Welcome to Travel Agent
Chatter, Volume 28. Travel Agent Chatter is an audio series
produced by the team here at Host Agency Reviews, each and every quarter. Today's episode dives in with a
seasoned traveler that has a passion for planning who made the leap a decade
after she first started exploring the idea of starting a travel agency. You'll hear what gave our guest the
push she needed to make that leap, why she chose to take HAR's Accelerator
course versus doing it on her own, and how she had
a lightbulb moment
while watching a Host Week EduSpots. Now we all know that starting a
business is not easy, and starting a successful business is even harder. Today's guest has done both in the
last nine months with her newly opened agency, Memories on the Move Travel. You'll be inspired by the fact that
Judy's agency is on track to replace her previous salary by June of 2025,
just one year after opening her doors. And while Judy has shied away from
doing any formal advertising, her agency is
a great case study in
the power of referrals, handwritten notes, and client testimonials. Oh, and did we mention that she
has a 100 percent testimonial return rate from her clients? She'll share her secret
sauce for that, too. And when it comes to fees, this
Massachusetts based advisor came up with a creative solution that clients
loved, gave her more time to work on her fee structure, and helped pave the way
for charging fees when she was ready. It's a must listen for new advisors
and veteran
advisors that are getting ready to start implementing fees. And for any advisor or entrepreneur
out there that feels overwhelmed with the ideas that they need to implement
and has trouble staying on task because of this, this former speech
therapist has a solution for that too. It's called her tickler file and
every business owner should have one. Now, whether you're new or
experienced, there's a little something for everyone in this episode. We've got inspiration. We've got effective organic
ma
rketing that doesn't take a lot of time, but has a lot of impact. We've got advice for newbies
from a successful newbie. So without further ado,
let's get onto the show. Well, welcome, welcome, welcome. Happy noon. Happy afternoon. Happy evening. Happy whatever time of day it is
when you're listening to this. I am Steph Lee, the founder of Host
Agency Reviews, and I am also going to be your host for today's podcast episode. And today is a very uplifting,
especially if you're new. It's going to b
e very uplifting for
if you're new to the industry or if you're having trouble getting those
sales numbers up and you've been in the business for a little bit. So today's guest's niche is moderately
priced travel, and she has a special fondness for showing the joy of
travel to new travelers or those who are looking to expand their travels
beyond Mexico and the Caribbean. So you'll be hearing about how our guest
has been wanting to jump into travel for years, but As we all know, life happens. And
then the stars
finally aligned in 2023. She made the leap retiring from her
job to take a stab at travel full time, where she has been very successful and
we will get a feel for how she grew her book of business from zero clients
to making back her salary within one year that she had previously, and along
with that, she'll share her secret to staying focused in the very ADHD. Like setting that comes with starting a
business that has a zillion moving parts. It's a little something
she called a t
ickler file. And that my friends is just the
tip of the iceberg for today. Any links or resources that we
talk about today will be found in the show notes, which you can find
by visiting hostagencyreviews. com slash TAC and clicking on episode 28. And a map for today's walk. We're going to be covering a
variety of topics for each segment, and the first one is beginnings. We'll talk about building clientele. We'll jump into marketing and operations. She'll give some advice for newbies
and then of
course, we'll follow it up with our indispensable segment. So Judy, welcome to Travel Agent Chatter. Oh, thank you for having me Steph. I appreciate it. It's so wonderful to have you. Some of you that tuned in for Host Week,
which happened late January this year. And if you missed it, we will
put a link in the show notes. But Judy was also on she did an
EduSpots, which are education sessions. She did one of those on
the Accelerator course. So she may look or sound familiar to you
and we'll put
a link to that as well. So Judy, when we chatted, your
grandma Always prioritize travel. So every grandkid, when they graduated,
got a trip and yours was a trip to Hawaii with collect vacations. And she told you that when you're
young travel, then do not wait until you're older, like she did. And that really planted a seed
for you from a very young age. So how did that. Totally change your perspective her taking
you on this trip and telling you that so when she used to take us on the trip
She ha
d this back porch and the back porch was loaded with all of those old fashioned
Trivets, you know the ceramic with a and she was the queen of bus tours You know
every grandma back then would either be baking cookies or have their knitting
basket My grandmother had a knitting basket that was filled with us tour
brochures She was the queen of bus tours. And so we would talk all the time and just
chit chat about the different little 40 trips and when that was the big thing. And so she constantly ta
lked about,
first of all, a lot about America, a lot about how beautiful it is. And this is the places to see. And then just the growth of it. She was always, to me, a woman
who's way ahead of her time. You know, just the way she
thought about things in the world. So when we went to Hawaii. It was a bus tour that was an air tour
at the time and I met the tour guides there and between meeting the tour
guides, between seeing the people and honestly, like I'm really a people
person, my degree at th
e time was in communications, so I talk a lot and
so anyway, between that, watching my grandmother, seeing my grandmother
struggle a little with my grandfather because he was starting to have memory
issues and so Just don't wait, don't wait. So I truly like just kind of embraced
that, like do it, find a way where there's a will, there's a way. And so then I just tried to, after
that grow and take full advantage of every opportunity that I could. And because I was much younger than
everybody else
on the bus tour, I kind of hung out with the tour guides and. It was great. And I talked to them and
I'm like, I like your job. I want your job. And so that's how I ended up applying. He encouraged me that my
tour guide and to apply. And I ended up working for Colette
for a little over three years. Phenomenal job. It was great. They were wonderful family run business
out of Rhode Island, and I got to travel around and see so many different places. So it started the bug, but
that was a tough job
to hold on to for a long period of time. Yeah, it's one of those that makes
up for it in the experiences, but the pay is lacking. Yes, and we got exhausted because
we were talking about 20, 25 days a month, you know, but it was great. And I just, the people you meet
and the places you see and. The things you got to do, it
was really, it was, it just lit a fire that never left me. Yeah, well, okay. So you've been traveling and I've
loved travel for a long time but after You went back to school,
you became a speech therapist. So give us a quick walkthrough on how
you ended up opening a travel agency, because I know there were some setbacks
when you were looking to get started. You've been looking to
get started for quite a while. So I always loved travel. I always used to say, I'm going to go
back and be a tour guide when I get older. So I ended up, you know, you
get married, you have kids. I had a, a career I'm taking care of
the family and then little by little. You know, I just, I lo
ved my
career, but it started to get old. It's just, you know, it, I, it,
I, it served its purpose and, but travel through the years, we used
to take family vacations and then we took a lot of multi generation. So my parents are divorced. So we'd take trips with my father
and then we'd take trips with my mother and my stepfather. I would be in charge of planning them all. And I, and they would
ask tons of questions. So I had color coded, you
know, itineraries put together. I even down to what th
ey
were supposed to pack. Like, so I was doing it at least a
couple of times a year, every year trying to, you know, Find the best
deals, find the coolest thing to do. Just not getting paid. Exactly, just not getting paid. And then even at one point I had friends,
we used to post on social media, they were like, well we want to go with you. So I planned a big cruise group. And there was 33 people on that one. And so I kept saying, well maybe
this is my way back into the travel. I don't have to w
ait until I get older
and the kids are gone and I can, you know, maybe go back to tour guiding and
so yeah, so that's, I kept looking into it and I stumbled upon you back in 2014. I'm like, what's a host agency? This is such a thing. Like I had no clue, nothing whatsoever. So I ended up taking a little course. I ended up back in 2015. I passed my tap. . And my dad got sick. Mm-Hmm. . And so I, you know, was his
primary caregiver for a few years. My kids were in those years
where I still had to d
