There are experts everywhere. We are surrounded by self-proclaimed experts in virtually every facet of our lives–just look around. There are experts for social media (even specialized experts in one platform of social media), experts for websites, experts for sales…if you can think of it, there’s an expert out there for it! It can be difficult to weed out all the riff-raff and find the GOOD experts, the ones who not only know what they’re talking about, they have a historical record of positives to back up their expert claims. I call these experts my “certified gurus.”
For the fun of it, I thought I would share my extensive list of gurus. I’m subscribed to email newsletters these folks put out (whether I get a chance to READ them is another story!) and I read their blogs and websites often. And at one point in time, they all have helped me out–they may not know it; but they have! In no particular order….
Jeffrey Gitomer – Jeffrey is well known for several books on sales, interacting with clients, and other aspects of the consultant/client relationship. His no-nonsense style has helped him develop a following of sales people across a wide variety of industries for more than twenty years. http://www.gitomer.com
Nolan Burris – TRO’s own Nolan Burris has carved a niche for himself in the realm of social media and the principle of charging fees. I have found Nolan’s work to be instrumental in improving my own social media attempts, and without his encouragement and lessons, I would never have found the courage to charge fees for my work. http://www.futureprooftravelsolutions.com
Mike Marchev – Mike is also one of TRO’s educators, in the field of marketing. I have learned quite a bit from Mike, understanding how one should look at the sales process and understand how to approach it with a successful result. Marketing is NOT my strong suit, but Mike helps me feel like I can actually do it, and do it well. http://www.mikemarchev.com
Michael Pedone – Heading up SalesBuzz.com, Michael Pedone offers sales advice and instruction in the same vein as Jeffrey Gitomer, although in a different style and with different material. I find it is important to get your training from a variety of sources; what works for one person may not work for another, and Michael has offered some excellent training through his website. http://www.salesbuzz.com (auto start video/avatar)
Do you have any gurus? Who are the people that energize you, motivate you, and give you the tools you need to be successful? I have shared my list…who is on yours?
Steve Cousino, ACC, CTA, LS has been a travel professional since 2005 and currently owns Exclusive Events At Sea and Journeys By Steve with specializations in group cruising, individual ocean & river cruising, and personalized experiences in Europe, especially the British Isles. In addition, Steve heads up WordPressForTravelAgents.com, an email-based WordPress education system designed specifically for the busy travel professional. He can be reached at steve@journeysbysteve.com.
One thought on “Who is your guru?”
Wow! I never thought of myself as a guru, but I’m humbled and honoured to be considered one. Steve, it’s people like you that I so often point to as examples of what is possible in this remarkable industry. You are one of MY gurus.