I know I do. And talking is how I make my living. (Go figure!)
Let’s approach today’s topic from a different angle. Assume for the moment you are looking for a job. Your resume looks like every other resume stacked neatly on the corner of the boss’s desk. From the boss’s chair they all look the same and there is a better than good chance that they all read the same.
The secret, (as I recently told my nephew) is to package yourself as something different… something special… something unique. But here comes the rub. In order to do this you have to take a risk. To stand out from the “me toos only betters’ you have to go to Plan B. I cannot afford to be initially interpreted as just “another.”
Stay with me. Swinging over to your “job interview,” you are looking for a new piece of business (a new job.) And every travel agent in the country looks, sounds and acts the same. Your challenge is similar to that of the new job seeker. Do you see where I am going?
Not that I am a hiring expert, but don’t the people who review the resumes know that job candidates will not put a lousy reference or a failed experience up in lights? If I were reviewing resumes, I would simply look the candidate in the eye and say, “Let’s skip the glowing self-induced puffery and cut right to the chase. I don’t care how many likes you have on Facebook. I don’t care how many years you have been collecting a paycheck. I don’t care who you know or the height of your biggest bowling trophy. What I do want to know is Why should I hire you?”
Back to your personal scenario. With our world filling up with “me-too, only better, faster, and cheaper” options out there, I would thank a service provider who looked me directly in the eye and told me what they could do for me. I would want to know what I could expect. What I could rely on and what they could not do for me in all honesty. …using words I could understand.
Resume Example.
Name: Mike Marchev
Contributions to your organization: (1) I will be at work every single day on time. (2) I will be at work presentable, alert and prepared. (3) I will be coachable and do what needs doing. When do I start?
Travel Example:
Name: Mike Marchev
Contribution to your organization: (1) We will answer the phone when it rings if at all possible or return voice messages promptly. (2) We will research and present the appropriate options in a timely fashion. (3) We will strive to save you money without sacrificing value. (4) We will bend over backwards to make doing business with us fun. (5) When do we start?
Your prospects and customers are not stupid. All they want is to find somebody they can trust and rely on who is professional enough to get the job done in a timely fashion.
Let’s cut out much of the industry rhetoric and cut right to the chase. When can you start?
Mike Marchev freely shares his experiences, strategies and observations with travel professionals in an effort to keep them on top of their game. For a complimentary copy of his 12-Word Marketing Plan send him an email at mike@mikemarchev.com.
Mike’s daily column is made possible by AmaWaterways.
