There is absolutely no doubt that a failure to plan is one of the biggest mistakes many business people make.  Without a solid business plan, even the best travel consultant can fail to act consistently in any given aspect of their practice. Planning is truly essential.

But so is action.

I see far too many travel professionals planning their lives away, getting ready to act, and then… not acting! The problem can induce a near-paralytic state. Too many times we over-plan and over-perfect, and in the process lose valuable opportunities to others who are quicker to act.   Read the rest of this entry »

That sound you hear is time passing and it is making us all a bit anxious. Whatever has happened during the  year,  we can make what is left of 2020 more productive and move into 2021 with some force by gearing up a business plan. But never has the challenge been so great as we are all now operating in totally unfamiliar territory. The contradictory information, the tremendous social change occurring and the lack of certainty make planning more like a tarot card reading than a business exercise.  Nevertheless, those of us serious about our industry must persist.

I still find some solace in a calendar.  The seasons, the holidays, the rites of passage are all still right there. An important part of every business plan, and a good start at generating the appropriate mindset,  is a marketing calendar. Too few travel consultants incorporate the use of a marketing calendar in their practice. Yet, without a marketing calendar, many opportunities for strong marketing efforts slip by either unnoticed or weakly implemented. This year those efforts may be more important than ever. We need to make ourselves heard, to ensure clients know the lights are still on. Read the rest of this entry »