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Posted In: Agent Perspectives

In the 60’s it was “signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs.” Today in travel, we have the internet, and it is all about online forums and communities. For instance, Travel Research Online has the Community.  These internet forums are quite valuable, especially to the home-based professional who typically operates without the benefit of a co-worker in the same office.  They provide a connection to colleagues all across the country, with different specializations and levels of experience.  Story after story can be told of an agent asking a question on a message board and receiving immeasurable help, from advice for handling difficult situations to destination recommendations. But, there is a problem! Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Point-to-Point

Can you hear the magic

Like a lot of people my age, I recently received my first pair of hearing aids. Apparently, my ability to lip-read and mentally fill-in the missing bits had developed unconsciously over the years, masking the extent of my loss. Eventually I could no longer compensate and I am now the owner of two behind-the-ear life changers.

As the audiologist had warned me, the first day was overwhelming. I was suddenly awash in chaotic cacophony coming from all directions. I developed a headache, couldn’t focus, got dizzy, and felt nauseous. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Soundings

Is Backpedaling Detrimental To Your Business?

Susan SchafferHave you ever made a change in your business practices and had it backfire? How did it affect your business moving forward? We can take a lesson from a couple of suppliers.

Supplier A implements a policy, for example not allowing passengers to remove food from the dining rooms or buffet. The decision backfires as passengers complain in large numbers, and in very public forums. In less than a month Supplier A backpedals and rescinds the decision. The reason given for implementing the new policy was because the new CEO was appalled by the dirty dishes and trays lying throughout the hallways when he toured a ship. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Point-to-Point

Do you miss the way things used to be?

Several years ago, at an industry event where I was about to speak, I was sitting at a table full of travel agents.  As often happens, the subject of “the good old days” came up.  I joined in with four fellow long-timers to share almost mythical stories of happy flight attendants, tasty airline meals, free FAM trips, and rock-solid commission structures.  One tablemate said with a sigh “I sure miss the way things used to be.”

After about twenty minutes of listening politely, a relative newcomer to the industry could no longer contain herself. She blurted out…. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Point-to-Point

Selling YOU with a powerful ME statement

You’ve heard over and over again that you have to sell YOU as much as, or more than, you sell a supplier or destination.  It sounds good, but it isn’t always obvious just how to do it.

Then there’s the challenge of finding the balance between talking about your strengths and customer benefits without it turning into a “sales pitch.” Does anyone really want to hear how great you think you are?   It’s a real but important challenge to tackle.  Here’s why… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Editorial Musings

10 travel marketing tips from 10 people who know

Times are tough for business. It has nothing to do with the economy or the state of the travel industry. Business is tough—period. If it were easy, everyone would own their own. So, how do you hedge your bets toward success? I am a firm believer in listening to others who are more successful than you. With that in mind, I asked several very successful agencies how they did it and came up with these 10 marketing tips. Try one, two, or all 10 and see if they work for you—and let us know. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Point-to-Point

Confessions of a hypocrite

I sometimes catch myself being a hypocrite. When it happens, it’s never a pleasant realization. Sometimes the awareness comes from learning new information, sudden enlightenment, or seeing the results of my own actions. However it occurs, I usually give myself a figurative smack on the forehead and try to correct course moving forward.

There’s another kind of hypocrisy where we willfully suspend and ignore our normal way of thinking. When we’re in that state, it’s possible to say or do things we would otherwise find annoying or offensive if said or done to us. It happens in our own industry!  Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Point-to-Point

Do you remember way back when? Do you miss it?

Not so long ago, at an industry event where I was about to speak, I was sitting at a table full of travel agents.  As often happens, the subject of “the good old days” came up.  I joined in with four fellow long-timers to share almost mythical stories of happy flight attendants, tasty airline meals, free FAM trips, agent upgrades,  and rock-solid commission structures.  One tablemate said with a sigh “I sure miss the way things used to be.”

After about twenty minutes of listening politely, a relative newcomer to the industry had had enough.  Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Point-to-Point

Blissfully ignorant

Way back 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 35 years ago and still sounds familiar to many of today’s travel professionals.  But, something has changed.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: The 365 Guide

When we craft a public relations campaign, we weave together networking, public speaking, media relations and publication. While each of these activities are separate disciplines in their own right, they have something in common – the are vehicles driven by your personality. In each instance, you power both the message and the delivery. For better or worse, your travel practice will walk and talk like you do. If that is truly the case, it is important for us to choose carefully the persona we project. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: The 365 Guide

The Most Common Sales Mistakes Travel Agents Make

Are you going to make mistakes in your travel practice? Absolutely! As my father used to say, if you aren’t falling down on occasion, then you aren’t trying hard enough. That said, however, everyone’s goal should be to minimize the problems likely to be encountered in building up the marketing and sales programs for your travel agency. With that in mind, this week we are going to talk about the most common mistakes travel agents make in five very important areas: Sales, Marketing, Branding, Public Relations, and Social Media. We start off the week discussing the most common sales mistakes travel agents make. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Agent Perspectives

Who is your guru?

