Bliss Honeymoons, LLC–Stepping back to go forward | Travel Research Online

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Bliss Honeymoons, LLC–Stepping back to go forward

In my first submission for the Agent Diary series I talked about my goal of having 100 new clients in 100 days. So far I’m over a third of the way there and I am very excited about how things are going! But there’s a long hard road between setting and reaching goals. While I’ve never been adverse to hard work, patience has never been my strong suit. Since success rarely happens overnight, I had to develop a strategy where I could actually “see” the end result.

I am a firm believer in two things when it comes to marketing. First, you have to be proactive and second, you need to plan. Usually the plan starts with a technique I’ve learned called “backwards planning”. This basically means that you start with the end result that you are looking for, and then figure out all the steps that lead up to it. My end goal for this year is to have 100 new clients. So my backwards planning looks a little like this.

  1. Participate in 3 to 4 bridal shows
  2. Offer 2 honeymoon seminars per month January through April and September through November.
  3. Publish weekly newsletter.
  4. Travel to one of our best selling destinations.

On paper this looks easy enough, and seems like it should work. But planning it is the easy part. Now here’s the hard part.

I have to track it. I have to schedule it. And I have to follow up. This is where the novelty can wear off quickly. We meet potential clients through bridal shows, through referrals; they come in through our website or other sites. The number of leads and the sheer amount of info can be a bit overwhelming. And while I am busy tracking and following up with potential clients, I’m also trying to take care of the clients that I currently have and follow up with them as well. But if I am sure of nothing else, I am sure that many sales are lost each day because people fail to follow up. So, following up has become my number one priority. By utilizing the additional features of Outlook Pro’s business contact manager, I’ve been able to stay on top of the leads and the current clients as well.

With all the frightening stuff on the news about the economy, I was a little nervous going into this year. I really believe that having a plan, tracking the results, and making changes when needed are the reason that I am still able to sleep at night, and am seeing the results from my efforts. If you haven’t mapped out where you want to be at the end of this year, don’t let the news stop you. Set your goals and then work it backwards to get you where you want to be.

Laura Frazier is the President of Bliss Honeymoons based in Columbus,  OH. For more information, you can contact Laura at laura@blisshoneymoons.com

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  2 thoughts on “Bliss Honeymoons, LLC–Stepping back to go forward

  1. Chuck Flagg says:

    Laura,

    What a great entry. I am enjoying “following” you throughout the year. Your advice and counsel is always a pleasure.

  2. Pat Saizan says:

    Laura, you are so right!

    To achieve any goal you need “backwards planning.” In other words, this is my goal, now what do I need to DO to get there?

    Follow up is huge. For me it is a goal in itself!!!

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