Early on, we all want THE SECRET, the magic trick that transforms ordinary marketing to extraordinary. The secret that will drive more business through your door than you can handle.
YOU are that Secret.
As we begin our travel practice, we are convinced that there is a bag of tactics we can use to generate business. All we have to do is learn what the tricks are and we will be successful. We believe everyone else knows all of the “tricks” and if we can learn them then we will be on our way to the mountain top.
Here’s the problem. Have you heard of the 80/20 rule? If you hope to rise above the norm of the 80%, you cannot do what everyone else is doing. THE SECRET to marketing, sales, and customer service is not a tactic. It is not a trick. It is not a recipe. It’s you. It’s a matter of getting up every day and patiently, consistently, authentically integrating the best practices in sales and marketing. It is developing a marketing mindset, always seeking out new opportunity.
Ten travel agents go to a seminar. All ten take notes. All ten are excited and have all heard the same information. Eight of those ten will put the notes in their briefcases, go home and keep doing business the way they have always done business. Two of the agents remember what they have heard and actualize it in their travel practice. Those two agents know the secret.
It’s not what you know. It is what you do with what you know.
Chances are you already intuitively know what you hear at most training sessions. Almost never do you hear a recommendation that runs against the grain of common sense. Business coaches and trainers actually only remind you of things you might already know but which you don’t put into practice. The SECRET is to use what you learn.
Too often, rather than implementing a recommendation, we simply go about our business without changing our way of doing business. Or we begin to create excuses why the suggestions might work for others but won’t work for us. If you are in a group of 5 travel professionals, chances are only one of you will rise to the top 20% of agents.
Right now, decide what you are going to do with your travel business.
Go get creative. I assure you the competition will.