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There is a four-letter word that begins with an F and usually raises a few eyebrows when it is heard.  Any guesses? No, not THAT word, this is a PG-13 site!  I’m speaking of “fees!”  It definitely raises eyebrows, and not always in a negative way.  In fact, I’ve never seen a greater interest from travel agents than I am seeing today.  It looks like a lot of you are beginning to love the F-word!

A few years back, TRO hosted a webinar of mine in their “No Limits” series. In line with the theme, participants were asked to submit questions in advance, on any subject, for me to answer during the webinar. With a record number of registrations (more than 600), MOST of the questions asked were about fees!  I was pleasantly shocked. Read the rest of this entry »

In an older article I mentioned a curious phenomenon I see over and over again–people who succeed in travel because they “just don’t know any better.”  I am not suggesting their success is accidental or luck–quite the opposite. I was referring to those who enter the travel industry with little or no experience who do things a little differently than the rest.  I talked about those that seem to easily charge rather high professional fees.  (Note that I did not call them “booking” or “transaction” fees!)

Besides not “knowing any better” why do you think these entrepreneurs are able to so easily charge their fees?  Read the rest of this entry »

There is something about me that only my closest friends and family know. This painful personal detail changes their behavior toward me.  It affects when (or even if) they invite me to common social activities.

The truth is:  I am lousy at bowling.  I still enjoy it on those rare occasions I’m asked along (usually for laughs and to make everyone else feel better about their own skills).  But when I do choose to play, I have no illusion whatsoever that I will win.

I celebrate any ball that makes it to the pins without rolling in the gutter.  I graciously accept all frustrated attempts at coaching by well-intentioned friends.  I gladly volunteer to be the beer-fetcher, scorekeeper or cheerleader.  For me to approach bowling in any other way, would just make it an irritating, unproductive waste of time for all. Read the rest of this entry »

I love San Francisco.  I’ve been there many times, but just recently got to play tour guide for a first-timer. I hadn’t ridden the cable cars in years, and had forgotten the “secret” nobody tells you.  “Do I need a ticket? Where do I get it? Which line do I stand in?”  Everyone was asking same questions. 

After an hour of standing in line to buy tickets, followed by another hour to board the car I finally remembered the secret.  Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, I’m a proud “fee-vangelist.” My reason for pushing agents so hard to adopt professional fees is simple–you can’t wow them with service if you aren’t making enough money to pay the rent. And, in today’s net-connected world, unless you wow them, you won’t keep them.

I’ve just spoken at several industry events. Over and over I heard travel agents say they’ve hit “the tipping point” and finally started charging fees. But, there are two very different motivators at work. Read the rest of this entry »

As I meet agents all over the world, many wonder what makes me qualified to speak with authority to the travel industry. It’s a legitimate question and I am happy to  explain. 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 31 years ago and still sounds familiar to many of today’s travel professionals. But, some things have changed. Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine this:  you’re sitting in the dentist’s chair preparing for an expensive, lengthy root canal.  Then, the dentist says, “you know, I’m not really good at these drill thingies, now open wide!”  How confident and comfortable would that make you feel?  Would you just laugh and say, “That’s OK, I can’t use one either, drill away.”?  No. Read the rest of this entry »

I love a good pun and double-entendres always make me smile.  I’m especially fond of the ones that prove a point or make you think.  “Believe-able or Doubt-fail” is one of my favorites.

In a recent episode of The Mike and Nolan Show we discussed the importance of believing in your own value.  This is absolutely critical when it comes to success with fees!  Read the rest of this entry »

When I wrote my book Visionistics – The Process of Success, I wrote it in English.  While I speak a couple of other languages, I could not have expressed myself clearly by using any of them.  With my limited skills I may have successfully translated the words, but the important message behind them would certainly have been lost.

My book is soon to be translated into Chinese due to increasing sales in China.  This is a language where nothing but the tone of voice can change the sound “cha” from meaning “tea” to meaning “nasty.”  Subtlety matters.  Read the rest of this entry »

As a speaker, I travel a lot.  The Vancouver Airport Gate 85 Starbucks baristas always ask, “the usual?”  Even the customs officials know me by name.

The airport routine has become so repetitive for me that I can be oblivious to things going on around me.  That all changed recently when a smiling gray haired woman sat next to me and started to chat while we waited for our flight.

