Dear Travel Agents/ Advisors,

There was a time, long before the Millennials, when travel was only for the rich. Most Americans couldn’t afford to travel to foreign countries. Nor could the Chinese, Russians, or people from other nations. Travel was basically for rich Americans dressed in Hawaiian shirts with flashy cameras around their necks. I remember it well. At the time, I was living in Brazil where everyone had to speak English for those rich Americans.

Fast forward to today. The world has changed and travel has become more affordable. In Brazil, for example, people are learning Chinese, Japanese, Russian and other languages to accommodate the needs of incoming tourists. Travel that was once only for rich Americans is now for people of all classes, not only just the most affluent can go. Tour packages and cruises are more affordable, and people can pay in installments.

Travel is not a luxury. I believe that it is a necessity for people to discover themselves, re-energize, meet others with the same interests, and make the world a much more loving place.

And how about the life of travel agents? Like great jeans, they have gone through many changes. Some are more fit, others offer more flexibility, but they never go out of style. They’re always comfortable and ready to be used, and are reliable for ALL occasions, even for those fun black tie events!

Cheers!

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

 

Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

There are many ways to continue learning about the business of travel. One good option is to attend webinars and classes – who am I to disagree with that? I’d like to suggest other ideas –  things I have been doing for almost 30 years. I learn from experience. Let me give you some examples of this so you can experience the same things and take advantage of this learning opportunity.

Since I fly quite a lot, I try to experience different airlines and airports so I can form my own opinions. Plus, being a chatterbox, I talk to others on my flight and at the airport to also get their opinions. From these experiences I can tell travel agents about easier connections in the US, and friendlier and easier TSA screening, especially if you are in a hurry. These are not only my own opinions, but also those of others who shared flights around the same time – both during holidays and at regular times of the year.

Something else I do is to sample food. I order different special foods from different airlines, such as gluten free, vegan, kosher, etc,. so I can give travel agents an idea of which airlines serve the best tasting selections. Honestly, I was blown away by the gluten free options offered by Emirates: AWESOME!

I have experienced and learned that trying to make a connection between domestic and international in Boston or San Francisco is a nightmare, especially if the domestic flight gets delayed! AVOID THAT IF YOU CAN!  I can also tell you the friendliest arrival airports: the best and worst ones I have experienced while traveling to 90 countries (so far)!

I am not the most knowledgeable, nor I want to be, but my brain is full of details that I know are priceless!

Cheers!

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

 

Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

For those of you who are newbies, and also those who have been in this business forever but still feel like a newbie because of so many changes recently, this one’s for you

We all feel anxiety when we have a new client, a first time traveler, a special person, or even a group going on an all-Inclusive, cruise or even a group excursion. We check our phones ten times to see if the volume is loud enough to hear it ring, we check our text messages, messenger, WhatsApp and emails. Does this sound familiar to you?

Some even question if this is really the right career for them because they feel like a “nervous wreck.” This reminds me of almost 37 years ago when my first son was born. I was prepared not to sleep, not to have a “normal” life because babies are hard to take care of, especially back then when we didn’t have monitors and cameras as we do today. My baby came home and slept through the night, but I didn’t. I kept checking on him to be sure he was alive.  I even called the pediatrician and asked what I was supposed to do, and he said: “Go to sleep.”

So, I use the same idea when working with clients. Leave your phone next to you, but enjoy the day. Drink the coffee and smell the roses. IF, and ONLY IF your client has a problem, he/she/they will contact you. You will hear it loud and clear, and you will deal with it. There is nothing to fear. 

If you want to hear more about how to deal with the problems when they arise, let me know!

Cheers!

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

Dear Travel Agents/Advisors,

Many of you know I had a tour operator business for over 23 years, and that I worked mostly with travel agents. I became friends with some clients and travel agents. They always asked me what months of the year I made more bookings, and in which months our company was busier. Luckily, business steadily increased, but we didn’t notice any big variation in which months this happened.

My education is in business administration, with a minor in psychology. I have learned both at school and in life that most people purchase on impulse and spur of the moment. Most people are visual, and others act on impulse when they hear, taste or smell something.

With travel, when someone watches a movie or sees pictures of a place, it creates a desire to go there. If they listen to a story, hear news about a place, or eat food from a different country, they crave seeing it and being there. Impulse is the name of the game, and when they are ready to book, you need to be their next thought, and a phone call away. How can you be sure that every time a person who knows you thinks about traveling, they will think of you?

Keep showing up! On social media, with weekly emails, bi-weekly texts. Be present and remind them that life is short and sweet. No one should waste life standing still, by not experiencing new places or different cultures. Travel until the whole world becomes one big well-known place, so worth living in and being explored.

Let everyone know that acting impulsively is normal and good and that you are there to make it all worthwhile. Live, love, and travel like there is no tomorrow, and your world will be a better place!

Feel free to use my posts and send them to your clients. 

Cheers!

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

Dear Travel Agents/Advisors, 

How do you deal with different kinds of people/clients?  I have divided people in general into three big categories where I can place them most of the time:

People who see the half glass as half full, those who see the half glass as half empty and the ones who see the glass broken with pieces of glass cutting into their bare feet!

Unfortunately, we usually find out what category new clients have classified themselves as AFTER they travel.

The glass half full person might come back with some comments (complaints), but will always try to emphasize the positive and tell you how great everything was, despite little things that could have been improved. Listen to them, appreciate their input, and tell them you will make sure to consider their valuable input.