rive them everywhere, do everything for
them, like they were old enough to take care of their everyday needs. But I was the taxi driver. . Yep. All the different sporting you just
like, your life is not your own. And he passed away. And then my stepfather got sick and then
my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. So. It was, the teens weren't good. The 20 teens weren't good to us. So I went from taking care of
one to the next, to the next. And my mother passed away in 2020 July. So a few months
into the pandemic and. You know, at that point you go
through the morning process and then I'm like, you know what,
it's time I do something for me. And of course it was nice. I have two military daughters
who were home during the pandemic and they're like, mom, just do
something that's for you for once. And so that, that sort of started, I
started poking around on Host Week again, I mean, on, on your website, on her. And then I found out that you
did this thing called Host Week. Well, that was
new, I think,
in 2020 too, because we started it because of the pandemic. Yes. I'm like, what is a Host Week? So it almost was like at that point
on that little by little, I started poking around and my job, I was ready. It was ready for the transition. The stars aligned that the world
was coming out of the pandemic. Travel was starting to bloom again. And I remember I had
this sign in my house. It says, don't quit your daydream. And it's always been my dream. So it was, it was literally
a now
or never moment. And it was that Host Week of 2023. Wow. And I listened to every
second, every second. And even though, yes, every second
of it, I had detailed notes. I had stuff going on and it was
just, it, boom, that was it. And you didn't, you launch,
I think you launched the Accelerator course that during, yeah, we launched the
Accelerator course in 2023. Yeah. The star is truly aligned for you. It really did. And it's, it's meant to be. And. I honestly kind of go back and think
about I'm g
lad it happened this way because my kids are all doing fine. They're all older, doing their thing. And I really can give my
attention to, to this, you know? Yeah. I wish you didn't have to go
through that tough decade. But I think for those listening,
it's for a lot of people starting a business has fits and stops and life
happens and you know, not to give up because Judy is a great example. 10 years later, here she is. We'll be hearing more about
the success behind it. And it is, and you know w
hat, even
though, even though it was a hard loss and a tough time, there, there are
little things, like my stepfather, the day I was taking my tap, he was having
tests done at the hospital, and I was visiting him, and he's like, we both got
a test today, I'm gonna wish you luck. I mean, he was going through medical
testing, I was just taking the tap. And my father he would just always kind
of shake his head at me because he's like, what are you, what are you doing next? And so every time he'd wr
ite
me a card, he'd write, don't stop, you know, keep going. And I wear this necklace. And it's his handwriting, like
you can go on and have it made up and it's his handwriting and
it says don't stop love dad. So every now and then you're
like, I'll be playing with this. It's, it's, it's my reminder,
you know, that they're, they're, they're, they're supporting me
or making fun of me or telling me it's about time, whatever they did. And they did all of the above. But I feel it. I feel the support
. Well, tell me, because during Host Week
for those that haven't tuned in, there's, we have interview sessions where we
interview host agencies and consortia. And then we have EduSpotss in
the latter half of the day. And those are kind of educational,
like little bites of education, like 20 to 30 minutes. And for you, you said that those
were equally as important for you. And they were huge for you
to actually get started. So what about those? Because I think it's easy to focus on
the interviews
when you're new, but what about the EduSpotss were helpful to you? So, you know, when you start to
think about it, if you're thinking about it enough to actually watch. Things on Host Week, you know, you
need a host Most of us we're we're too new and you know green behind
the ears and you know We don't understand a lot of that stuff. So we need that host guidance that that
comes without saying But the edgy spots showed so many different facets of the
business and it was the creative element so
it was the Oh, you could do that? Oh, oh, I thought, really? Like, I was learning about people were
sending gifts and who was doing video stuff and that people had podcasts and
who had these little, so like the things that matter the most to me in my life,
you know, are my family, my photos. And travel like those are my three my
big three that the whole world that you know If Garfield made something ever
happened here, what would you grab first? I'd grab my pictures like
that's those and I'm lik
e I can incorporate all of them into travel. This is great, you know so it it really
it it balanced out the Do I really want to go and apply for LLCs and worry about
taxes and worry about accounting and worry about you know Although no disrespect to
the number crunchers, but all that all that, you know dry information Being able
to be like this is my business and I can operate it the way I want and look at all
these people Doing things that they love and putting their own little spin on it. And
that's why I love I love that balance Yeah there. I I think the EduSpots are a great way
to see different Ways people have applied their skill sets to their companies
and thing that things that they enjoy. Exactly, exactly. Well, okay. So you also ended up signing up for our
Accelerator course, the seven day setup. So we have the free seven
day setup, which is emails. And I think you signed up
for that in like 2014, right? The email sequence, and then. The Accelerator course is more in depth. It
has videos, things like that. So what about the, the course
was attractive to you and then did it live up to the hype? Okay. So A, what was attractive is there
was a variety of ways to learn. I'm very independent. I'm very self sufficient. But I love the fact that there was videos. I didn't have to just read, read, read,
read, read, read, you know, that I had just gone through that with the TAF. I, I had videos that I
could do on my own time. Everybody has a different schedule. I was still work
ing my full time job. So, I would take my different downtime
or I'd block off different ones to go through the video portions. It had lots of samples. I think that was cool. Like, I mean, I was forever grateful
that you gave us items to start with, you know, whether it would be a feedback
form or whether it would be a grid on how to choose your host agency
questions to ask or accounting forms. So it had everything. Did it live up to the hype? Absolutely. The other thing too, is that because
I fo
llowed you from 2014, you had that trustworthy, it's, I was already
a trusted source, so I wasn't having to go and vet a different vendor. I've already learned from you and learned
from the, you know, with the different articles and stuff that you post. And then I was able
to, it was almost like. It was like you were talking to me. Okay, Judy. That's enough here. Sign up. And I'm like, okay. You know, it was definitely
something that allowed me. To be accountable, I got to meet
other people in t
he same boat as me. Yeah. And I got to meet them face to face. That was really nice. Instead of some group chat that goes on
forever, it just being able to see each other on our our buzz sessions or ask
questions along the way that it was, it was, it had a little bit of everything. It didn't, it didn't overwhelm
you in one direction or the other. It had a little bit of everything. And so, yeah, I, I can't, I know
I'm talking to you, but I can't say I say it enough to everybody
else, you know, th
at it was, it's a phenomenal course and it really keeps
you accountable and keeps you going. So yeah, I, I, it definitely lived
up to the hype and I'm so grateful for it because it brought me. I would have done on my own here a lot
faster than I would have done on my own. Well, that's that's perfect, Judy. I really think that the course, you know,
we very, we're very cognizant about making them piecemeal so that you're I think the
longest video is 5 to 6 minutes because attention spans are short
and we're just
trying to get home one point to you. And then in terms of the
resources we have the resources. Some of them are from the
site, but they're enhanced. And then some of them are exclusive. I think there's like 80
different resources within there. So there's a ton and there's
everything's all laid out for you. So we'll link to the
seven day setup course. And if you can hear the squeaking,
that is my dog is very excited about the Accelerator course. you signed up for the course in
Feb
ruary after Host Week finished you. You opened your doors June 1st, you
closed down your first booking June 27th. And you were, you were, I remember in
our buzz sessions, which are a small group video calls, you were originally
planning kind of a soft launch but then you, you had this second booking. That's a great case study and how to
build up a book of business at a travel agency, because it was for a honeymoon
couple that was working with another. advisor that was that ghosted them. This was
