“If you serve too many masters, you’ll soon suffer.”- Homer (The Odyssey)
The same can be said for your travel business. As the industry seeks to emerge from this pandemic and we begin to adopt our new normal – it is now more important than ever to gain clarity about who it is you serve.
Keep in mind, for many agents / advisers the only real value they have to offer, is price. But if that’s their business model, then they are already crystal clear on who they serve. It’s the rest of the agency channel that tends to be unclear.
There is a parable making the rounds on social media about young man trying to sell his father’s 200-year-old wrist watch. While some liberties were taken with the historical facts, the lesson from it is as follows:
The father said; “I wanted to let you know that the right place values you in the right way. Don’t find yourself in the wrong place and get angry if you are not valued. Those that know your value are those who appreciate you, don’t stay in a place where nobody sees your value.”
The real nugget here is: Don’t stay in a place where nobody sees your value.
In other words, stop wasting precious time and energy with people who suck the life out of all those around them. They are not your customer and never will be, so stop trying to force yourself to serve them. And for goodness sake, don’t get mad about it. They know what they want, and they will not get it from you, so let them go.
We will emerge from this as a much leaner industry, and it will be years before available inventory returns to pre-COVID levels. Everything from rental cars, hotel rooms, airplane seats, and cruise ship cabins will be limited, so it is vital to know who YOU want to do business with and seek them out. Don’t wait for them to come to you (they won’t), you need to be proactive and go out and find them.
This applies not only to your prospects but also to your consortia, host agency, and suppliers.
Those who find value in it will pay a premium for real expertise. Therefore, true luxury advisers will almost always prosper as will those with a deep specialization. Why? Because like the agent who sells on price, they are crystal clear on who they serve.
Dan Chappelle is the leading authority on sales performance in the travel and tourism industry. His best-selling book “Get Your S.H.I.P. Together – The Wealthy Travel Agent Guide to Sales” is available on Amazon and Audible. To learn more about his High-Performance Sales System and onsite training programs. visit www.WealthyTravelAgent.com.
© 2020 Dan Chappelle / CCI, Inc.