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.” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Point-to-Point

Tell the whole truth

It’s been a busy year for me — speaking at industry events, presenting webinars and conducting training programs for travel pros.  In nearly every program I try to focus on, or at least highlight, the importance of communicating your real value.

Far too often, travel consultants assume that their clients already know all the work that goes on “behind the scenes” to craft the perfect trip.  With all the flashy and seductive online alternatives competing for their attention, it’s a very risky assumption to make. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Editorial Musings

Shed your slump with 8 easy tips

We have all been the victims of the occasional slump. For a myriad of reasons, we just lose interest in…well everything.  And as we have seen, this can be dangerous for your travel business.  That’s the bad news. The good news is that shedding a slump is fairly easy.  And when you do, you are reinvigorated, happy, and ready to tackle the world! But how to shed it?  Everyone has their own theories; but I wanted to share 8 methods that I have used to get out of a slump. They are not intended all be used at once, but perhaps one or two at the right time.  And as a disclaimer—none of which involve any form of “retail therapy.” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Agent Perspectives

An industry divided

Over the last year, I have noticed a surprising disease beginning to spread throughout the travel industry.  It is a horrible disease, one that affects some of us just a little bit, others a great deal, and still others not at all.  This disease has the potential to sharply divide our industry in a way never seen before, and has in fact already started to divide us, especially within Facebook groups and online agent-only forums.  In fact, as I write this article, I am deeply troubled by this disease and what its appearance means for our industry’s future. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Agent Perspectives

Stop wishing. Go for it!

In 2010, I decided on a niche for my agency, Journeys By Steve, to go after corporate incentive and meeting groups.  A relative was the VP of Sales for a franchise group of small business owners across the US and Canada, and I felt his company would be a great client for my services.  Using his help, I approached the COO of the company, and made my pitch.  I talked about what I did, how I did it, and how my arrangement would benefit the company over what they were currently doing.  I had done several months’ worth of research prior to this meeting, so I felt confident I knew their challenges and how to correct them.  I came away from that meeting, not with a contract in hand, but with a promise that they’ll keep me in mind. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Point-to-Point

3 steps to future-proofing your sales

It’s been fifteen years since I quit a perfectly good job in travel franchising to start my little company.  I used to question the logic starting a new career and a new business in this crazy industry.  At that time travel was in quite a state of upheaval.

The airlines had just completed their multi-year assault on commission, effectively reducing it to zero throughout North America.  Travel agencies were closing, merging, fleeing the corporate business and turning to cruises.  Professional fees were still a rarity and the Internet was still a novelty.  It was clear that the net would continue to grow and flourish while many experts predicted the opposite for travel agencies. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: The 365 Guide

I saved the best myth for last.  I say it’s the best because once you are freed of its power, you will increase your earning power substantially.  Get this one right, because it’s devilishly tough to make it as a travel consultant without being able to move past this myth.

Myth #5 – Clients Won’t Pay a Planning Fee

Actually, what many agents will tell you is that their clients won’t pay a “plan to go” fee. These agents know that other travel planners collect an up-front fee, but remain convinced that for some reason their clients are different and will refuse Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: The 365 Guide

When we first launched TRO, we surveyed what the other media was providing travel agents. From our perspective, most of the “news” being provided were supplier and destination press releases.  Essentially, the same articles were appearing in every magazine and newsletter. There was no room, or need, for another outlet for supplier “news”.  We wanted to be different. TRO wanted to produce information that travel agents could actually put to use in their travel practice immediately. Read the rest of this entry »

Travel Place — FIT FIT FIT

I’m not certain when this happened but my business  has become almost entirely Foreign Independent Travel, or FIT!  Oh I yearn for a simple RSSC or Azamara cruise booking with a little pre/post package and some air. Some days it is overwhelming.

Here’s what I have going today with dozens more that do not need action this minute: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Point-to-Point

Several years ago, I took a cruise that was considered to be in the “premium” category.  It was a stunningly beautiful ship and my cabin was excellent.  The vessel was impeccably clean with a constant flurry of workers erasing every fingerprint and smudge along the way.

The décor was flawless and the spa was a sight to behold.  The entertainment was the best I have ever seen aboard a ship — regardless of class. This might sound like a perfect cruise experience, but I would never do it again! Read the rest of this entry »