July. I think their trip was October. So tell us how this one Botched
honeymoon couple that came to you for help how that turned into a zillion bookings. So, Yeah, I got my first booking and
I was nervous but excited and when you're first launching There's so many
questions that you're like, all right it's my niche and you worry about that
and then I got a Facebook message from a parent who knew me that her child,
when our kids were in sports together, their, their travel advisor ghosted
them a
nd they're supposed to go on a honeymoon in October, early October. And so I said, she
goes, can you help them? I'm like, sure. So she's like, Brian, talk to her. So then next thing I know, I talked to
them and I found out they, Wanted Vietnam and I was just point blank honest. I said listen. I know nothing about me I said, but I will
work to find out I said, and I will do everything I can researching and whatnot. I says to get you and help you guys up. And they're like,
please, we need the help
. And that opened the door to
a, I actually met a supplier that I really worked well with. We're still good friends today. I actually just hired him again. And then it just, it
mushroomed from there. They were excited. They opened the door to
different things that they didn't think they were going to do. They came back. They absolutely loved what I did. They told people at the wedding
about me while one person was at the wedding, they reached out to me. And then I ended up booking them a trip
in
December and then two more people reached out that they were sharing. And then now at this
point, the first line of. Referrals is now become a
second line of referrals. Now they're sending people to me from
other parts that were like, I have people in New York, I have people in
Washington, DC, and it's like, well, I'm going to date myself, but it was
that like old Fabergé commercial. And then she told two
friends and so on and so on. And that's where it's just
mushroom right in there. Like I've
in there are
phenomenal people to work with. I love this, the lineage that goes
with all these referrals and it's just really grown and you never know. You never know. And if I said, I'm sorry, that's not my
niche or if I said, I'm not ready for it. Like how different could it be? And it's really, and they
took a chance on me too. So it just really, you know,
the referrals are unreal. If you just. I, I always go with full honesty,
sometimes probably TMI, but I'm, I come right out and like, this
is what I do,
but I will work for you and I won't stop until we get you what you need. And so, yeah, it's, it's really grown and
I, and the strangest referrals come out of the strangest places is what I've learned. Yeah, I think you're also yours is interesting because this
is the way so many advisors build their business is through the referrals and
the repeat clients, which is why it takes you typically a little bit longer
to get started because normal people book, you know, nine, maybe 12 mo
nths
out, but you had this honeymoon couple that needed something in three months. And so yours got started on
this, you know, really fast rate. And it just exploded from there. And so for, for new advisors. I think important to keep in mind what
you're saying is that anybody can be an amazing super referrer for you. And, you know, to, we all have our niches
that we're kind of focused on as a general rule, but to be open minded as well. Yeah. Yes. Yes. I can't say that enough. And it really, it'
s just, like
I said, I mean, I even had one referral recently to a place that
I'm not truly overly familiar with. But after the conversation and the
phone call, they switched to a place that I'm very familiar with and
it's a tent and it's a better fit. So we just don't know, I always say,
just go for the conversation and just ask all the crazy questions. I really, I've learned that a lot
through different edgy spots and other things is just sometimes it's,
I ask them, what's your favorite trip?
Tell me why. Yeah. Yeah. Well, one of the things I've noticed,
if you've got a ton of fabulous client testimonials on your site already
for, so this is February, so you've been in business eight months how
do you, because the challenge for advisors is getting those reviews. So how do you ask for your
reviews and actually get your clients to fill them out for you? I'm very lucky. So, because I also have. I'm a little backlogged. I have another eight more. I have a hundred percent testimony. So I'
ve used chart form that came
with the heart, the feedback form. I use that. And I tweaked it to my own. I have it divided up where half of
it is them reviewing their trip. And the other half is them reviewing me,
you know, what did they find helpful? What did they not find helpful? Cause I, I always want to
constantly improve and so I don't send it out right away. I don't attach it. So I'll, I'll send a welcome home
email and then I wait a week. Cause when you first get home, your
inbox is overl
oaded the last, you know, and not to be mean, but I'm,
they don't need me at that moment. So they're like, yeah, okay. I'll talk to her later. And they got other things to
do that are more pressing. So, and then another week later,
I send the email out asking them, please, if they wouldn't mind giving
me some feedback and it would be very helpful for future trips and so forth. And then every time a person arrives
home, I have a box of note cards. And so I leave, I put a note card and I
address i
t and I throw it in their file. And the reason I do that is because
we live in a generation right now of where everybody's entire memories,
and that's the name of my business, all of their memories are on a phone. And very few people would
do anything with them. So what I had started doing from the
very beginning is I always ask them, Oh, you know, good luck on that trip. When I send them that, you know, Bon
Voyage and send me, share a picture or two with me, I'd love to see how it's going. Ever
y one of them has done that. So what I do is I take the
picture and I print it on my little home home inkjet printer. It's not that great. But I print it out and I put it in there. I'd send them a little. Thank you. A handwritten. Thank you. Now when I slide the picture in and I
said here, put this on your refrigerator. Too many of us leave our
great memories on our phone. It's just something to remind
you of your great trip. And I feel like every time it
seems to be that when that yeah. Note ca
rd arrives to them, all of
a sudden feedback forms show up. Ah, that's so smart. I'm seeing a little connection
with that, you know. I might send the feedback form
and I might be a little delayed and finally get the note card out. And then all of a sudden
the feedback form. You know, shows up. I'm like, well, what made them
look at it two weeks later? Oh, they probably got my, my card. Yeah. Well, like a personal touch. No, definitely. And I'm going to link to a past TAC
episode with Ashley Morr
is with Alpaca Your Bags Travel, who also has a
really high rate of clients filling out her referral form for those of
you that are interested in that. Well, yeah. Judy, let's give people
kind of an example. So what was the largest group
that you've booked so far? Cause you're, you're specializing
in kind of small group travel is kind of a focus for you as well. So as a travel advisor,
my largest group is 16. I have 16 right now. They're, they're doing an all
inclusive in the Caribbean. I have b
ooked a few
smaller groups, mostly 10. I average kind of 10. I have like birthday parties and stuff. I, I think my wheelhouse
or, you know, my circles. of networking circles fall a lot in
either my friends and the different parents of my children in that realm. They're all at the age where they're
starting to travel on their own or they're celebrating milestone birthdays. You know, they're done
paying for the kids. And then the other wheelhouse I have is. Sort of my kid's ages, which
are that mi
d to late twenties. And so I get a lot of like honeymooners
and stuff like that in that area. So those seems to be the two wheelhouses,
but that older group, they're doing a lot more of like, you know what? We're going to go away and celebrate. We're going to do something
a little extra special. So I'm, I'm doing a lot of that. I also, in the process, I have
five cabins going to Alaska. And I have another group that
it's doing the Mediterranean. So, you know, I'm, my wheelhouse
is around 10, but
my largest is 16. Okay. I think for new advisors, it's, it's
really easy to focus on networking, to find clients when they first
get started, because that's. It's like number one important to
run an agency, but it's also, you know, it's difficult to find clients. So they put most of their energy into
that, but that's just one piece of the puzzle because for you, you make a big
effort to network within the industry on the, the business to business side. So, you know, with other advisors, with
yo
ur host agency, with your vendors. And you do that both online and in person. So how does that, that business
to business networking lead to a better client experience? Why is that like an integral
piece of the puzzle? It's actually very crucial to it because. You know, especially let's start
with just like suppliers and vendors. They do I don't even know the numbers,
but I'm gonna they do a billion quotes all you know, especially during the
season You know, you want to stand out from the other
