Today is Labor Day. It is a national holiday that is to “celebrate the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States.” And while we are not considered “laborers” in one sense, the travel industry has been laboring for the past two and a half years, and quite frankly, we deserve a break. But only for a bit!
Over the past two years, we have been beaten down in a number of ways. Some of us old-timers might suggest it has been thirty years! Recessions, wars, diseases, commission cuts, terrorism, and even pandemics couldn’t keep us down. So yes, for today, put the phone on DND and enjoy a well-deserved holiday! Let emails go unanswered. Hang out with the folks you love. Celebrate the “win” of coming out on the other side. Be thankful for your health. Fire up the grill, toss some burgers and dogs (mustard only, no ketchup on dogs, that is just wrong), pop open a cold beverage, and enjoy the day knowing we made it!
But remember, Tuesday is around the corner, and September marks a special month for most agencies. Generally, travel slows down. Summer trips have ended. School has started. And folks are beginning to look toward the holidays that usually do not involve a lot of significant travel. If you specialize in warm and sunny—September is one of the most active months of hurricane season. It is simply cyclical.
And it is an ideal time to get your ducks in line for 2023. Never has it been more critical for you to develop a road map to your success than now. That includes a business plan and a separate marketing plan.
Your business plan should include all of the numbers laid out by month so you can measure your progress (or lack thereof) as you go along. Will rent be increasing? How much more fuel will you be buying to get to clients? Will you be increasing your ad spending? If you do events with food, you can bank that those costs will be up by 15 to 20%. An Excel spreadsheet is fine, and the more detailed, the better. As you move along throughout 2023, you can hide the details and look at the subtotals. If they are off, expand the details and find out why. There is nothing worse than running up to the end of the year and finding out you fell short of your goals. And remember, there’s nothing wrong with changing it up mid-year; it is encouraged!
As for the marketing plan, procedurally, it works the same way. Plan out your marketing efforts (and expectations) monthly, measure them, and adjust as needed. As you develop this, make sure you look at the suppliers that are most profitable for you and remember that service counts. You want to ensure that you have a good supplier on your team when something goes wrong. Once I know my suppliers, I tend to look at the number of transactions as opposed to dollars. I want to sell X Royal Caribbean cabins in Y month. If you find out that you are falling behind during the year, dig deeper and be sure to enlist the aid of your preferred suppliers to get back on track. Is it training? Incentives? Can there be a temporary bonus or boost to commission? All are possible, and most Business Development Managers are willing to work with agencies with well-defined plans.
And please keep in mind that these two plans are major plans. Do not think that you can run a few reports at lunchtime and throw them together by the end of the day. Quite literally, these are the maps that will determine if you win or lose in 2023. And while I realize most agencies are operated by solopreneurs these days, if you do have employees or 1099 contractors, by all means, share it. Everyone can get on board when you explain the goal and the reasoning. Back when I had a retail office, I used the marketing plan to develop monthly incentives. If an employee hit the goal for one month, it was a $25 bonus; the second month was $50, and the third and subsequent months were $100. That was $1075 up for grabs, and they were all in.
So, that is your task for the coming weeks or months. But for now, grab another beer from the cooler and toss another burger on the grill and enjoy your Labor Day! You earned it!
