Dear Travel Agents,

The holidays are coming and this is the best time to promote yourself and show your clients who you really ARE!  I have told you before that knowledge is important, but kindness is crucial.

At this time of year, you should gather a list of all your clients, even the ones you haven’t heard from in a long time. Categorize them by:

• how long they have been your client
• how many trips they have purchased
• when was the last time you were in contact
• how much they spent on their vacation

And since you are already working on this, put a star next to each name you think was happy with your services and would recommend you to a friend.

After this time-consuming work, it is time to send out real gifts. When I say real, I mean gift certificates or other types of gifts that offer instant gratification with no strings attached, and don’t give them the idea that you are just using the holiday season as an opportunity to promote your business. This gift should show you as a kind and generous person, and when they see your name, it will make them smile and REALLY WANT to do business with you again and again.

Some of you might now ask me how much to spend on a gift certificate. As little as $10 at Starbucks would be much appreciated, to as much as you are comfortable spending on Amazon.  For certain clients who have brought you a hefty commission, $50 or more would be nice.

What to do for those clients who you haven’t heard from in a while? Google them, find them on Facebook, Instagram or other social media sites, and see what is happening in their lives. Send them a card (if you have their physical address) or a personalized virtual card that will have meaning to them and show that you CARE! Show that you spent some extra time trying to learn more about them by not sending a “one size fits all” kind of card.

Some of you will still think that sending a gift certificate for a certain amount to be used towards their next vacation has great value. I will not be the one to disappoint you. But, when you prepare a gift certificate like that, you need to explain what it entails, any exclusions, and many times, the value is seemingly diminished by your marketing message (strings attached, promoting my business, buy with me!)

This year, just be the kindest you can be and promote yourself instead of your business. Let your current clients and even older ones who you haven’t kept in touch with smile at the sound of your name, and trust me, business will come!

Follow me at: Facebook @ travelwithrosana
Instagram @ travelwithrosana
Twitter @travelRosana
Blogs @ http://www.travelwithrosana.wordpress.com

Dear Travel Agents,

I know travel agents, new and old in the business, who struggle with the question of where they should advertise for new clients. I am asked this question in emails or via messenger at least once a week. I totally understand the need to know which places work when spending time and money on advertising. If I claim to know so much about the travel business and volunteer my help for free, I should be able to guide you to all the best places to find new clients.
Fair enough!

Advertising works to reinforce brands and names. The more exposed a name or a brand is, the more the public believes it is good. The best places to advertise cost more than places with less exposure. To produce and place a good advertisement, a chunk of money will need to be spent. It will assure the right people that your company is a good and reputable one. It will not guarantee that your prospective clients will not try to get a bargain on your prices, or copy and paste packages from another company to try to get the same price, or be rude.

In my opinion, for the best advertising, you should value your clients more. Remember their birthdays and important dates, and acknowledge these by sending a card, a little gift, or something that matters. Keep in touch with them. Befriend them on different social media sites, and take your time to comment and like their postings. Send them information about specials to different places, and times of the year. Good clients will help you build your reputation.  Happy people who have received the generosity of their travel agent/friend will go out of their way to spread the word about you and your business. And the cost is almost FREE!

There are many prospective clients out there. They can come to you through advertisements or by recommendation. Be the smart one who has a great reputation and is known for your kindness. Meanwhile, spend your money on acquiring more knowledge, and by traveling the world. Take the time to send pictures of great places you have the opportunity of seeing. It really pays to discover the world.

Happy journeys!

Follow me at:
Facebook @ travelwithrosana
Instagram @ travelwithrosana
Twitter @ travelRosana
Blogs @ http://www.travelwithrosana.wordpress.com

Dear Travel Agents,

If you could make one wish that would change your life, make things easier, and with that, have all your other wishes come true, what would you wish? Or, if you could make a change in your life to make things much easier, what would you change?

It is a rhetorical question: I am not a therapist, nor can I grant your wishes, but I want you to think about it, and visualize what you think detracts from your success.

Allow me to tell a few of my stories, and how I changed and worked around certain issues I faced. Actually, I have had many challenges, and maybe one day I will write a book, if I believe I can help people change the way they see things and move on in their lives. For now, I will focus on just travel stories, so you can identify with me.

For those of you who still don’t know, I was born and raised in Brazil and came to Los Angeles 30 years ago, at the age of 25. At the time, I spoke no English. I learned English by watching Sesame Street, and was able to start a travel company in 1993. The company grew to be a large-sized Tour Operator, specializing in Latin America. But, because of medication I was taking, my hands shook a lot, which made it look as though I was nervous even when I wasn’t.

In the beginning, I used to wish that my hands wouldn’t shake so much. I was embarrassed, and I tried to cover it up. Suddenly, I decided to show my hands and even used them to my advantage. When dealing with contracts, people thought I was nervous when they saw my hands shaking. They felt they had the upper hand, but since I really wasn’t nervous, I got my way in most of the contracts. Basically, I used something I wanted so badly to change to work in my favor.

More stories about this subject will be coming up in the following weeks. Keep tuned in, and follow me at:
Facebook @ travelwithrosana
Instagram @ travelwithrosana
Twitter @ travelRosana
Blogs @ http://www.travelwithrosana.wordpress.com

Dear Friends,

Sometimes we need to take a good pause in our lives, like a delicious long cruise. This allows us the chance to stop the craziness of everyday life, and pay attention to the little things – like crossing paths, especially with people you would never have expected to meet, because they are from other parts of the country, or even other countries. I also wonder why people cross our paths, and what it is we can add to each other’s life.

Yes, people definitely cross in each other’s lives almost everyday, but when we travel abroad in groups with strangers it is more obvious.

It is exciting. Many times, you feel very comfortable talking to someone on a cruise because you are so sure you will never see this person again once you are back home. You tell your “secrets,” you discuss your problems, and most of the time you gain a perspective that you would never get from someone closer to you.

We have done many cruises and somehow, we always seem to end up making good friends. Quite a few times we have met a couple with whom we became very friendly; we spent a good time together on excursions and at lunch, only to learn a day or two later that they were our neighbors on the cruise ship. Kind of funny.

Sometimes we have had a good time with people during the day on an excursion, then bump into them again while visiting the city or during leisure time after the excursion, only to find out that our tables in the dining room are next to each other.

These coincidences are not only fun, they assure me that we all cross each other’s path for a reason, which allows us to feel more comfortable spending time with each other.

My husband and I like to cruise with friends, but our schedule and bucket lists don’t always need to match with our friends. We are happy to travel on our own, and have faith that more good people will cross our paths, allowing us to enjoy every minute with new friends.

Feel free to share my story with your clients or prospective clients who feel overwhelmed by going on a big cruise alone, or with only one other person. Tell them to play “crossing paths” while they travel.

How about you? Do you have crossing paths story to share?

Follow me at:
Facebook @ travelwithrosana
Instagram @ travelwithrosana
Twitter @ travelRosana
Blogs @ http://www.travelwithrosana.wordpress.com