person, you know, I try
to give them a little bit more feedback I try to qualify my clients really well
so that I'm providing them with Almost too much detail, but a lot of, you know,
the details so they can make their lives a little easier and a little more wiggle
room, you know, want to just, you know, say to a client, you know, say to a
vendor, you know, Oh, I have three people and they're going to Italy and they
want to see Venice, Rome and Florence. These are the dates. Yeah. So what, what
kind of info do you put in
to make sure that, oh, I put in what they Concise enough. But yeah, so I say these are their dates. This is what they're looking for. This is what's most important to them. I said, you know, they like this, but this
is what they're a little worried about. They're concerned. This one likes music a lot
is maybe a night event here. I get really detailed because
my conversations with my clients are really detailed. Mm-Hmm. . I wanna know who they are. I don't know. Wanna k
now what they wanna buy. I wanna know who they are because. You're selling the why. You're not just selling a trip. My client is, is my customer and
there, I want to know why they want to go there, what they want to do,
what are they hoping to experience? How much are they willing
to step out of the box? And if you can provide that
to the vendors, it makes their job a little easier. I'm always open up everything with,
you know, especially if I have to go back and say, can you change this? You kn
ow, thank you for your
efforts, you know, call them by name. Ask questions. Don't, you know, tell them, Oh, you
know, if you get a chance, like it's a lot of it's just wording that maybe
that's the, the speech therapist in me, but I feel like sometimes, especially
during the busy season, we're always like, you know, you'd be short little
blurbs and it's like, you know. Every now and then it's really nice,
you know, when somebody says back to me. Wow. I'm really happy. I found you. Okay You just
made my day, you know,
I can work a little harder You know instead of someone saying yes No, or
just set like those little comments go a long way and it just gives you a
personal connection It's you know attend industry events, you know introduce
yourself to somebody even if you never plan on selling their product because
you don't know You know, I don't have anybody going to Tahiti, but I remember
having a pretty lengthy conversation with the guy from Paul Godwin Cruises,
you know, it's, it's j
ust it's, it's a huge industry, but a small industry. People move around a lot, too. Yeah. And I just think that that's important. And I. I think like even industry with suppliers,
but with other peers and other, you know, travel advisors, you go on to like
these Facebook groups and some of them just so phenomenal and some of them. Oh, my goodness. The amount of information that
people are willing to share. Which takes time for them to learn
that information and takes their effort and they're sh
aring it,
you know, be grateful provide. I know you knew, but you might
have some information back, you know, comment on them. Thank you. You know, sometimes if you, I read
something and I'm like, wow, and I'm writing down really good information
about cool hotels in Munich. I will comment on that, you know, thank
you so much for sharing, you know, really appreciate this or I don't know. It's just, it's relationship building. Yeah, it's a relationship. Yeah. And so for those of you that are
newe
r, one of the frustrations for people in Facebook groups that are more
experienced is when someone posts, I'm looking for four people to go to Mexico. And where would you recommend they go? And so I'll post a great article
that Nikki Miller posted up. Well, actually, I'm
going to post up, Okay. Two one is we'll put in the show notes. Nikki Miller has one on how
to ask questions to your peers in the travel industry. That's fantastic. Another one is an EduSpots that just
happened this year with Wh
itney Schindler, and she talks about questions to ask
your DMC to make sure that it's going to be a good fit for you and your client. And Judy, I know for. When, even if you get a quote from someone
and you don't end up booking with them, you still reach out to them, right? Yes. And follow up. Never leave anybody hanging, you know,
let them know they can close the file if that's the case, you know Let them know
that you know, otherwise they're just sitting there with their I don't know
how they
do it in their own business But I'm sure they've got a bunch of
open accounts and let them know it's alright, you know Thank you very much. My clients decided to move into
a different direction or might they put the trip on hold? I just actually had to do that there was
a a school strike here teaches one on strike and the family had to halt the
plans because You know, now they, they weren't going to be able to, I reached
out to, to, you know, the vendor that I was working with and I'm like, I'm
really
sorry, you know, this is what's happening. You just let them know it's, it's little
bits of information and, and it's funny, I am new and I do cringe sometimes when I'm
in those groups and I see the questions. What's really interesting, if
you're afraid you're somebody who's doing that, look at your responses. So if you were to look at
somebody who asked the question, if there's 35 responses, they
ask the question correctly. If there's one or none, then, then
they're at, then that's, that
's the, to me, what I read into it is that
that is what my peers are saying. Like, give us more information
or go do your own homework. You know, they're, they're still,
they're not there as teachers. They're, they're, yeah. As peers, because they're running
their own business and you want them to sit there and type. I mean, some of them type so much
information, like, bless you. So, you know, and I try to. Where I can help, I try
to put my two cents in. Yeah, get back a little bit. Yeah. Yeah.
And you have to, you have to. Yeah, because we were, we were all
new at one time in the industry. And so I but I, I do think it's key
if you're a new advisor to know how to ask the questions and frame them,
because even if you don't know the questions to ask, then ask, how do I. Ask a question or read this article. We're going to link to because or or
read what everybody else is doing and get a feel for it before you start asking exactly or even just start
out with telling the community what wor
k you've already done. Show them you've done some work. We're new, but we're not, we,
we, we, we do know what direction we should be looking in, even if
we don't have all the answers, well, let's move into, I kind of want to
check in on your marketing and operations, because one of the things you did when
you first started out you put a coupon up on your site that waived the fees
through December when you started in June. And then, so I want to hear what was
your thinking behind that and did it.
Turn out like you planned. Oh, better than I planned. So when you're starting a
business, there's so many different things that we're told
to think about and put into place. And one of them was like, okay,
I work really hard on my website. And I'm like, okay, I need something
that makes somebody want to fill out. The form and sign up for my
newsletter, you know, I'm going to collect emails and I didn't have time
to make it too many other things. I'm like, what am I going to put? That's going to
make somebody want
to put their, their email in there. So I ended up giving away a coupon
for free travel fees because, Number two, I didn't have time to figure out
what my fee structure was going to be. So I said, okay I can solve two
problems with with one move. So I put a coupon called it a grand
opening special I said that you're going to be free travel planning fees Basically,
it was a way to say, take a chance on me. It's not going to cost you anything. And then, you know, they could,
the
y had to put their email in to get their little coupon. And it also showed them
that there is a fee. So if you like what you saw and you like
everything that you, you know, you got, when you come back the next time, you'll
know that, you know, the value's there. It was a perfect idea. Oh, it was. It was just like, okay. And then I didn't have to worry about
creating some packing list or some guide for, for a region that maybe
my client wasn't interested in. So I'm like, okay, this works. Yeah, i
t was great. Well, your website. Speaking of the website,
it's incredibly in depth. And the fees for those that are
interested in fish is a very in depth fee section, which we will link to. But how did you come up with all
the content for it and organize? So the organized part is I
found other people's websites. I did not plagiarize, but I
found this structure cause I didn't know what I was doing. Honestly, I am a paper and pencil girl. So technology and I have
a love hate relationship. But I fo
und different websites
that I found very easy to use or kind of like the setup. Like I didn't, I'm like,
okay, what are you supposed? I kind of knew what you're
supposed to put, but I didn't know there was an order to it. So I kind of, guided out
going, okay, I need a homepage and I need a planning page. And then some people like
have like destination page. I called it an inspiration page. If you actually look, I've been in
business eight months and my frequently asked questions still says comin
