It was a crisp fall day back in 1984 when I stumbled upon the travel industry… totally by accident. Not a day goes by that I don’t thank my lucky stars that I did. At the time, I was interested in turning the page (changing jobs) and my strategy was to spread the word via those vendors whom I had established a good relationship with. My company’s travel agency was high on the list since I traveled quite a bit. As luck would have it, they were looking to expand their corporate business and I signed on as an outside salesman thinking that the world would soon become my playground.
Thirty-nine years later, I find myself still entrenched in the travel industry. Over the years I have experienced many destinations and met hundreds of great people that I otherwise would have missed, had I not poked my head into that agency’s door back in 1984.
The travel industry was quite different back then. Agencies enjoyed numerous perks suppliers had to offer, and it became apparent that each agency spent an enormous amount of time protecting its position in the community. Agencies kept to themselves, and the concept of collaboration was a non-word.
There were a handful of agencies, however, who did join collaborative organizations (Woodside and Hickory to name two), but those were few and far between. Most agencies were tight-lipped fighting for a piece of their local market. Income streams consisted of commissions only and airlines still played a major role in an agency’s rent-paying capabilities.
But things slowly changed, and the travel business became more competitive with tighter margins. The practice of “rebating” was introduced and soon frowned upon… which never did make sense to me. I was an early endorser of charging a fee to manage one’s business. Airlines were cutting commissions and thousands of small agencies saw the writing on the wall. Many decided to close shop.
With this new environment came the need for small to mid-size companies to band together in order to negotiate better pricing deals with suppliers. The concept of fees soon came into vogue, but there were still attractive commission deals to be had when sales demanded supplier attention.
Next came the Internet, which was a total game changer. Consumers now had access to suppliers directly and to the information once only available to the agency community. Travel professionals could now rid themselves of brick & mortar overhead while replacing it with a laptop computer and a desk in the corner of the basement. The upside was spelled “freedom.” The downside was loneliness and personal isolationism.
Enter the “Inner Circle”
It appears that the travel industry has finally come to terms with what other entrepreneurs from other industries have known for years. In short… two heads are better than one.
When a group of smart, successful, and sharing professionals come together to compare notes, ideas, experiences, successes and failings, exponential growth is often the outcome. To borrow from a synergistic phrase, “Two plus two can, and often, does equal five,” but only when the right group of people is sitting together and willing to share.
I had a vision of a tight group of proactive travel entrepreneurs coming together in a collaborative effort to prove that synergy is alive and well. That vision involved a select group of professionals stepping away from their daily routines to think, share, brainstorm, and learn from each other in a safe and open forum.
I am glad to report that the Inner Circle is alive and well today. It currently consists of 50 travel professionals who meet online every other week. I invite my TRO readers to check this out for yourself. Send me an email at mike@mikemarchev.com and I will make room for you at our next meeting cost-free.
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.