The truth is: If you read all the articles and informational bulletins available to you pertaining to the travel industry, you won’t have enough time to sell, service or manage your current client base. You will be too busy “learning.”
Although information is everywhere, knowledge is still king. But time remains the limiting factor. This being the case, what can you do to gain a leg-up on the competition?
Google the words “travel agent” and see for yourself how many options pop onto your screen in less than a blink of an eye. (The answer is just a tad under 30 million in ¼ of a second.)
I see two problems as it relates to information overload. The first one is more basic than the second. The fact is that most people – age does not matter – do not make it a habit of reading directions. You can delete the word “directions” and still get my point. Secondly, most people – age does not matter – take the easy way out, the path of least resistance, the road more travelled, which more-often-than-not is spelled “easier.”
I am reminded of the saying that “the person who does not read is no better off than the person who can not read.” I interpret this as saying “if you don’t read anything, it doesn’t matter how much there is to read.”
So, let’s get to the bottom line. According to me, there is not “too much information.” There is simply a growing tendency to shy away from the information that is currently available to you in volumes. Perhaps it is discipline that is in short supply, and we just blame it on overload.
Whatever the case, the fact remains. You have lots of travel-related information to sort through… to read…look at…internalize and decipher. So, to avoid a nervous breakdown, knowing you can’t do it all, why not devote a certain period of time (each day, week, month) to learn something new about your business? It makes sense to me.
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.
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