The month of March has come and gone. In addition to heralding in Spring, March holds another exciting event for me. For us sports fans, it features March Madness. For those of you scratching your head, MM is a collegiate basketball tournament where 64 college teams compete in a “one and done” shootout where local betting is only surpassed by wagers during the Super Bowl.
The attraction for me, since my alma mater never makes the initial field, is the daily display of competition. These young men have worked extremely hard for months to gain entry into this tournament, and in the flash of an eye, their season can come to a crashing halt.
Every athlete on the court is qualified and filled with anticipation and hope they will move on in their bracket. But after the final whistle, only one team will emerge victorious. For me, this is entertainment at its best. For me, this is competition at an extremely high level.
And now I turn to you, the travel entrepreneur who is playing in your own tournament every bit as competitive as March Madness. Every agent (and agency) within a 100-mile radius of your dining room table shares a common objective. And that is to grow their business by providing a meaningful service to more appreciative prospects, and soon-to-be clients. There are many of you pursuing the same goal.
But as skilled and loaded with sincere hopes for a bountiful future as you are, chances are pretty good that you will soon be in for your share of disappointment. I agree that this is a bitter pill to swallow, but I am afraid I am speaking the truth. Just as losing a basketball game on national television is not something to celebrate, neither is you losing that next golden opportunity to say … COSTCO.
I hope I have not lost you with my March Madness analogy. Here is something I know you will understand. Unfriendly bounce or not, you can’t possibly score if you do not take the shot. When you find yourself in a position where you can make headway with your prospect, take the shot and see where the bounce takes you. To borrow from another sport, hockey great Wayne Gretzky went on record to say, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” I repeat. “Take the shot.”
The more shots you take, the more victories you will enjoy.
Mike Marchev is always looking for a few more proactive travel professionals to join his Sales and Marketing Club, mike@mikemarchev.com.
*** You want more to think about? Check out my weekly podcast (Miked Up Marchev). Also listed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, and iHeartRadio.