Within a few minutes I found out that she was in her seventies, practiced yoga daily, had lovely grandchildren, and was off to visit family in Las Vegas.  With half an hour to go before boarding she said she “needed to move around a bit.”  I expected her to take a walk.  I was wrong. Read the rest of this entry »

I am writing this on my nearly new MacBook Air on the day that Steve Jobs passed away.  I happen to be in New York City for a speaking engagement.  My hotel is very close to the “flagship” Apple Store on 5^th Avenue.

Within an hour of the announcement of Steve’s death, people began to gather, light candles, leave flowers and (for some) to shed a few tears. I realized that I, and many others, had developed an emotional relationship with Apple and the visionary that was Jobs.

It’s hard to imagine an emotional relationship with an electronics maker, but that is exactly what made Apple such a success.  Against all odds, in the middle of a horrific recession, their stores are packed, their stock is soaring and they cannot make their products fast enough.  Read the rest of this entry »

Have you seen those crazy looking “toe shoes” around?  They look like gloves for your feet and the stores can barely keep them in stock.

The theory is that generations of arch supports, orthotics and insoles have made our feet lazy.  They say since our foot muscles no longer needed to work, they just gave up.  Screwed up knees, hip pain and plantar fasciitis is the supposed result.  The shoes recreate the “barefoot experience” to rebuild our natural support. Read the rest of this entry »

When you hear a car alarm, do you rush to dial 911?  Do you look up with anticipation when a cell phone rings nearby?  Do you make note of the song titles playing overhead at the grocery store?  Do you pause to carefully read billboards, bus-stop ads or promos in your credit card bill?

For most of us, it has all become audio and visual background noise.  Most of it we simply ignore.  Ask a city dweller how they react to sirens.  They are loud and usually come with flashing lights but, other than moving out of the way, we take little notice.

There’s another kind of noise that is increasing in volume within the travel industry:  mass-blast marketing.  The assumption is that sending everyone every promotion will eventually produce a sale or two.  It makes mathematical sense, but neglects to consider the noise factor. Read the rest of this entry »

I love Disneyland! Every single time I have bought my ticket, I’ve been greeted with an enthusiastic smile and well wishes for having a fun day. Somehow, it always felt sincere.

Disney is in the business of selling fun. A cranky, disinterested or distracted ticket agent could sour the entire experience. Such a thing would be very rare in the Magic Kingdom. They “get it.”  Fun is not just a good idea; it’s official policy. They know that the fun begins long before you walk through the gates. Read the rest of this entry »

Just a few days ago my mother’s home was completely destroyed by a tornado in Chickasha, Oklahoma.  Thank goodness she was away with her sister on a trip when it happened.

Following the destruction, there was not a scrap of wood to be found where her home once stood.  Nothing more than a few scattered bricks from the crumbled foundation remained. Read the rest of this entry »

I am typing this article on my shiny new iPad 2.  Against the wishes of my inner geek, I promised to wait for the second version of this amazing device and it was worth the wait.

I love my slim new companion and I’m not alone.  It might surprise you to learn that more than 50% of iPad owners are over the age of fifty – just like me.  Why should a travel agent care about such things:  because technology has gone mobile and travel is going along with it.  The question is, will it leave you behind? Read the rest of this entry »

The year has barely started and I’m almost totally booked for the year. From my perspective as a speaker – business is good.  What’s even better is that my inbox is overflowing with email from travel agents bragging about increasing fee revenue, sales growth, decreasing dependence on commission and profit margins not seen in years. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been going to the same neighborhood gym since I moved to Vancouver from Chicago more than fifteen years ago.  There’s a ritual I’ve been witnessing every year about this time and it’s right on schedule.  It’s both wonderful and annoying.

All those holiday eggnogs and New Year’s eat-a-thons have been transformed into resolutions of working it all off.  For the next few weeks, the wait for a treadmill will be just a little bit longer.  I don’t mind.  It’s nice to see all those sweaty hope-filled faces looking toward a healthier tomorrow. Read the rest of this entry »

A while back 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

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

I keep telling people, “I’m not a social media expert!”  Don’t get me wrong; I speak about social media–a lot.  It’s one of the most common topics I’m asked to address and lots of people say my approach to social media has worked wonders for them.  Confused?

I have never considered myself a technology wizard, nor an Internet guru and definitely not a social media master.  That doesn’t mean I can’t tell you how to get better results from all of them!

You see, I believe the secrets to succeeding with all this stuff, and whatever stuff may come along after it, are not hidden in bits, bytes or HTML gibberish.  You already know the secrets and you learned them in Kindergarten:  have fun and be creative, be nice, and share.

My real passion and my purpose are described in entertaining detail Read the rest of this entry »

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, 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.  Read the rest of this entry »