Not long after starting my training firm, The Wealthy Travel Agent, I received a call from my friend Richard Earls, publisher of Travel Research Online (TRO), asking if I would write a column on luxury travel. I immediately agreed. Over time, it morphed into one that advocated sound sales-based business practices with luxury travel as the product of choice – but could be applied to any model.

I don’t want to be that person who overstays their welcome. Read the rest of this entry »

Back in April, I predicted the North American travel industry would emerge from this pandemic about the same size as it was 20-25 years ago.  The biggest indicator is the cruise industry, where in the last 30-days, three smaller cruise lines have filed bankruptcy and the large lines are shedding older tonnage like a golden retriever in springtime.

International travel is at a virtual standstill, with no end in sight.  Everyone has been suggesting that travel would resume late 2020 or early 2021.  A number of people, myself included, are having serious doubts as to the viability of this. Read the rest of this entry »

Many are intimidated by prospects they perceive to have achieved a high level of social, career, and financial success in their respective fields.

I was raised on an artist’s commune in the 1970’s. Most of our belongings were from secondhand shops. It was embarrassing the way people looked down on us.

I was personally intimidated by many of the upstanding people in our area. They had what I wanted. But, as I got older and matured, I realized my fears were unfounded. I was the problem, not them. Read the rest of this entry »

Tor Hagen, founder and Chairman of Viking Cruises, once said, “We are focused clearly on what we are and the number of things we are not.”

If you ever wondered why Viking is so successful, I think this statement sums it up nicely. Clarity will help you to stand out among the plethora of available booking options. Ask yourself, “What do I really want to be known for?”

This is powerful and more important than ever. Read the rest of this entry »

As most of you know, I started in the travel business working on cruise ships. First as a diver, then as a purser. I have always been interested in navigation and many evenings after my shift ended, I would wander up to the bridge. Several of the deck officers took me under their wing (I think they were happy to have some company) and taught me how to use the charts (maps), electronics, and other equipment. Read the rest of this entry »

“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. Read the rest of this entry »

I am an avid advocate for emulating successful companies and salespeople. My thought: ‘Why try to reinvent the wheel when someone else has already built the car?’
As the world SLOWLY begins to open back up, are you going to go back to the “same old, same old” you were doing before all this happened?

After selling our successful travel agency, I took some time off so I could re-imagine myself and what to do next. Little did I know at the time, how similar the circumstances were to what we are facing in our industry today. Looking back, I was fortunate to have that opportunity. Read the rest of this entry »

In times like these, our natural tendency is to circle the wagons and go into ‘conservation’ mode. But it is also when the contrarians, those who do the opposite of everyone else (think Warren Buffet and Ray Dalio), tend to prosper.

For most of us, our businesses have been virtually wiped out. For some, the devastation is too much and they will abandon the industry altogether. But many of us will rise from the ashes and rebuild. In fact, now is the perfect opportunity to reimagine your business the way you have always envisioned it Read the rest of this entry »

I am an evangelist for the benefits of having a sales-focused travel business. In fact, selling is one of the oldest, most honorable, and high-income professions in the world; but, at its core, it is about serving others.

We serve at the pleasure of our customers. As a result, our compensation is in direct proportion to the value of the service we provide, how it fulfills their needs, and the number of our customers we serve.

Here are four things you can do to serve your customers well. Read the rest of this entry »

According to a recent LinkedIn survey, those who worked with a business coach or adviser earned on average of 7x more than those who tackled it on their own. This makes sense and why even athletes at the top of their game employ coaches to help find that extra edge.

Can you benefit from a coach or adviser? The answer is probably ‘yes’.

I am a huge fan of business coaching. Over the years, I have personally employed a half-dozen and had several more provided corporately. However, I got much more from those I personally hired – because I had skin in the game. Read the rest of this entry »

As a travel industry professional, I have seen the following scenario unfold countless times—always with one of two endings.

When you first decided to become an independent travel professional, you were excited to be embarking on a new career that could take you all over the world, doing what others only dreamed about, and heck—you were even going to get paid for it! The thought of associating yourself with a trusted brand or finding a business model that worked for you made the decision that much easier. Regardless of the reason—you jumped in with both feet.

Now you feel like the pumpkin that was Cinderella’s beautiful carriage until the clock ticked past midnight. Read the rest of this entry »