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As a nation, we are a jaded lot. From Willy Loman to the used-auto hucksters in countless movies, the public in general holds sales people rather low on the scale of esteem. Indeed, most of the people you encounter are so afraid of being “sold” something that they refuse to speak with salespeople when they enter a store or walk onto a car lot. “I’m just looking” is used as the warding spell against the salesperson, and woe to the one who persists beyond that point.

Most travel consultants share this cultural bias against “sales.” Ironic, isn’t it?

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At the heart of the notion of sustainable travel is the idea that the finite resources of our planet demand a discipline of travelers, one that seeks to preserve and even enhance the natural and cultural environments we encounter as we travel. People who discuss sustainability often do so by speaking to “the three pillars of sustainability” which are social sustainability, economic sustainability, and environmental sustainability. There are countless articles on the Three Pillars and understanding how the three are related and dependent on each other is an important intellectual exercise I want to recommend to you. Read the rest of this entry »

Businesses are running in reverse. Clients are cancelling. Prospects are pausing. Shoppers are shuddering. Owners are struggling to stay standing as sales are disbanding.

In between the refunds and rebooks, these owners switch roles and become consumers. We lop off the luxuries, reconsider the non-essentials, reschedule, and reduce. And so the spiral goes.

I have been paying close attention to how businesses Read the rest of this entry »

One of the reasons Internet marketing has been so successful in the past twenty years is that it allows agencies to tap into customer interests and concerns on an unprecedented level. Instead of the “scattershot” approach to marketing of TV ads, for instance, online advertising is very targeted – especially through pay-per-click (PPC) networks like Google AdWords, and Facebook and Twitter ads. They allow companies to connect with people who are already searching for what they sell. I want to remind you of my Two-Step Marketing Strategy, but the specifics will have to wait for a future article.

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Further to yesterday’s article, here are a few sound bites to make it all make sense.

There are a number of different phrases and statements that help demonstrate that you have empathy for your target audience. Empathy is important, because it offers the “human touch” in business dealings and marketing. You don’t have to act like a pushy used car salesman to seal the deal if you master these empathetic words and phrases and use them in face-to-face meetings and in your sales letters online.

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Here’s what we know. Your clients have travel ambitions. Your professional expertise can help them to achieve their goals. What you are selling is your ability to assist the client in making a wise purchasing decision. But your expertise is only important to the client insofar as they benefit from the experience of working with you. Face it – nobody likes to be “sold” anything. People love to make smart buying decisions, however. To the extent that you can assist your clients to be smarter and better informed in their buying decisions, the stronger the relationship you will form over the long term. So let’s look at both the inner and the exterior environments that you want to establish in which to best effect the sales process. Read the rest of this entry »

OK. I know the title sounds like I am trying to squeeze two topics into today’s column. But passion by itself can be misunderstood as a mere enthusiasm for travel. Your passion for travel brought you into the travel business. But it won’t keep you there. Instead, it’s your passion for helping others to travel that will give you the long term satisfaction necessary to keeping you happy in your profession of choice: travel consulting.

Once you realize that your mission is about helping others to travel, your travel practice becomes truly client-centric. You quit thinking with your own set of preferences and, importantly, you quit thinking with your own set of criteria about terms like “fun”, “luxury”, “cost” and “value”. Read the rest of this entry »

In our world, complaints are as inevitable as flight delays and lost luggage. But, as professionals, how we handle these complaints can be the make-or-break factor for our reputation and business success —or, as the kids say today, our rizz. Here are my thoughts on turning a potentially negative experience into a positive one. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a record-breaking year in the travel industry—but as 2023 nears an end, travel advisors who sell the Middle East are wondering about the possible fallout of the Israel/Hamas War. Some already are feeling the pinch as suppliers shift itineraries, customers try unsuccessfully to cancel—and travel advisors and their commissions are caught in the middle. Again.

