The Edge Of Excellence: Ignorance is bliss | Travel Research Online

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The Edge Of Excellence: Ignorance is bliss

Editor’s Note: If you have been in the industry for more than a few years, the name Nolan Burris likely brings a smile to your face along with some thoughts to your mind. I have heard him speak more than a dozen times and always take away something that improves my business. Nolan is an expert in our industry and knows the business inside and out. We are proud to bring his refreshing and thought provoking columns to TRO–please welcome, Nolan Burris, Visioneer!

In 1979 I decided to change careers.  “I stopped being a starving musician and started being a starving travel agent”.  I’ve been a professional speaker and author since 1999 and I often mention the previous quote in my presentations.  When I speak to travel agents, it’s always met with laughter and giggles. It was a joke that rang true 31 years ago and still sounds familiar to many of today’s travel professionals.  But, something has changed.

I speak both inside and outside of the travel industry.  I also meet quite a few newcomers who have changed careers to get into travel – on purpose!  It might be shocking to industry veterans to learn that many of them do it specifically to make money.  Yes indeed there are people are making serious money as travel agents right now.  Sometimes those coming into the industry today succeed because they “don’t know any better!”  They aren’t burdened with years of habits or skills honed in an industry that is vastly different than it was when I entered it.

Just a few years ago I met a man who left his comfortable job in technology to open a cruise-only agency.  Because he “didn’t know better” he charged $100 per person as a professional consulting and services fee.  He’s now recognized as one of the top cruise producers around.  He rarely has any difficulty collecting his fees in addition to any commission he may earn.  How did he do it so easily?  Maybe he “didn’t know any better.”

The corporate agency of which I am now a client is another example of old habits not getting in the way.  It was purchased by a former bank officer with the intent of turning it from a business with a loss into one with a healthy profit. Because the new owner “didn’t know any better” she calculated their fees based on creating an exceptionally high level of service.  She was blissfully unaware that most corporate agencies were instead focused on transaction charges and self-service automation.  With a fee that was more than double the local average, her agency quickly rose to enviable profit levels and has stayed there ever since.

I have also met countless industry veterans that DID “know better” but realized that new circumstances called for new strategies.  One fellow I know completely reinvented his twenty-year old agency by flipping his revenue upside down!  His business was built on a foundation of commission and overrides.  Today it sees most of its income in the form of consulting and other professional fees and profit is the norm.

In all these examples there is a common thread uniting them.  Surprisingly, it is not just the fact that they all charge fairly high fees.  They all are keenly aware of the new reality:  nobody “needs” a travel agent any more – you have to make them “want” you. To make them want you, you have to be as much or more of an amazing experience as the travel itself.  You have to be the product!

You all sell the same cruises, tours and flights as everyone else.  The only distinguishing factor is you and your service.  All the agencies above excel not simply because of their fees, but because their fees allow them to fund a level of service and personal attention not possible with commission alone.  While others struggle against rising costs and ever-diminishing commissions, they forge ahead putting their focus where it really counts:  service.  In my next installment, I’ll explore in more detail what service really means.  I’ll give you a hint: it isn’t just reservations.

Nolan Burris is an author, former travel agent, failed musician and self-professed techno-geek. He’s also a popular international speaker both inside and outside of the travel industry.  He is the founder and chief Visioneer of Future Proof Travel Solutions (futureprooftravel.com) based in Vancouver, Canada.  Nolan’s believes that if can change the way business works, you’ll change the world. His goal is to spread the message of integrity and ethics in a techno-driven world.

  10 thoughts on “The Edge Of Excellence: Ignorance is bliss

  1. DB says:

    Wow…I love Nolen’s stuff. I probably need to “not know any different” more often. Looking forward to more new insight.

  2. Pat Saizan says:

    Nolan Burris is filled with wonderful insight and information. I am looking forward to his articles. They will help keep me focused!

  3. Anne Kulhanek says:

    I love Nolan’s message and can never hear too much. I’m always attempting to put to use his ideas and suggestions. Welcome to TRO Nolan!

  4. Paul O'Meara says:

    Nolan is such a great “voice of reason’ for the travel agency community. Maybe his family background in the field helped shape his thoughts and ideals, but his business sense is what I come to admire in his presentations to agency groups. Sometimes a good dose of common sense is just what the industry needs. Keep up the good work, Mr. Burris – and I will keep recommending you as a speaker to my industry contacts.

    Paul O’Meara
    VP, Sales
    Yankee Holidays

  5. Carol Fullmer says:

    You’re really famous now. Caught this in ASTASmartBrief today.
    Love it!

  6. I find Nolan’s insights so interesting and very helpful. I’ve been to a couple of his seminars and enjoyed them a lot. More importantly, I walked away with knowledge I put to work the next day…

  7. Jean Dyer says:

    Once again Nolan delights and inspires! What he says makes absolute sense.
    Jean Dyer
    Marketing Manager
    Peak Travel Group

  8. Sherri says:

    Recently ordered his CD on charging fees. He makes hard into easy.

  9. I have always wanted to be in the travel agent business.And after I saw Nolan speak on the tuesday webinar and read his comments on travel ,I know this is what I was ment to do , be a travel agent. Thank You Nolan for words of wisdom.

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