Just Picture It Now: Stop Worrying and Get to Work

I get a kick out of negative people. How they can ALWAYS find something negative in ANYTHING they look at is a real gift. What they don’t get is that while they focus on the negative, what do you think shows up?

More negative stuff.

There has been plenty of news lately for people to focus on the negative, especially in this economy. Washington Mutual was big news late last week, and I read that many are very nervous about 3rd quarter results that will be out soon. (As if their looking for more reasons to be negative?)

This weekend I ran into a man with a very nice smile. I also read what he wrote, and I couldn’t agree more with what he has to say. I’ve also taken some of his advice and started working on a number of niche trips for people that I know which include romance, the great outdoors, and some golf trips.

Makes you wonder what we can do when Ultimate 5 Adventures goes live!

With the new CLIA requirements for 2009 set and in place, it’s put a renewed interest on my travel business, and it’s turning out to be just the ticket to turn this lemon concerning the "economy" into lemonade.

John Peters is one of the good guys in the Travel Industry in my book. Why? Because he’s come up with a solution, and like me, doesn’t want to participate in all the doom and gloom going on in the industry and the country.

Thank you John for not only being positive, but offering all of us a solution.

Stop Worrying and Get to Work

Okay, sure, the economic outlook is bleak. What is an agent to do? Are people going to take vacations this year? Will they stop traveling all together? Is travel doomed?

Stop. Breathe. Relax.

My father, a Greek immigrant who came to the US in 1948 and started one of the largest travel agencies in the country, always says to me: "I've been through a lot of horrible things in my life... and most of it never happened."

What does that mean? We humans tend to focus on the negative and in our minds we always imagine the worst. Well, cut it out! This industry is full of nay-sayers and frankly, it's what brings us all down. The glass is half full, you know.

As I see it, you have a couple of choices: you can sit around and wallow in the unknown or you can get cracking and drum up some business. How? For starters, stop doing the things you've always done and try something new. This is the time to "think outside the box." Take calculated risks. If the government can come up with a gazillion-dollar Band-Aid, you surely can come up with some unique ways to find new customers.

Here are some facts.

September is shaping up to be one of the best months ever at Tripology and this is a good indicator of what's going on in the market. Why? Well, consumers are looking for travel specialists, not generalists or "run of the mill" travel agents. They want real expertise, first-hand knowledge of the destination they're going to visit. They want passion. Start selling yourself for the professional that you are. Stop saying, "I can book anything," and start focusing on your specialty. I actually met an agent at a trade show who said she didn't have a specialty! What? Well, what are you most passionate about? Consumers can find agent generalists on every corner and about a million places online.

Consumers come to our site and enter detailed trips requests (over 45,000 in the past 12 months). That's right: 45,000-plus people looking for a travel specialist. We then connect them with up to three specialists. Of the three, guess which agents invariably get the business? The agents who can best sell themselves and prove they're a real professional with personal experience and a passion for what they sell.

Here's an idea. Put together five sample trips - each with a twist. They don't have to be too crazy, but they should be unique. Forget the commodity, price-driven stuff, too. You'll never win selling on price. Then, come up with some neat names for the trips: "Kid-Friendly Saint Lucia" or "Go Topless on Mykonos." As far as products, pick some unique ones. Everyone is selling hotels, so sell vacation rentals. Everyone is selling cruises, so sell small ship cruises. Everyone is selling tours, so sell educational tours. For heaven's sake, do everything you possibly can to stand out from the crowd.

Need help? There are dozens of tour operators and specialty travel companies that would gladly help you. If you belong to a consortium or marketing organization, your preferred supplier list is a great place to start.

Then, when you put your new portfolio of product together, have someone professionally create a teaser flyer. Mail it to every one of your customers with a personal note. Yes, a personal note to each of them. In the note, mention the ONE trip they should focus on. They'll read all of them anyway. You should already be using something like ClientBase or have given your mailing list to your consortium's marketing team, so this shouldn't be difficult. If you're not, you should at least be using some sort of database program.

This is just one idea. There are many others that you can get from your associates. Ask around for ideas. If you're Home Based, have you logged on to www.hbtacommunity.com yet? This is a great place to start.

After you've mined your own list again, it's time to find NEW customers. There are lots of ways to do this. I'm partial to Tripology.com, but hey, that's just me (and 8,500 other travel specialists).

(John Peters, CTIE, is president and CEO of Tripology.com, an online travel referral service that connects travel specialists to consumers seeking their expert knowledge and travel planning experience.)

PS - If you’d like to keep up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB feel free to sign up for my FREE Newsletter. Just like here, it’s loaded with food, water and sunshine to grow your YTB business.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

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