g soon. My blog just launched in January. I mean, everything, it, as long as you
know how to do coming soon, you're good. But I just kind of had it set
up and then where did I come up with the content truthfully? This, I worked really hard and a long
time on it, but for anybody who's new. I, I really recommend doing it first, at
least write it up because you write from your heart and you write from your passion
and you write for why are you doing this? If you're doing this, because for me
it was
like, I just, I love traveling. I get so much out of it and I want to see
so many people travel that it was easier. So I wrote it up. I wrote it from a very passionate. point of view. I wrote it from sharing my story. You know, I'm always somebody
who wears my heart on my sleeve. Nobody has to second guess my emotions. They're always right there. And then I have a, I have a
daughter who's very skilled. My middle daughter is
very skilled at writing. So she's my copy editor. So she found really k
ind of fancy
ways to manipulate some of the words. Never changed my voice, but you know,
she's like, Fixed a few grammatical errors along the way, but yeah, that's how I
came up with it you your personality needs to come through on your website
And if you don't write it, or at least, even if you want to hire somebody, I was
lucky I had my daughter, but if you want to hire somebody to spit shine it, but
write it from your personal view and your passion of why do you want to do this. Not just I ne
ed a career, not just,
and honestly, even if you're not really, really sure why, you'll
figure it out as you're going. Mm hmm. Yeah, it's a great thought process. Yeah, it just, you kind of put
it, and that's really where a big chunk of it came from. It's also where I came up with
the idea of, like, I smell, sell small groups, but it's like, how
do I kind of categorize that? Because, you know, the world
is huge, 193 countries. So how do I figure this out? And I kind of categorized. The trips tha
t I'm best at organizing. So I have wild wanderings and European
escapades and cruising adventures because it's very itinerary based. I may not be able to tell you
what the biggest and best ship is. I may not be able to tell you how
many different restaurants are on one. I can find that information out for sure. But I can definitely tell you
what's a great itinerary, what it's going to offer for you. What new places can you see? Is it in port long enough? You know, I so I sort of, you know. Kind
of focused in on those five areas. Yeah, I definitely check out Judy's
website because the, the organization and kind of these like wild destination,
these categories, she puts them on are very unique as well as it very much comes
across that in a non threatening way that she's there to help travel advisors. Like, she's very passionate about
helping travelers, not travel advisors, travelers who, yeah, that, that. maybe comfortable traveling or, you
know, they don't want to feel stupid and she d
oes it in a very approachable way. Which I think, you know,
is a hump for people. They don't want to look stupid. So we'll link to that. And then you have something
called a tickler file and I would love to hear more about that. So a ticker tickler file
is a long term plan. So we talk about. Workflows and task lists and all these
little buzz phrases in the industry. Those are great for, okay, today
I got to set up this email. I need to do these insurance quotes. I need to, you know, the tickler
filer
is, what is your vision down the road? What do you want to accomplish and kind
of put a date on it, put a timeline on it. So my tickler filer was to
launch the blog by January 1st. I was three days late,
but it got launched. A tickler filer, In this industry,
and even in our buzz sessions, when you have a lot of newbies talking at
the same time, I feel like everybody, including myself, got stuck at a
certain like, Oh yeah, this is good. Like, it's literally the ADHD. It's, you know, it's l
ike, Oh,
I gotta spend time doing this. Oh, I gotta build this. Oh my god, I gotta do that. And you're so excited, and you're
so passionate about wanting to do it all, but if you don't have a
place to put it, and not lose it. Like that's the big key is like you
have otherwise you have a spread of notes all everywhere and you're like,
oh What this would be good have a file. This is what I want So I have a file
on my newsletters, which I have not started yet But I really love that
edgy spot this y
ear on newsletters. So very excited. That's next on my tickler But any
different ideas you have that's the creative part of talking like you can get
really excited about being really creative one of my bigger ideas in my tickler
filer is I do, I struggle with with fees. I don't know why, because the amount
of effort and research I put in, I have value but, you know, I still always feel
bad about like, well, that's too much. Oh, okay. I want you to travel. So I think it's sort of a catch 22
in my
five categories of travel. I am going to work together with
five different So conservation companies and non profits. So, I'm going to advertise in that. This is one of my future tickler file. Is that each one of these, if you
book a wild wanderings, 10 percent of the fee that you pay to me will
be donated to the wildlife warriors. That's an organization around
the world that protects the animals against poachers. That's what they do. If you book a cruising adventure,
that's going to go to the
ocean blue. That's that, that group
that cleans up the oceans. You know, you see them, they make
the bracelets for the, you know, out of water bottles and stuff. So each one, if you book a rediscovering
America, 10 percent of my fee. that you pay will go towards the wildlife. I mean, we'll go toward
towards the tunnel to towers. I'm a, I'm a military family. My dad was a Marine. My brother was air force. I have two daughters on the coast guard. So I'm, you know, and I have a son
who's in, you kn
ow, in nursing school. So tunnel to towers covers my, the
military and covers the first responders. So that's what that will go towards. So that's, you know, in my tickler
file down the road, so that your travel can mean something In addition
to what you gain, what you enjoy, what you experience, and then if a
little piece of it can go and help an organization to maintain that my European
escapades, I'm going to do something with probably UNESCO, the preservation. So each one of them is going to
kind
of, so it kind of helps you that if you're booking in that you'd like that. So then you would probably support. Yeah, it definitely would make me
more likely to be like this. I love that their values
are where my values are. Yeah. So it just kind of, and it coincides
with each one of those categories. A lot easier. So that's in my tickler filer. I want to host a trip. Like you said, there's
a lot of people who. Want to travel and they just
get nervous and that's okay. It's Normal and my to
ur guiding
background my teaching background. I'm like, I'm gonna host a trip I want
them to be able to be independent. I'm gonna still want them to be able
to do what they want to do Maybe I was like set up a little table in the
lobby of different places and help them go off You know, this group's
doing a walking tour that groups over there doing segways, you know And just
sort of be in the country with them And, and opening the door to travel. So those are two big things in my
tickler files, t
hree, the newsletter, the conservation and hosting a trip. But that's what a tickler filer is. It's what you want on the road. I love it. And we will link to the, I just bought
that Judy referenced about newsletters. And, you know, one of the things
to point out, Judy mentioned this earlier, but even though she doesn't
have a newsletter, putting up the newsletter box to opt in on your site. Because if it takes you two years to
get your newsletter up, you have two years of emails, even if it's on
ly
a handful, but you have two years of emails that you can work with now. So that's a great idea. And I know that for new advisers,
one of the challenges is. The fee conundrum. Do you or do you not charge fees? How much do you charge for them? So I know you charge fees. What's your thought process? Like, what prompted you to do that? And any advice? So, yeah It prompted me because I kind
of correlated a little bit in some small way with like the real estate you know, business agents. Yeah. Who
do I work for? I know who I am and I know who I am as
a person, but it is very hard because it is a business and I am trying to
live and make money off the business. But with that said, there's a great
deal of research that goes in. And that's why I think most of us
use the term travel advisor more than we use travel agent because I
am with you from beginning to end. You know, I am doing the deep dive. I am trying to find, you know, what
you're looking for at the price point that you're looking
for it at. I am trying to make sure that
you understand, you know, what is the currency like? What is the tipping like? Where would be the best
thing for me to do? I have a email that goes out
about, you know, I keep put all the downloads together. All right here open this up sit there with
your phone and download these apps because these are going to be crucial for you You
know walking them through those stages that all takes time money and effort And
so therefore it's beyond just the booking.
