This is the second sales mistake in the series of ten.

If you want to get to the top of this profession, you have to stop focusing on yourself and start thinking about helping others succeed. Sounds absurdly simple. It isn’t.

As I mentioned earlier, your primary goal is to stop selling.

When you try to sell, it appears to everyone that you are selling, and nobody I know enjoys being “sold”. But, when you are legitimately, openly and sincerely interested in helping people, you will have their undivided attention and, eventually Read the rest of this entry »

***This is the first article in a series of ten identifying selling mistakes which we all need to avoid making.

The “gift of gab” has no place in business today. There is no need for memorizing and rehearsing “comebacks” and pro-active “sales pitches.” After taking the time to understand one’s particular buying motives, your one-and-only recourse is to simply recommend what you feel is best for the buyer.

All the sales books I have read include a lengthy chapter telling how it will be in the interest of you and your pocketbook to sell people up. “If the prospect says this… you say that. If they do that… you do this”. When they finally do buy “this”, you slide in a few “that’s”. Sounds pretty manipulative, if you ask me. I feel strongly that these tactics demean the interaction between sales and client, and I ask you to take a look at your own practices… not only for the sake of your business but the reputation of sales professionals everywhere.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have gone on record for more than one occasion and said that it is my personal opinion many travel professionals are making growing business harder than it needs to be. I am not implying it is snap easy. I do feel that there might be an easier way.

Today, and for the next ten weeks, I am going to share a few messages with you designed to help prevent you from shooting yourself in the foot. Without thinking about it, you may be and probably are” guilty of making mistakes that are directly affecting your forward progress.  Just by focusing on Read the rest of this entry »

For reasons that are unclear to me, the theme song from the TV Sitcom Cheers just popped into my head. In particular, the line “you want to be where everybody knows your name.” May 20^th, 1993 was the last airing of this popular show, yet the message in song still resounds in my head. (I’ll help you do the math…. that was 32 years ago.)

Why am I sharing this apparent worthless piece of information with you. Read the rest of this entry »

I have gone on record to imply that an entrepreneur’s biggest problem involves “visibility,” or lack thereof. It is my opinion that a close second may very well involve listening skills, or lack thereof.

Many, if not most people spend a great deal of time waiting for their turn to add to a conversation. Their mind is busy formulating their next contribution rather than trying to understand and internalize what is being said.

In my opinion, it is high time that we all focus on improving the art of listening.

Perhaps the most important tip for being a better listener is Read the rest of this entry »

I am one of those people who honestly feel that every new day provides a new opportunity to ply your trade and to make somebody’s day. That being said, January is the time of year where most people make up their minds to make the next twelve months a year for the record books.

Let’s jump on that bandwagon for the moment Read the rest of this entry »

As many of you know, I “speak from the hip” so to speak.

I pride myself on being a non-linear speaker who usually ends up talking about what is shooting through his mind at the moment. This is both good and bad. It is what it is.

I can assure my audiences of one thing. They can’t finish my sentence for me because where they think I may be going with my thoughts may not be where I end up. Follow me?

That being said, I thought I’d kick off another year with this story from my past. Read the rest of this entry »

You will undoubtedly be reading all sorts of advice for the New Year, so I will spare you the obvious and jump straight to my message. This may sound like a foolish question, but would you like to make more money in 2025?  Of course you would. The truth is that most so-called “travel professionals” do not want to make more money. I know this to be true because if they did, they would be making more money.

There is a popular phrase that reminds us that “talk is cheap.” Another cogent reminder suggests, “After all is said and done, more is said than done.”

Let’s cut to the chase Read the rest of this entry »

I pride myself as being an upbeat, self-motivated, make-it-happen type of guy. In fact, my business card introduces me as a “Motivational Speaker”, so I must appear squared away more often than not.

I am also a seasoned realist: a guy who has been around the bases more than once and who has developed the skill of spotting a creep from 50 yards. I am a student of the customer service game and not much slips by me. I am good! This week alone, four organizations entered my world and rapidly positioned themselves in need of a “customer service” transfusion. In each case, I was prepared to make the contents of my wallet lighter with each of these companies being the beneficiary Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s message has little to do with travel, and a lot to do with your social status.

In not so many words, the Social Buffoon Curse sounds like this: “You think that is cool, wait until you hear what I have to say.” It shows its ugly face when one person in a group shares some good news only to be trumped by the next person’s self-directed “exciting information.” The other people in the group immediately interpret this as a sign that it is time to play “one-upmanship.” Read the rest of this entry »

Although all my posts are important, this one may very well be more importanter than all the others combined. Yes, I know I said, “more importanter.” Do I have your attention?

