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Posted In: 1:1

An Interview with Nolan Burris

  

PictureNolan Burris is an author, former travel agent, failed musician and self-professed techno-geek. He’s also a popular international speaker both inside and outside of the travel industry.  He is the founder and chief Visioneer of Future Proof Travel Solutions (futureprooftravel.com) based in Vancouver, Canada.  Nolan’s believes that if can change the way business works, you’ll change the world. His goal is to spread the message of integrity and ethics in a techno-driven world.

TRO : Let’s first talk a bit about your newest passion: Social Media. There are so many platforms to choose from the well known, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, to the lesser known like Naymz, Google Buzz, FourSquare, Plaxo. Do you recommend the agent community pick one or two or try to be EVERYWHERE?

NB: Great question!  First, think about the demographic of your target audience (not necessarily who you deal with now, but who you WANT).  Facebook has an older user base; most are women 55 and up.  Twitter has a much younger demographic with most 35 or younger.  Next, think about your marketing style.  Facebook and Twitter are more about being informal, personal and fun.  LinkedIn is all about business to business networking so a more formal tone is better.  If you are going to be “everywhere” don’t do or say the same things in all of them.  Each slice of the social media pie Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Publishers Corner

What Travel Advisors Can Learn from Barbers

Hairdressers. Stylists.  Barbers. Beauticians. The profession goes by many names, but chances are pretty good that you have one in your circle of acquaintances. As I was once told by a wise woman, only crazy people cut their own hair.  Certainly, my own experience with stylists indicates some important qualities: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: The Rosen Report

Part 1 of a 2-part series on staffing. If you have a tale to share for Part 2 about where and how you have found new staffers, email Cheryl at crosentravel@gmail.com.

From Cheesecake Factory to Starbucks, across cruise lines and hotel chains, every US business suddenly seems to be overbooked and looking everywhere for potential new hires. And travel agencies are no exception.

The phones are ringing and the long wait times on hold with suppliers eat up precious hours of travel advisors’ days. On top of that, many are calling in sick as Covid takes one more swipe at the travel industry, and many more are out of the office on their own long-postponed vacations, at training sessions they have put off for months or years, or on one of the abundant number of fam trips offered up when things were slow.

“Staffing is the number-one issue everywhere,” says Alex Sharpe, and the biggest concern of the attendees at Signature Travel Network’s quarterly Owners Meeting in New Jersey last month. “And hiring is the #1 opportunity Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: TRO SMITH

How inspiration powers social media marketing

During the history of the human race, we have been pilgrims, wayfarers, explorers and pioneers.  Our feet and minds have carried us far. We migrated out of Africa and spread across the planet in search of food, fortune and, sometimes, just the horizon.  As we traveled, stories were created, told and shared. Our minds seem wired for both travel and narrative.

That’s why few industries are as perfectly situated for social media marketing as travel. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: The Rosen Report

ASTA’s annual Legislative Day brought a crowd of travel advisors and consortium executives to Washington to talk travel industry issues and concerns. I caught up with two of my favorite people, Alex Sharpe, president and CEO of Signature Travel Network, and Jackie Friedman, president of Nexion LLC, following their press conference there to talk about some of the biggest concerns of travel advisors.

Here’s what they said: Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Editorial Musings

As we all navigate this new world with COVID-19 over our shoulders, as we need to be vigilant. Sure we need to wash our hands, wear our masks and avoid crowds; but I am talking about observational vigilance. Let me explain. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Editorial Musings

2019 Resolutions: Improve Your Sales Skills

Continuing on my list of resolutions inspired by Travel Pulse, this week, it’s all about improving your sales skills. This should be an easy one! The first step to becoming a stellar travel sales person is you need to want it. Sales (in any industry) is not for the feint of heart. It is a tough job and many are not cut out for it. Thankfully, travel is not like car or insurance sales—they are a different animal. But how do you become better at selling travel? Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Editorial Musings

Kick butt in travel with these 10 marketing tips

Owning your own business is not for the meek and mild mannered. Business is tough—that’s all there is to it. If it were easy, everyone would do it. So how do you insure that you are ahead of the competitive pack? Well, that answer is constantly changing, but I have collected a few suggestions from my 21 years in the industry. (Note: I never wrote that out before…wow, 21 years. I’m old!) But I digress, here’s ten of my best suggestions to make sure you make it! Read the rest of this entry »

Five Ways to Increase Self-Motivation

While self-motivation is a simple concept, we all know that it’s one of the hardest things to attain. Despite purely good intentions, most of us are better at slacking off than getting motivated. But no matter what your attention span, it is possible for you to motivate yourself and reach your goals; you just need to follow a few simple steps (I still feel that it is not possible for others to motivate you. Motivation is a do-it-to-yourself proposition).

Read the rest of this entry »

Top Dog Sales Secrets: More and Better Questions

“Your Most Powerful Sales Tool (Questions)”

Top Dog Sales Secrets by Michael Dalton Johnson, page 74

Here we go again. The topic of asking questions seems to have surfaced on page 74. I suppose what caught my attention in this quote are the words “powerful” and “tool.”

Sales today has very little (nothing) to do with “the gift-of-gab” and waxing eloquent while trying to talk people into buying your particular product or service. Consumers (people) are too smart for those tactics and thanks to the Internet, they are probably just as well-versed on your topic as you are.  (Sorry!) Read the rest of this entry »

“Shared thinking is stronger than solo thinking.”