So yes you could go to one of the big
box and book You know, here at your hotel and book your reaffirm and call it a day. But you're not going to
get that personal touch. You're not going to have that
person to bounce questions off of, you know, it's almost like we're
travel Google, you know, instead of just doing it, they just ask me. So it's really trying the hardest part
with the fees is trying to explain. And show and demonstrate, you can
demonstrate it easily, but at the beginning is trying
to explain, you know,
that is value and that is untapped value. And honestly, even with the fees, you're
still getting so much more because we get it in the forms of different
perks and we get it in different forms. I think the hardest part was that
I just always try to save a buck and, you know, for my clients. So when I related to the Real estate. I'm working for my client. So if I have If I, let's say I'm
piecemealing a trip together, so I might find one hotel that, Oh, okay. Here on this we
bsite it is this price
and here on this web website, it's quite a bit more, but I get 12 percent
there and I only get 10 percent here. So I'm just fine. I want to, the fees also to me and I
tell my clients I'm working for you. So the fee means that I'm going
to look for the best deal for you. Not to be like. Try to, you know, they always say that
even real estate you have, you have, you have seller brokers and you have
buyer brokers, you know, so it's just one of those things that it's, you know
,
it keeps me and it, I think it helps them to, you know, they know, I know you, you mentioned that you, you know,
for so many new advisors, even if you're charging a fee, there's still this
like, kind of uncertainty about it. But for you, it was
really solidified when. I mean, every advisor has this
happen to them, usually relatively soon after, but you had a client
that used all of your knowledge. And then didn't work with you. And it was, and it was unnecessary. So let's be clear. People can
change their mind. I think what bothered me the most on
that one was I answered and I usually try to keep everything via email. She was texting me on my business line. I would answer, it was a
change this, change that. I'd get the quotes. Then it was come back. Oh, no, we need to move this. Move that. We need a bigger room,
smaller room, this and that. But I went through every hoop
under the sun, you know, really fast and quickly in the timeline. And I got her a price. That was the exact same
pr
ice as an online. And then she booked online. Yeah. And I was just like, that's not necessary. You didn't even save a penny. Yeah. I, and I know too, for you, you have
your booking log so that you can look at the trips and look at the profit margins
and you have a fee if they book their hotels and you're just booking the tours. And part of that, I mean, that's why I was
saying your fee page is so comprehensive and, by looking at these things, you
can see where you're like, this is not making, I'
m losing money by hooking this. Yeah, I've had people at like the Airbnbs and
stuff and they'll, they book their own and they'll ask me and honestly, it's
like they'll ask you to figure out the tours in between and especially in Europe. Well, tell us you're making like
9 on this one, 10 on that one. They're not big money makers. And so when I looked at one of them
that I put a lot of work and effort and changes into, and I'm like, at
the end, I think it'd be like 84. I'm like, okay, we need to a
djust
this, but that's what it is. You kind of, you as a new advisor, and
I keep saying that don't, don't wait for the perfect thing that you envision. Take it in because you don't know what
you don't know yet and you don't know what's going to work and what's not
going to work for you and your business. And for my business, I seem
to get a real lot of Europe. I had a lot of people who want
to really kind of do some things on their own and that's great. You know, you don't want
private transfers
everywhere. You'd like to have fun on
the trains and so forth. And that's great, but I also need to
make some money too, because trying to find the right thing that fits in
the right spot, that fits in the right area is a time consuming process. So if you book your own hotels, there's,
you know, I just say you have to at least book two hotels with me if it's. I forget how it's worded in there. But as long as there's something in there,
I mean, and I will tell you, I've had a couple of people wh
o called me last minute
who had hotels and they're like, but we'll switch them to your hotel if you want. So, you know, people have
been just, I think they just. They start out in one direction,
and I seem to get a lot of people a bit overwhelmed. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Well, your, your target market
is that moderate price travel. It's not luxury. And then helping people who
are new to travel or have only traveled within the all inclusive
circuit in Mexico and Caribbean. And so for you, you take a
lot of time to
make sure that they know what to expect. Like, Europe is very different than the U. S. and Mexico and Caribbean. So that they're they're feeling
comfortable and they your thought process is they're gonna be a lot more likely to
try things if they know what to expect. So can you give us just a couple
really concrete examples of you doing this and how you built that into
your workflow with your clients? So what I do after so after First of all,
we start with the trip and what they
want. And so they'll tell me
everything they want. But I also asked lots of questions
about what do you like to do? What do you do for fun? Where you're there? Because you like, I try
to think outside the box. Like, for example, like if
you're going to go to Italy. And you're going to do your,
I'm going to just go your standard Venice, Florence, Rome. Do you want to do a walking
tour of Venice, Florence, Rome? By the time you get to Rome, you're
going to be like, your eyes are going to roll in t
he back of your head. You're going to be sick
and tired of architecture. Like you've got to spice it up. Like life, variety is just,
makes it so different. So even if there's an element where, I
remember my very, very first time going to Europe, it was just like, how many
more churches can I actually look at? Yeah, they're all pretty, but it, You
know, it's a lot of information taken. So I try to think a little
bit outside the box. I try to give them, okay,
what about a segue tour here? Or this
would be really good
if you did a canal tour. So I kind of joke around with my clients. It's like house hunters. I give them like, here's
one thing that's standard. Here's one thing that's a little kick
and here's my out of the box suggestion. And it is funny because I've had. I would say I have a good 60
percent close on the out of the box. They're like, I never thought about
that, but that does sound exciting. So I try to give them a little bit
of that, you know, to make it a little bit more e
xciting because
honestly travel is about seeing. But people want to experience things. They want to feel something, not just go,
Oh, that's pretty, you know, that's nice. Yeah. So it just kind of spices it up a little. I will always try to throw in something
that allows them to experience. Like if you're in Italy, a cooking
class, or if you're not somebody who enjoys cooking that much, that's me. Then you might want to do like, sort of
like a food or a market kind of thing. Or if you're somebody
who enjoys
music, you know, in Ireland, you might want to do like. An Irish show, like just making sure that
there's a little bit more of a variety that opens up that world for them. And then what I'll do is after
we, they choose their items, then I walk them step by step. Okay, you're booked. So then the first thing that comes out
is what general international travel. Okay. So if your shopping list, okay, make sure
you have an, an adapter, make sure you have like a little front bag or somethin
g
that you could tuck away, you know, and I have a whole bunch of little things. Make sure women have a scarf. If you're going into, you know, different
historical places, then I'll send another email and that will be more
or less walking them through the apps. You know, on your phone, you know, if you
don't have global entry, mobile passport control will make your life easier. This here is available here. What's app so that you can
communicate with, you know, different people out there. So I'll
walk through those things. And then I do one. That's just. country or location specific. And Italy, I'll tell them you, you
know, depending on how you like your coffee, I am a cream and sugar girl
and I want my coffee every morning. I don't know how to order it. So I had to figure out and I didn't want
them to waste their money buying four different types of coffees till they
found the one that makes them happy. So I would, I'd write out a whole coffee
thing, or I would write out, you know, eti
quette in an Italian restaurant. You know I feel like in America with
wine drinkers, you know, we tend to, and I'm not a wine drinker, but they
tend to want to show their knowledge. They have specific wines they enjoy, but
when you're in Italy, you really want to kind of defer to the, you know, the
waiters there, they know what they're talking about, it's their region. It's. They, they know far more than
we can ever dream of knowing. So I just give them all those little
helpful hints, you know,
make sure you have coins, you might go into a
bathroom that requires you stranded, stranded otherwise, exactly. So it's all those little things. And I will say that my very first
client, she emailed me by the second one. Because Italy has a lot of
extra stuff by the second email, she's like, I am loving these. I would have been the first one to
say, do you have any garlic bread? I'm like, no, it doesn't exist in Italy. So it's those little helpful hints
that just make you feel like you kind of k
now, all right, I can do this. I can fudge my way through here. And I'm just a, I'm just
a, a WhatsApp message away. You know, and that's where I think I think
people want to know that tipping currency, you know, all that kind of stuff. Well, let's see. I think one last thing for
marketing and operations. One of the challenges for new advisors
