Give your gift, and find quality clients | Travel Research Online

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Give your gift, and find quality clients

When I first got into travel, I did it for me. You could say it was a selfish move. I always had a passion for travel and I felt that building a business around my passion would allow me to travel more often. I also wanted to share what I knew with others, but that motive took a back seat to the number one motive of wanting to travel more often.

I dove into entrepreneurship with a naïve sense that if I followed my passion, the business would follow. It didn’t. I couldn’t understand why it was so difficult to get enough good clients so I could make decent money to afford to travel as often as possible. I think I have it figured out.

It’s not that having a passion isn’t important. In fact, having a passion for your business is critical. But it took a long time to realize the missing link, or as I now refer to it, the secret to success.

The reason I struggled to attract enough lucrative clients was because I was so focused on “getting.” When I finally shifted from a place of getting to a place of giving, everything changed.

Giving?

I had to realize that I was gifted. I had to embrace my talents and understand that my purpose in life was to share them with people. I’ll never forget when a very wise mentor said to me: “There are people who need your gifts and they will suffer if you don’t share them. It’s your DUTY to market those gifts so they can find you.” What a light bulb moment! I finally realized that marketing was about helping more people. The more I marketed, the more people I could help. A huge weight was lifted. That felt so much better than chasing clients to “get” more money. The moment I shifted from getting to giving, the business came flooding in.

You, too, are here for a reason. You, too, have a purpose and are supposed to be sharing your gifts and talents with your clients. Perhaps it’s time for you to fully embrace how important you are in the lives and dreams of your clients.

Travel is a healing tool. Travel helps people remove themselves from the chaos of everyday life and once again connect with themselves, their loved ones, their friends, and even perfect strangers. Travel heals relationships. It breaks down racial barriers. It gives people perspective that will change their lives. And it’s very possible that travel will be the agent for world peace.

You, as a travel professional must understand this, bring it to the surface, and lead with it. Because when you do, you will make the shift, too.

Chasing money and clients gets old. It drains you. It feels icky. But tapping into people’s hopes and dreams and being the person to make them happen, you can do that until the day you die. It energizes you. It feels amazing.

Meredith Hill, ex-President of Hills of Africa Travel, founded the Global Institute for Travel Entrepreneurs (GIFTE) to empower frustrated and struggling travel consultants who weren’t getting the marketing support they needed. As the fastest growing industry organization dedicated to marketing education for travel professionals, GIFTE’s mission is to revolutionize the way travel advisors market and grow their businesses.  GIFTE’s products and programs provide all the tools, resources and support travel professionals need to reach a whole new level of success in travel – one that includes making more money while making a difference in the lives of their clients. Learn more at www.travelbusinessu.com, or visit and “like” GIFTE’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/GlobalInstituteforTravelEntrepreneurs.

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