How Successful People Think by John C. Maxwell, page 95

You are undoubtedly familiar with the phrase “two heads are better than one.” This is today’s message.

More and more people are following their dream of starting their own business and becoming their own boss. Although this sounds like an admirable achievement, it soon become evident that you bit off quite a mouthful. Read the rest of this entry »

Selling To Big Companies: Find An Ally

“Strategic alliances are the most powerful networking strategy. Create opportunities with strategic alliances.”

Selling to Big Companies by Jill Konrath, page 93

Chapter 9: Leverage Your Network

I suppose the first question most readers have is “what does he/she mean by strategic?” The dictionary uses the words intentional, planned, calculated, and deliberate when defining the word “strategic.” “Alliances” is defined by the words deals, agreements, and coalitions. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Soundings

Undercover Cruising

Susan SchaeferIf you have participated in a cruise line sponsored seminar at sea, or cruised on a TA rate, you’ve either been treated like royalty or felt like you were invisible. Either way, your experience traveling as a travel professional does not give you an authentic experience like what your clients will experience when they cruise.

Because we don’t receive the same treatment as consumers when we’re traveling as recognized travel agents, I strongly encourage travel professionals to cruise “undercover” as often as possible. Yes, that means paying full fare without TA discounts. But you can evaluate the consumer experience much more effectively this way. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Point-to-Point

Lessons in selling with sole

No, that’s not a typo in the title. It refers to a remarkable, and slightly annoying, conversation I had with the owner of a shoe store. Some of it might make you feel uncomfortable, but I also believe it will make you think. At least I hope it makes you think.

I spend a lot of time on airplanes. As often happens, I struck up a conversation with the person sitting next to me. We eventually asked about each others’ profession. I told him that I am a writer, speaker, and consultant mostly working within the travel industry.

He told me he owned a small shoe store (name withheld by request). While not verbatim, this was the gist of our conversation: Read the rest of this entry »

Tier One Travel – three decades of travel

I know this will date me, but I’ve been a travel agent since the days of calling the airline. The only classes were Y or B. Your hands cramped from writing those four coupon conjunction tickets—and we used a typewriter to prepare documents. I was fortunate that the agency where I did my travel school practicum hired me. Two Scotsmen who let me do a wee bit of everything owned it, so I learned a lot. After that I taught a travel course. I enjoyed inspiring my students to be successful in a profession I was passionate about. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Editorial Musings

Never underestimate the power of video and email

Last week I discussed the importance of the experience to today’s traveler. Later in the week, Nolan Burris talked about the “wow” experience he recently had in South Africa. Are you sensing a theme here? In Nolan’s article, he included a video to visually highlight his written message—and it worked. In terms of traffic to Travel Research Online, it worked. That article, along with the views of the video was very strong. I wondered.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Point-to-Point

I feel very fortunate to have visited South Africa many times. Late last year, I was speaking at a couple of travel events there, and added some personal time to explore. It is one of those rare destinations that not only has something for everyone; it excels at making every experience rich and memorable.

There are hipster-gentrified neighborhoods in Johannesburg, teeming with one-of-a-kind shops and galleries; bustling shopping malls and fancy boutiques abound in Pretoria. You’ll find espresso perfection and café culture in Cape Town, along with breathtaking scenery, including the nearby Cape Winelands that easily rival Napa Valley’s best. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Point-to-Point

A disrupter by any other name

I attend and speak at dozens of events each year, both inside and outside of the travel industry. One of the benefits is that I learn the latest jargon, corporate speak, or marketing buzzwords making the rounds.

One ominous sounding word has surfaced at nearly every event I’ve attended lately. In some cases, it was the primary topic for more than one speaker at the same conference! Apparently, the buzzword of the year is: disrupters. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: 1:1

Jen_Duckworth2As a 20-year plus travel Industry career veteran Jen Duckworth has worked on both the supplier and agent sides of the business in the roles of Agent, Manager, Sales Representative, Ticketing Specialist, Corporate Agent, and now Special Services Manager.

Her path in the travel industry started in the early 1980’s with an OAG and a Res Card. From those early beginnings at a local agency she moved to a bigger player, American Express, and was one of the first 50 persons asked to service a new product by the name of the Platinum card. That brand had only a vision, and her team developed the rules as the product evolved. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Publishers Corner

Social Media and Authentic Creativity

For many travel professionals, social marketing and media has proven its worth. Those who have succeeded using Facebook, Twitter and the like to generate business are actively engaged  by being both creative and authentic. No doubt, the fundamental marketing tactics of local, community oriented public relations, networking, and advertising are far more important and necessary to most travel agents than any social marketing efforts will ever be. However, layer your social marketing tactics on top of a solid foundation of fundamentals and truly excellent results can be the order of the day. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted In: Point-to-Point

My mother’s recipe for marketing success

 

Once or twice a year I do a deep clean of my computer. Like going through a box of photos or knick-knacks, an old memory usually distracts me, so the process takes much longer than expected.

Tucked away in a random folder from 2008 was a PowerPoint file for a workshop I had presented to travel consultants. It was called “What Is Social Media?” Read the rest of this entry »