired must be applied immediately in the workplace, thereby contributing to improved sales performance and enhanced customer service quality at Hoi An Travel.”

Representing the training provider, consulting and training expert Pham To Hoai – Founder of Lead-UP Academy also shared insights into the thorough preparation process and the dedication demonstrated by the facilitator and his team of associates. Prior to the programme, Lead-UP Academy devoted considerable time to conducting assessments and discussions and to studying customer characteristics, products, consultation processes, and the practical situations frequently encountered by the Hoi An Travel team. Based on these findings, the programme content, scenarios, templates, and practical activities were specifically designed to closely align with actual workplace requirements. Expert Pham To Hoai shared: “We did not begin this programme with a pre-existing curriculum. My associates and I devoted considerable time to conducting assessments, listening, carrying out research, and working with the Organising Committee to identify the practical issues arising throughout the processes of customer reception, consultation, and customer care. Every scenario, question, exercise, and classroom activity was carefully prepared with the aim of ensuring that participants would not only understand the knowledge presented but would also be able to practise, refine, and apply it immediately after completing the training programme.”

Expert Pham To Hoai further noted that the value of a training programme does not lie in the quantity of knowledge delivered, but rather in the extent to which it generates changes in participants’ mindsets, behaviours, and workplace performance. What we expect most is not how many models participants can remember, but whether, following the programme, each individual will be able to ask more effective questions, listen more deeply, manage sales opportunities more systematically, and recommend more appropriate solutions to customers. This is also the essence of “Learn to Act – Act to Lead,” the philosophy pursued by Lead-UP Academy throughout every training programme.

A Step-by-Step Transition from “Presenting Tours and Quotations” to Solution-Based Consultation

On the first day, the participants worked with the facilitator through four foundational components of the programme: A Step-by-Step Transition from “Presenting Tours and Quotations” to Professional Consultation

During the first day of training, the participants completed four foundational components designed to closely reflect the actual customer reception, consultation, and customer care activities undertaken at Hoi An Travel:

1. The Current B2C and B2B Tourism Markets

Participants analysed current changes in the ways tourism customers search for information, compare alternatives, make selections, and reach purchasing decisions. This component enabled them to identify the key differences between individual and family customers in the business-to-consumer (B2C) market and organisational and corporate customers in the business-to-business (B2B) market. Based on this understanding, participants could select appropriate approaches and develop consultation methods and solutions tailored to each customer segment.

2. The Multichannel Lead Reception and Management Process

Participants were introduced to a five-step process comprising: Receive - Record - Classify - Assign for Handling - Monitor Results. Through practical scenarios, they practised receiving and managing prospective customers from multiple channels, including Facebook, Zalo, websites, telephone enquiries, customer referrals, and face-to-face consultations. This component aimed to minimise missed sales opportunities, shorten response times, and ensure that every lead has an assigned person in charge, a clearly defined processing status, and a specific next course of action.

3. Professional Telephone and Messaging Consultation Scripts

Participants practised developing and applying communication scripts appropriate to different channels, customer segments, and stages of the sales process. From initiating a conversation, establishing rapport, and explaining the purpose of contact to providing prompt responses, sustaining engagement, and concluding with a clearly defined next step, all scenarios were designed to closely reflect the daily tour consultation activities undertaken at Hoi An Travel.

4. A Structured Question Set for Identifying Customer Needs

Rather than immediately introducing a tour or sending a quotation before sufficient information has been obtained, participants were guided in developing and using a structured set of questions to clarify the objectives of the trip, group composition, travel schedule, budget, preferences, special requirements, and the customer’s priority criteria. The combination of effective questioning and active listening enables employees to accurately understand customer needs, identify core concerns, and establish a sound basis for recommending a genuinely appropriate solution.

The four components were not delivered through theory-based instruction alone. Following each component, participants were required to analyse situations, engage in group discussions, develop proposed approaches, participate in consultation role-plays, and receive direct feedback from the facilitator. Through this process, the team gradually developed a new sales mindset: moving beyond the mere provision of information and quotations to understanding customers, effectively managing sales opportunities, and recommending solutions that create meaningful value.

A Commitment to Continuous Improvement Demonstrated Through Every Practical Exercise

A notable feature of the first training day was the serious participation and commitment to continuous improvement demonstrated by the Hoi An Travel team. Participants actively engaged in teamwork, role-plays, solution presentations, critical discussions, and the refinement of their approaches in response to each round of feedback. Numerous situations commonly encountered in daily work were brought directly into the classroom, including customers sending messages without clearly stating their needs; customers comparing prices with those offered by other providers; customers expecting high-quality experiences despite limited budgets; and prospective customer information not being adequately tracked across different channels.

Through the practical activities, participants not only identified appropriate responses to each situation but also gained a deeper understanding of an important principle: an effective tour programme does not necessarily have to be the largest or the most expensive; above all, it must be the solution most closely aligned with the customer’s needs and objectives.

Dedicated Support from the Organising Committee

The success of the first training day was also attributable to the attentive and dedicated support provided by the Hoi An Travel Organising Committee. Preparations relating to the learning environment, training materials, equipment, logistics, and overall classroom coordination were carried out thoroughly, enabling participants to devote their full attention to the programme.

The decision to select a learning venue separate from the participants’ usual working environment also reflected the Organising Committee’s investment in and expectations for team development. This arrangement allowed participants to temporarily step away from their daily responsibilities, focus on meaningful discussions, review their current practices, and proactively strengthen their professional capabilities.

Throughout the day, expert Pham To Hoai maintained a consistently positive level of energy while continuously observing, questioning, providing feedback, and supporting each group. The programme extended beyond the delivery of knowledge by consistently connecting every component with Hoi An Travel’s actual products, customers, and sales situations.

Learning, Practising, and Engaging in Critical Reflection at Every Stage

In this programme, Lead-UP Academy rigorously applied its practice-oriented training methodology: each new concept was immediately followed by practice, while every practical exercise was reviewed, refined, and completed in the classroom. The programme was designed around seven practical exercises, each directly connected to the responsibilities currently undertaken by the Hoi An Travel team. Participants were not limited to listening and taking notes; they were required to analyse situations, develop proposed approaches, participate in consultation role-plays, present solutions, and receive feedback from both the facilitator and their colleagues.

By the conclusion of the first day, the class had established an important foundation in consultative selling, the customer journey, prospective customer management, and customer needs discovery. This foundation prepared participants to engage with more advanced content during the second day of training.

The second day promised to continue with the programme’s remaining components, focusing on solution-based consultation; the development and presentation of proposals and quotations; objection handling; decision facilitation; and post-sale customer care. Participants would also continue working towards the completion of all seven practical exercises, with the objective of transforming acquired knowledge into capabilities that could be applied immediately in the workplace.

With the participants’ serious commitment to learning and continuous improvement, the Organising Committee’s dedicated support, and Lead-UP Academy’s practice-oriented training methodology, the first day marked a positive beginning to Hoi An Travel’s journey towards strengthening its team’s consultative and professional selling capabilities.

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