The People Who Came Before You | Travel Research Online

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The People Who Came Before You

“Maybe I’m not listening to your pitch because the 100 people who came before you abused my trust, stole my time, and disrespected my attention.”

“Perhaps I’m not buying from you because the last time someone like you earned my trust, he broke my heart.”

“People are never irrational. They often act on memories and pressures that you’re unaware of.”

This quote came from Seth Godin’s blog post and it rang true with me.

I have been sharing my views for years that travel agents have taught their prospects to cast their vacation fates to the Internet for years. Time and again agents have let them down, shook their trust, gave them something to fear, question, or down-right disbelieve. Not because they are bad people, but because they were in a rush or just didn’t see the need to do their homework. Maybe they just had too many balls in the air and lost focus on multiple fronts. Of course your prospects resorted to the do-it-yourself medium. What did you expect?

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Now your work is cut out for you. Don’t be a “them.” Be a “you.” Be the exception.

Work hard at earning people’s trust. Be that one “special” person in a hundred look-alikes and sound-alikes. Be fun. Be unique. Be interested, and before you know it, you will be “interesting.”

Need a hint? Call people back. Act like you are glad they called. Say thank you more often and mean it. Listen with the intent to understand. Look people in the eye. Talk less and listen more. Start a little bit earlier. Stay a little bit later. Take a different route to and from work once in a while. Take a walk. Work at becoming a magnet that attracts people into your circle and not one that repels them away from you. Think. Breathe. Live. Love. Become something “special.” You will like the results and if you think about it, there is very little down-side.


Mike Marchev

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.

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