is most advisors are on a budget and you're looking at the technology. For your everyone's talking about CRMs. They're talking about itinerary builders. T
hey're talking about email
marketing programs for you. What do you feel like was the
most essential piece of tech that? Everybody needs when they're starting out. It's got to be the CRM. You have to purchase the
CRM that will work for you. There's so many free things out
there that you can, you know, sign up for the bare bones, you know,
the email marketing campaign. I'm, I'm on a free. I'm still on a free program. I, when I get, when I, when I
opened that tickler file, I'll figure that one out
down the road. But right now my CRM is my be all
end all because you can create. Itineraries out of there. You can log in all your
information in there. You can log your money in there. There's it. It's the thing that you need
to work the most with you. And I think sometimes one of the messages
that I got crystal clear was about how this this piece of technology is so
valuable, but was to choose the one that was best for me, not the one that
my host agency necessarily offered. And that's why, yo
u know, a lot of the
times it's very easy to sit there and say, Oh, well, if I sign up with this host
agency, they offer this tool and that tool will make sure those tools work for you. I'm a small group person. I need a CRM that was going to
make my small groups work well. I also am somebody who I knew that I
was going to end up building trips. It wasn't going to be a lot of. Just like the resorts and the airfare. I was going to be building trips So I
needed something that I can make into some
sort of itinerary But the way I
like to read it So, you know, it's that kind of thing and something that has an
element of automation and I got all that out of my CRM It allowed me to do it. So I think that is where it's crucial The
one mistake I made is I dragged my feet And so, yes, I dragged my feet because why
pick up the extra monthly expense when I wasn't really launching or had people yet. And the problem was, is that I
unexpectedly, there was a meme that went around and it showed. A skel
eton sitting in front of a
keyboard and it says just me waiting for my first travel client Like it
was a joke because they say, you know takes a while to build up. Everybody preps you for it And so I
did not expect what I what happened to me your soft lunch was not so soft No, and then all of a sudden i'm getting hit
and i'm like, I don't have workflows or what's an automation And so I wish I spent
a little bit more time and I saved what? 25 So if you can get yourself familiar
and set up with th
at and the second piece of advice is when you do
create your workflow, don't get too attached to it, you can change it. You change it. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Well, we're going to link to first
of all, there's a Friday 15 on when that's our other podcast. If you've never listened to it when
to get a CRM and itinerary builder in the lifetime of your agency. And then we've also got an article on
itinerary builder comparisons, which isn't the CRM, but is usually another tech tool
that people usually i
nvest in once they get enough clients that it makes sense. So Exactly. Well, let's move in to, because you're
newer, you have a great perspective. Let's move into the next segment,
which is advice for newbies. So I would love to hear what are two
pieces of advice for the new advisors that you wish you had been told? The first piece of advice that I wish,
I wish I was told, I kind of figured out on my own, but I wish I was told is
you're not going to have all the answers, but you need to know whe
re to find them. And I think that's a crucial. Thing to know and really own. You have to own it because what
I'm, what I was seeing and myself included, I'm super organized. I'm, you know, a little bit on
the perfectionist, you know, I have the most organized junk draw. People make fun of me. My friends make fun of me. If they see this, they'll
be making fun of me because. Everything's labeled. And yet you, you can't be
that straight and narrow. And so it's okay. You're not going to know everyth
ing. And I think I've seen a few people
and a few of my peers that have been in the course with me getting
stuck on trying to organize. Before they launch and that analysis
paralysis and I, and after, after I was sort of told to launch
because I had no more excuses left. Thank you, Rita, gently. We were gently, gently telling
you to launch very gently. You just asked a question,
but why aren't you launching? I'm like, I have no more answers. But I think it was that point
that when I launched, it
was. You think you need to have every
answer and take that off the table. You need to have a general flow. You need to organize it as generally as
you can, but it will get topsy turvy. You'll take lefts and rights. You know, you might launch in one
direction and your first customers that come at you might be something that
you're like, what I'm doing cruises now. And then all of a sudden you weren't
prepared for it because you took all your time and effort and energy and focused
in on the one t
hing you wanted to sell. I feel like in due time. My favorites will come in so far. They're starting to trickle in
a little my favorites Africa. But little by little, you know,
it's just nowhere to go though. That's the secret. The advice is nowhere to go. If I don't know this, where
should, where would I look? You know, and whether
your host agency has. Their own private group. I get so much information out of there. Different Facebook groups. There are Facebook groups that are
like travel advi
sors helping travel advisors and all these other different
ones But honestly like sometimes those are so overwhelming I am in a
few traveling travel advisors selling Europe travel advisor selling Africa
and you know It's just the details and the information and at least they'll
help point you in a direction So those things podcasts, you know, so just know
we had to find the information But don't think you have to have it all in there. And the second thing is suppliers I
really, really wished tha
t I knew more and I really wished I knew how to know more. And I'm somebody who's traveled
extensively across the spectrum of styles. I have done the independent,
you know, I have done the FITs. I have done the cruises. I have done the all inclusives. I have done the tour groups. I have led the tour groups and yet I still
knew only this much of what's out there. So are you saying to take like supplier trainings
and webinars or what are you? I would do smaller webinars. I think smaller. I don't t
hink you need the full
battle, but it's the case of like you have somebody who's
like, okay, I want to go here. You don't know sometimes. You you hear people talk about their
favorites, but their favorites might not be in the price point that you're looking
for So if somebody sits there and says, oh I have this great dmc in this country
blah blah blah And then you're like my people can't afford that like, okay. So what else is there? So I just find myself constantly
scratching To figure out ther
e's got to be somebody that falls
because I'm in a price point. That's not very common. You have to hold backpackers and
you know, they're hostile world. And then you have the luxury travel
and I fall smack dab in the middle. I have like Joe Schmo who just wants to
go see some cool things I saw in a book. And that's the group that
I'm trying to get at. And so I'm, I'm, I struggle sometimes. So I'm finding myself doing most
of it myself, which will prevent me from scaling, which will prevent me.
You know, it's, and it's tiresome,
but I think that that's where I wish I knew a little bit more. I'm finding little bits and pieces. I think that's why I appreciate
suppliers and vendors so much. I find them like, yay. Okay. What else can we do? But yeah, I think that's where I'm
just, I wish I knew a little bit more. Yeah, that's great. Those are great pieces of
advice for new advisors. The thing I will add to that is for those
of you are who are like, Judy is saying I need to, to learn more w
ith the suppliers
and still haven't launched your agency. Don't be a perpetual learner
because that's a perpetual student, not a travel advisor. So you have to take that leap. At some point in time, you're not
going to, no one ever feels ready when they start their business. When I launched her, I was like, Oh God, this is like, it's like. 70 percent done. And I was like, I just
need to get it out there. You know, cause I had been
like, I need 15 blogs. I need, you just need to get it out
there
and then you can start working. Cause the truth is like Judy said,
you, you reiterate, you think these workflows are going to be perfect. And then it goes out in the real
world and you realize, oh, my clients are really confused about that. Or no one's actually looking at this. And. You reevaluate going from there. So you have to get it out there, you know,
in software, they call it the minimum viable product, getting that out there
and then seeing, does this even work? And if it does, then you
can work on improving it. If it doesn't, you work
on like making it work. And that's, and it's so true too. That's why I said, like for me, the
CRM, it's pay the money for the things that pretty much aren't going to change. And the things that are going to make
it more difficult to switch over. So perfect example, I started
opening up accounts at first under my Gmail address before I got my full. Well, you know how painful it is
to switch everything over now at the point where I go to log in and
I'm like, which one was that under? So like pay the money, get your
business name, email, get your CRM and then everything else after
that is, it's almost like it's. It's like, okay, you'll, you'll tweak
and fine tune in a million ways, but those are the big things that you don't
want to have to go get too far in. And then all of a sudden go,
I really need to switch this. And that's one of the reasons too,
in the Accelerator course that we, we recommend people get the federal
employer identific
ation number. Even if you're a sole
proprietor, you don't need it. Why we recommend opening up a business
bank account because when it comes time for you to change it and you
become an LLC, that's when you're so busy and you don't have time because. What you don't realize is when
