TourRadar, a company that aggregates 2,500 international adventure operators offering 50,000 tour products on a single booking platform, has made its network of operators commissionable to the retail travel community. The company is offering 12 percent commission till June 30 as part of its efforts to invite potential travel advisor partners to its network.

I know you are good. I know you are smart. I know you have accomplished a lot. But I also know you can get better. I know you have a lot more to learn. I know you must get better.

Being receptive to constructive “coaching” is a sign of an intelligent person, regardless of age and/or experience. It is important to understand the difference between “criticism” and “coaching.” They are not the same. Criticism has no apparent benefit. It is a verbal attempt at headlining one’s shortcomings, usually for the enjoyment of the person doing the criticizing.

What is the definition of a good business decision? What is the definition of a bad business decision? I recently found myself thinking about these two questions and decided to put my thoughts down on paper.

A business decision often surfaces as a result of actions taken that stem from input—input from an outside source. In other words, something beyond your immediate control enters the picture, and you are faced with several viable options. Selecting the appropriate response often defines a stressful decision. What to do? Should you do anything at all? What if you make a judgment error? Time is running out. Pull the trigger. Make a decision.

We all need and want new clients, right? And unfortunately, clients are one of the only things that are not for sale on Amazon, so we need to find them the old-fashioned way, with traditional marketing. Of course, we use the most up-to-date tools and technology, but in the end, it is words that will draw a client to do business with you—spoken or written. Make sure you get them right! Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s reminder is coming directly to you via my golden-oldies archives. It was written eleven years ago but, for many of you, “the shoe will still fit.” You can be the judge.

Time may continue to pass us by, but the major (business) lesson from this time of year reigns supreme for another twelve months. Everyone, regardless of the color and size of their Easter Basket, is familiar with the good ole Easter Egg Hunt. (Now that I think of it, I did not hear news of the Annual White House Hunt.) Find those little colored babies or not, there is one GIANT reminder we can all benefit from when it comes to this annual free-for-all. Read the rest of this entry »

My dad was a salesman. He regularly left home on two-week missions to sell more of his “stuff,” in order to pay the mortgage for a home large enough to house my mother and their seven children.

I was #2, and I remember those days like it was yesterday. “Mike,” you say, “who cares?” Stay tuned. I am talking to you.

My dad loved to fly, and he loved his work. Based on our comfortable living conditions while growing up in a big house open 24/7 to all shape and size kids and their friends, he was a pretty good salesman.

Flying used to be an exciting proposition. I suspect that another reason he enjoyed traveling so much had a little to do with that Read the rest of this entry »

Bekah Eaton came home from ASTA’s annual conference with new ideas, new relationships, and a case of Covid. She believes she caught it from the woman who sat next to her for two hours. “I felt betrayed and almost angry that she would put me in harms way, and expose me without warning or anything.”

Another travel advisor, who asked to remain anonymous, was on a fam trip to Italy when she thanked the woman sitting next to her, whom she knew was opposed to vaccines, for getting vaccinated before the trip. “She went off on me about how she felt forced to get the vaccine—and that was very alienating in a small group atmosphere.”

Then she saw someone attending a FAM in Europe after being at an ASTA event where there were positive cases. “And I’m thinking, weren’t you in that room at ASTA with people who tested positive? Shouldn’t you be quarantining and not on this AMA cruise in Europe?”

Those experiences changed the way she sees those people. Read the rest of this entry »

The idea for this week’s article came to me while filling out the morning USA Today Crossword Puzzle. In and of itself there is no connection, so I don’t want you to spend any time trying to connect the dots. I suppose my point is that ideas come from anywhere and everywhere.

The truth is that your clients and future clients are out there dancing to the beat of their own drum. The chances are very good they are not doing the fox trot to the same rhythms. They are all focused on their own set of circumstances, and worrying about whatever it is they worry about. For you to enter their world thinking, or believing, that you can soon have them focusing on your agenda is nothing short of delusional. But there is a way. Read the rest of this entry »

When I mention this in my live programs, I usually get more than a few giggles in disbelief. I then tell the audience: “I mean it. I don’t like a lot of people. Who said that I have to ‘like’ everybody? The word ‘people’ is too general for me to rubber-stamp my affection toward anybody and everybody who can fog a mirror.”

Like in my live programs, I think it is time to hear my rationale.

The secret is not to like everybody, but to like the people you like. And then, be willing and eager to do everything within your power to service these people. No rules. No exceptions. No excuses. Not when you just feel like it. All the time. Read the rest of this entry »

This year’s PGA golf tournament was both entertaining and historic. The winner, by the way, was a 200-1 longshot. Nobody in the history of the game has ever won a “major” golf tournament at his age.

The final day was an up and down seesaw of great shots, followed by less than great shots. As a matter of fact, I personally have hit a few more attractive shots than some viewed on television on that particular Sunday. What appeared to be a runaway at first glance came down to the final hole. In the end, it was Phil Mickelson who took the final bow at age 50 plus eleven months. Read the rest of this entry »