For those of you pressed for time, I will cut to the chase. Get this and get it good: If you want to succeed in this business or any other business, it is more important than ever to “use” your friends. “Two heads (set of eyes) are better than one.”

By “friends” I mean mentor, coach, reliable source or any other name you choose to use. I was reminded of this on two occasions just last week. Read the rest of this entry »

I know what you are asking. “Mike, how in the world do you know what my biggest problem is?” My answer to you without missing a beat: “I just do.”

I don’t care if you have a storefront or if you work from your kitchen table.  It doesn’t matter if you work out of your attic or out of your car. You all have the same problem. And it’s the same problem I have.

Not enough people know you’re alive. 

That’s it. How can I do business with you if I don’t know that you exist. It all begins with Read the rest of this entry »

Years ago, I wrote a book titled “Become the Exception.”  I thought I might highlight the first four chapters of the book which featured the four myths associated with the selling profession, according to me.

Myth Number One:  Selling is a numbers game.

You’ve all heard it before.  Make enough calls and ring enough doorbells and you will eventually sell something.  This accurately defines the old numbers game.  It might have resulted in a few sales back then, but I think that way of going to market has become outdated. It has become a myth.  Selling is Read the rest of this entry »

Regardless of whether you are a fan of a particular sports team or not, you must admit there are lessons to be learned from watching skillful athletes compete. From college to the Olympics to professional sport, I find myself drooling at times from what is unfolding right in front of me on the field of play.

In a single week, I witnessed. Unranked Vanderbilt University upset a highly ranked Alabama football team. I saw a multi-vehicle crash at The Talladega Speedway and I saw the Miracle Mets earn their way into the MLB Post-season playoffs with some last minute heroics. And it was this series of events that stimulated this week’s message. Read the rest of this entry »

Let’s turn the clock back to when we were ten-years old.  If you asked the majority of men today how they met their first girlfriend, they would typically share a similar story.

In most cases, a young boy is introduced to his first girlfriend in the 5th grade at the age of ten.  The reason I know this is because that’s the age we realize that women exist.  Until that point, it was all about basketball, football and baseball. (I’m generalizing.) Read the rest of this entry »

I have been writing articles like this for what seems like an eternity. In fact, I think I have penned close to 3000 articles since I began writing for TRO. If nothing else, you know by now that I look at marketing and sales from a different angle. One thing I can say for certain. The older I get, which means the more experienced I get, the easier it gets.

I have found along the way that sometimes we insist on shooting ourselves in the foot.  We complicate Read the rest of this entry »

These four words popped into my head recently and in addition to recalling a little tune sung by Bobby McFerrin, I found myself thinking of retirement. Yes, I have not been confused for a spring chicken for many years now and I often have to stop and think how I managed to get out of bed yesterday. Some call it age while I prefer to consider it as experience. But I digress.

Due to age, experience or whatever you want to call it, my days of actively pursuing new business have slowly gone the way of Seinfeld reruns Read the rest of this entry »

People often ask me where I get my ideas from for future articles. After penning over 2500 articles, I too find myself scratching my head at times. The answer, however, is quite simple. I live my life while paying attention to my surroundings. Life itself is a constant saga (article) unfolding as the days, weeks, months and years expeditiously fly by.

Strangely enough, today’s reminder comes to you via the Clark Gym’s Sauna Box in Cooperstown, NY. I recently found myself chatting with a man who Read the rest of this entry »

I was reminded again this week of the power of the sincere compliment. The scene this time was a small country restaurant in Richfield Springs, New York. This is a lazy little upstate town situated on Route 20 between Syracuse and Albany. I call it a restaurant but the term coffee dive might do it more poetic justice.  It is a small “joint” that serves breakfast. Got the picture? Read the rest of this entry »

There is a popular saying that is recited every day by many seasoned travelers: “Been there. Done that.”  I suppose if this were totally true, every family in America, Canada, and the world would have families of consisting of only one child. The facts prove otherwise which endorse the feeling that some things are worth experiencing more than once … or twice. Another example: potato chips. Read the rest of this entry »

Jimmy Buffet once sang a tune that suggested that one’s attitude could be adjusted with a simple change of environment. His exact phraseology was: These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes. Nothing remains quite the same. Through all of the islands and all of the highlands, if we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane. Read the rest of this entry »