The Importance of Getting Refreshed | Travel Research Online

What do doctors, nurses, pilots and real estate professionals all have in common? All of these professionals spend time taking refresher courses or recurrent training. Have you ever retaken a FAM trip, sat through a CLIA training class for the second time or listened to a webinar from a supplier you know like the back of your hand?

I recently attended a breakfast seminar hosted by Entrepreneur Magazine. The featured speaker was Starr Hall (www.starrhall.com) whose session was promoted as an “Online Marketing & Social Media Crash Course.”  Though I had heard Starr speak once before back in January and knew how engaging she is as a speaker, I also knew that I would learn something I had missed the first time.

No matter how much you think you know about a subject, there are always opportunities to learn more. When you learn something the first time, you have no context in which you can put that information into perspective. When you retake a course or seminar, visit a familiar resort or take a cruise on the same ship, you are bound to learn something you didn’t the first time. You have those ‘ah-ha!’ moments. Think about “the rule of seven”: with each exposure to a product, supplier or class you start to absorb more.

For example, consider a two day inaugural cruise on a brand new ship. The format is the same. You are given a list of “open staterooms” to visit and you spend the first day running from room to room taking pictures and then moving on. When you sail for a week on that same ship, you start to find things you missed the first time around. Spending more time onboard allows you to notice how big the closets are when filled with clothes, how much room is under the bed or the odd location of the electrical outlets.

How about a day spent on tour of five to six resorts? You try to take notes, but after awhile, they all blur together. When you get home how often do you review those notes? Could you even find them? How much more do you learn when you go stay for a week at one of those resorts?

As a private pilot, I know the importance of refresher courses. I am required by law to take a bi-annual flight review with a flight instructor if I want to fly with passengers. Unless I violate a flight rule, I will always hold a private pilot’s license. However, for my safety and for those who would fly with me, it is very important to have that refresher training. One of the most famous pilots in modern history, Charles Sullenberger, had constant training throughout his career. Included in his training was what to do if the plane lost power to both engines on take-off.

Going back to the recent seminar, Starr asks attendees to take away three things that they could start using in their business right now. Having heard her presentation, here are three new things am I implementing in my business today:

• When asking people to request information or join your mailing list, tell them how often they can expect to hear from you and stress they can opt-out without hurting your feelings at any time.
• Instead of concentrating on B2B or B2C, concentrate on P2P. It doesn’t matter if you have a huge conglomerate that wants to charter an entire ship, the process still begins one-to-one.
• Build your social proof by proving you are worth doing business with. One way to accomplish this is to ask for testimonials and share them on your website, blog, Facebook, Twitter and newsletter.

Remember, I heard those same three ideas when I heard Starr speak for the first time. These were the ideas I took away this time. Make the investment, be it in cash or in time to improve your bottom line by getting refreshed. By the way, if you are in or near New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Boston or Philadelphia in the next four months you can go hear Starr speak for free. Find out how at this link.”

Chuck Flagg is a regular contributor to TRO and an independent owner/operator of Cruise Holidays in Canton, GA. His website is www.theflaggagency.com He can be found on Twitter @theflaggagency