“I have been fighting with Regent since they announced my clients would not be going to Israel and Egypt—which was the whole reason for their trip—and put Greece in its place,” says Samantha Hamilton at Ultimate Vacations. “My clients have already been to Greece and have no desire to go back Read the rest of this entry »

I have always thought of travel as an act as much spiritual as physical. In many ways, a trip across borders is a microcosm of life’s journey. As beings with innate wanderlust, we ignite an internal shift every time we leave home to gallivant across the globe. There seems to be an inherent human need – a primeval yearning – to explore, move, and discover. Evolution made us nomads, and that genetic code is still written in our cells, urging us to seek new experiences and environments. Read the rest of this entry »

Chad is fortunate to be a natural born entrepreneur as he’s been a terrible employee historically. Starting his first business in 4th grade, Chad had been a serial entrepreneur until finding a true home with his cousin when they founded OutsideAgents.com. Chad is now thrilled to share his passion and insights for small travel agencies with big dreams. Chad also loves playing with his kids, spending time with his wife, and racing anything with a motor. In his spare time, he does a little juggling and standup comedy.

Important: MBA, 30 years in C-level Marketing, IT, and Business Development. Notoriously curious. Disdain for the inauthentic. Recent activities: Fraud Prevention Program, Marketing Engine for Travel Agents (powered in part by TRO), Integrated AI, Prosper Circle Small Group Agent Incubator, and a Parent/Sub agent program to connect small agency owners and their staff with industry experts. Read the rest of this entry »

In the wake of the unfortunate implosion of the Titan submersible, some may argue that it’s time to hang up our explorer’s hats and retreat to the familiar comforts of home. WRONG! This setback should not dampen our spirit of adventure. While losing the Titan submersible is undeniably tragic, we must embrace the thrill of discovery in a post-Titan submersible world.

Now the Titan submersible was a pretty exotic form of tourism, one that is only available to a small segment of society; however, many lessons apply to “standard” travel as well. Read the rest of this entry »

I complained about a post last night making fun of those trapped in the submersible near the Titantic wreck. I was ejected from the group as a result.

I may be mistaken, but here is my perspective:

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I feel ripped off. And at the risk of showing my ignorance, I will say that I only learned about Juneteenth within the past few years. How did my education let me down so badly? However, as with any segment of people, there is an opportunity to engage and teach. Read the rest of this entry »

Like a shark, you know you have to keep moving forward. In business, there is no such thing as sitting still. Clients come and go. Destinations rise and fall in popularity and demand. There is always something new on the horizon. In fact, if your business is not growing, chances are pretty good you are losing ground. No time for sitting still.

Is it too early to talk about 2024? I don’t think so if you are headed in that direction. Here are five ways to keep both you and your travel practice growing and even thriving. Read the rest of this entry »

According to me, February can be a funny month. Not “ha-ha” funny, but perhaps a better inference might be peculiar, or interesting, or often-times even mildly depressing.

Based on my 73 Februarys to date, I can say this will some degree of accuracy. I gently approach this infamous month from two angles.

Good bartenders are almost a breed apart.  Alternating between multiple clients, these professionals have developed a skill set useful to travel consultants.  The most accomplished bartenders deftly manage their many clients while effectively multitasking their way through the evening. Let’s look at the characteristics the most proficient resourcefully exhibit. Read the rest of this entry »

There are loads of lessons to be gained by watching a professional waiter. In many ways, the profession of being a server in a dining establishment is especially instructive. Not only do most of us have frequent exposure to waiters, but many of us have actually been servers.

Who does not enjoy a truly great waiter? It does not matter if the meal is in a breakfast diner or a fine restaurant, a great waiter improves the experience. Equally true, a bad waiter can ruin the best of food. Here’s what I see as the quality that makes a great waiter great: intuition and timing. Read the rest of this entry »

“Guerrilla Marketing”, is all about achieving the maximum marketing bang for the buck. Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive, but it needs to be creative. Today we are going to seek out three new tactics to tap into  groups of consumers and to spend our money in as leveraged a way possible: Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t we all want satisfied customers? People who are happy with a buying experience, according to business lore, tell three other people about their satisfactory experience. We all tend to “collect” satisfied customers we can point to as examples of our competence and proficiency as travel consultants. Most travel agents who have been in the business for any length of time can point to a small stable of satisfied customers. Read the rest of this entry »

Does it go without saying that travel agents should travel? It is easy to ignore the very advice we give our clients. For a travel professional, however, travel is more than a divertissement…it’s our business. When a travel professional journeys, it is an opportunity to reconnect with the passion that first moved you to become a travel agent. By traveling, you are reminded of both the pleasures and the pains of the experience – it creates a greater degree of empathy for your clients. Without the availability of fams, many agents would not be able to afford to experience properties and destinations that are reserved for luxury clients or the greater number they must review to prepare for the vast majority of their clients. Read the rest of this entry »