When the glass half empty person comes back with complaints, remember, their type will only have complaints and no positive feedback. First and foremost, DO NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY!  Then, listen, let them vent. Remember that they think they are RIGHT! If they raise their voice, make sure you speak lower and more softly than they do, but not so much lower that they can’t hear, or misunderstand you. Keep in mind it takes two people to fight, and by keeping your voice lower, you are not giving them that opportunity.

Empathy is the key to success. You can even apologize for the way your client felt, but NOT FOR WHAT HAPPENED, IF THERE WAS NO WRONG DOING!

Ask if you can make sure that you understand what happened by repeating what the client told you, many times. Once they hear you repeat their complaint, they may realize how small or silly the situation was. Ask questions without passing judgement. Ask why they didn’t reach out to you on the first or second day? Why didn’t they complain to the tour guide if he/she was late on the first day, and so on.

For the glass is broken and in their bare feet people – use most of the advice above, but remember, NOTHING will work. They are unhappy, and the best solution is to write a note to yourself with their names in big capital letters, then let them move on and be someone else’s problem! Life is too short to be surrounded by negativity!

Cheers!

Rosana Chermisqui – Your Mentor

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

Dear Travel Agents/ Advisors,

As my followers already know, I like to compare travel agents to doctors. Some doctors specialize in an area of medicine, and others prefer to be general practitioners.

There are advantages to being a travel agent with a specialty. Chances are, you know the destination better than other agents do.  With that knowledge, you may be able to offer a better value for the price you quote. Once they travel, your clients will be more likely to recommend you.  A specialization also makes it easier to target your network with a better focus in your advertising.  To top it all off, your specialty is something you are personally passionate about. 

However, if you decide to specialize in a very narrow aspect of travel, you will have a smaller audience. For example, a travel agent who specializes in doing wine tasting only in Mendoza, Argentina would not have as broad of a specialty as one who specializes in wine tasting around the world. You could broaden your specialty to an even larger audience by offering tours for wine and different spirits in different countries, with classes and blind taste tests.

A nice way to promote certain destinations to an undecided group interested in travel that includes wine and/or other spirits, is to have an event and offer different bottles of wine/spirits from different countries. Do a blind taste  where people in the group give points for taste. The winner could decide the country or destination the group will visit. Creativity is the name of the game!

Feel free to pick my brain for other ideas for becoming a specialist in an aspect of travel, and how to promote your specialty to groups.

Cheers!

Rosana Chermisqui – Your Mentor

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

 

Dear Travel Agents/Advisors, 

I hope you are enjoying the start of the summer season! 

The end of June starts the summer in the northern hemisphere, and winter in the southern hemisphere. Spring started in April in the northern hemisphere of the planet, at the same time as the southern hemisphere started to experience the beautiful changing of colors of the autumn, or fall.  

Countries closest to the equator experience very little change in terms of temperature: Ecuador, Uganda, Kenya and other countries. (Please see a world map for more.) As most of Ecuador is in the southern hemisphere, June to September is considered to be winter, and winter is generally the dry season in warm climates. Spring, summer, and fall are generally the “wet seasons” while winter is the dry (with the exception of the first month of fall being dry).

Why am I telling you all of this? There are two big factors that can influence a prospective client’s decision to visit different countries: 

 With climate change, even though it may be spring season, in many countries or parts of those countries it is still raining and cold. So, make sure you don’t promise sunny weather in June when you have no control of delivering on that promise. 

 The seasons and weather (rainy or dry) determine if it is high, low, or shoulder season for travel. Prices change completely. When it is very inexpensive to visit a country, make sure your prospective client is aware of the weather he/she will be experiencing. For example, while offering a beach lover Australia in August just because the price is right, you will be looking for lots of complaints.

You can never guarantee good weather during the time of travel, but some homework from the travel agent is required to make sure the client will enjoy the vacation based on his/her expectations and the value of the tour package.

Feel free to pick my brain for more ideas on how to provide the best information to your prospective clients.

Cheers,

Rosana Chermisqui – Your Mentor

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

Dear Travel Agents/ Advisors, 

How many times have you been approached by someone surprised that travel agents still exist, now that we live in the Internet/Google/Expedia world?

You can reply to these comments with a question, “How much do you value your privacy?”

If you follow my blogs, you know that I compare the profession of travel agent to that of a doctor. As a doctor, privacy is more than expected. The same goes for Travel Agents, who will not sell or “lend” private information to any other party. All conversations take place via email, phone calls and/or text messages, and are private and not disclosed to anyone.

Remind prospective clients and clients that if you were to “sell” their information to other parties and make money that way, you could sell airfare, hotels and even a tour for below the quoted price. Your “profit” could be made by selling their information, which could be very valuable.

Nothing in this world is free, and everything has a price tag attached to it.

Remind them that the next time they go shopping online and provide their information, others are receiving their priceless personal data. Even the security installed in their computer is being compromised by their own actions.

The privacy between clients and travel agents is priceless. Working with a travel agent doesn’t cost more when you compare apples with apples.  Remind them that buying travel over the internet doesn’t give them the empathy, answers, or even offer the excitement that working with a competent Travel Agent offers.

I hope you are dealing with smart travelers, and forwarding them this blog will show them your real value!

Cheers!

Rosana Chermisqui – Your Mentor

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