you're a sole proprietor you can open a personal bank account. And if, but if you get an LLC, you need
to open a business bank account and having to change your bank account with
everyone and even just setting it up. I
mean, it's just a hassle. You don't have to go through. And if you have tickler files,
if you have openings of time, you don't want to redo you want to do. So it's just like get that, that
the factual stuff down and the things that aren't going to change. God forbid. Well, we won't go there. We chatted about not learning too much. But having said that, what are two of your
favorite places to learn in the industry? My favorite places, besides HAR, I have to say that besides
her, I know, no, I'm n
ot really, this is not, I should feel like there's
a disclaimer brought to you by no besides her because that obviously
is the key that, you know, got me rolling to actual movement podcasts
and Facebook, believe it or not. And no, I believe it. And, and it's really, you'll
sign up for a bunch of podcasts. I mean, a bunch of Facebook
groups and I'm finding little by little I'm starting to unsign up. Because there's some that I'm like,
wow, this one's really rich with a lot of good content and thi
s one's
just a lot of people complaining. You know, there, there's the gamut. So, but most of them are really good
and most of them, you can find a lot of really good information, a lot of good
people a lot of good opportunities. I actually applied to a, A forum,
a European traveler forum that I found out through one of them. So, and I just got in. So it's, it's just like this little
bits and pieces there and the podcast. I was never a podcast girl. And I find myself really enjoying it,
especial
ly if I have to take a ride or if I'm going somewhere, I'll listen
to him in the car, I have to shut off the ones that are really, really. Cause I can't take notes and drive,
but I'm finding the podcasts because they're really raw and authentic. And I think I, I, they, they go
that one extra step or they'll explain the why, where sometimes,
you know, you know, things don't always come across when you're in
the written form, they come across. Favorite, like I guess they
don't even need to be indu
stry podcasts, but like, what would be
a favorite podcast that you tune in for? I actually, I listen a
lot to, masters in travel. Oh, yep. Well, that's Whitney Schindler. We'll link to that. Yes. I listened a lot to her and I
listened a lot to take the helm. Oh, yeah. Read us. She's, I've actually gotten
a lot of great information. She's had some really interesting
things, especially on like technology and marketing stuff. Like I've gotten a lot of
great information on that. Sometimes I'll liste
n to the ones
that are just in enjoyable you know, just maybe industry things going on. So I might not be gaining factual
stuff to, for my business, but I'm gaining information in the industry. Those are like the ones that
travel weekly put out and so forth. Yeah. I think it was that follow. Is it? Yeah. So we'll, we'll link to
Whitney's and to Rita's. And for those that don't know Rita,
she helps out over at heart quite a bit and she helps out with Host Week. So that's great to hear. Yeah, she'
s got some really great,
like, especially in the world of like marketing and, technology
that she just, you know, how work smart or not harder type of stuff. And getting back to the Whitney to
bring that together with the suppliers. My newest thing that I'm going to be
trying is I'm going to, I'm going to sign up for the trial version of the hive. But I think that will solve,
that has the potential to solve my supplier learning situation. But now that I feel like I have clients
and my business i
s growing, like this might be the perfect time for me to You
know, if I had this, this awesome, you know, for people who don't understand
the hive, it has all different vendors and DMCs and tour groups and, and
you can plug in all these different filters and it comes back and it
tells you these are the different ones that offer at these different levels. So I think it has the potential
to be really helpful to work smarter, not harder type of thing. So we'll link to the hive for those
that are in
terested in learning a little bit more about it. And and Judy, we are coming
to a close for the day. So we are going to bring up our last
segment, which is indispensable. And that's where we ask the travel
advisor that we're interviewing. What technology book or person
has been indispensable to the growth of your agency and why? This is very hard question because
it is a question that almost I don't really have a book and I think it
goes without saying, you know, the heart community could be a p
erson. And as far as technology, they're
helpful, but I, I have to actually, the growth of it has to, it's
something that can't be replicated. It was my family that I have had
the support from even my parents beforehand telling me don't just
don't stop, keep going, you know, go after it to when I decided to launch. I had, when I decided to really
like, okay, I'm making a go for it. I had such great support from
my kids who are very busy lives. But they turn around and my son decided
he was going
to make me a campaign on. Canberra and cause he knows social media
and my oldest is working on videos for me to put together for like different
examples so that someday I'll have a YouTube channel that's in the tickler
filer and my middle one is my writer. So I, I'm very fortunate
and even more so than that. And the reason why I say it's
indispensable is because when I'm tired and I'm beat up and I'm exhausted and
you do get that way, you know, cause you want it to, you want to launch. You're a
n entrepreneur. That's what happens when
you're an entrepreneur. They are my biggest cheerleaders. You know, you've got this mom go for,
you know, the hardest thing for them is that I'm not readily available for them. I'll get the, is it okay to call? I'm like, nope. And then of course my
husband, God bless him. You know, he works full time, but I
will be sitting here many days and he's. bringing in my lunch, making
sure I eat, he'll fill my coffee. So honestly, it's not a fancy answer. But it's
also what brought me into
the industry was, you know, the multi generation, the travel, the family
connections, the whole premise of memories on the move was the reason why I honed
in on that, especially post COVID is because too many of us were locked down. And too many of us were in
our own corners of the world. And many times, even if people go home
to visit, they're not fully there. You know, they come in. I know even in my, I do used to do
it to my own mother and go into her house and I'm
just like eating her
food and lounging on her couch and like, am I really creating memories? And so this is an
opportunity for families. I have Marine, I didn't mean
I have military families to go somewhere together to create those. undeniable stories that
will be told forever. And since we've lost, you know, my three
parents My stepfather for 40 years. So he's really an extra dad. I had Since then my kids
live off those stories. Yeah, they live off those stories. We'll talk about Remember when
we were
sitting outside the Grand Canyon and grampy came out and couldn't find us
and he was wandering around and none of us Stuck our head out to say we're
over here you know just silly stories and little things and my My father,
my stepfather loved, he's a voracious reader, and he used to get up early in
the morning and read at like five in the morning, sitting on his balcony,
always wanted a balcony, and I woke up one morning and my seven year old is
missing, and I'm like, where is she? And I
peek out the window, and there,
I didn't know this, it was going on every day, she's sitting there with her
grandfather, she's reading her little magic tree house, and First chapter
book and he's got his coffee and he was getting her little juices and a little
thing of cereal and they really weren't even talking about sitting there reading
their book in the morning sunshine. And I'm like, you can't. Yeah, it's priceless memory. So the family, the
support, the encouragement. That's not the, The
fanciest answer per se, but I mean,
I think this crosses over for anybody that yours is your family, but when you
start your business, having a support system that cheers you on, lifts you
up, gives you The confidence when you're feeling low on yourself and also holds
you accountable because I know a lot of people are nervous when they're starting
out to say they're doing something because they don't want, they're not ready
yet to share it, but I would encourage you for at least one or two peopl
e. And this is outside of like your
partner, if you have a partner, but. Tell someone else you're doing
it so they can check in with it like a good friend that you trust. And that that you can give feedback
to because being an entrepreneur is an emotional roller coaster. It can be isolating. It can be hard. You can doubt yourself so much. So that I think it's a great answer, Judy. Thank you. And that's a throwback
to to because your peers. Like in the horror community that we have
our buzz sessi
ons, you know, it is one of those things where we all help each
other out and we offer our two cents or we bond or commiserate, depending on
what it may be, you know, it's all those different emotions that come with it. One of the other things to get more
professional is there's a Ted talk, Simon Sanak, it's He is, it's S I N, S I N E K. I always spell it wrong. It's my Boston accent. He actually does a TED talk on
selling the why and so if you need, if you, if your support system isn't
around y
ou in your doesn't have the time for you in the moment and
you're looking for some outside help. I found that very helpful because,
again, we're business owners. We're selling travel. We're also selling a service. Why did we choose this industry? You could sell anything, you know, I
mean, there's sellers all over the place, but you're selling travel for a reason. And that the why of it, it, it helps
you with closing and it helps you with your, your qualifying, your clients
is to really dig deep
on there. And I found that his information
was just, it resonated with me. Well, we will, we will link to that
TED talk for those that are looking for some information and inspiration. Yeah, there's more on sales, not
travel, but it's that same, it's that philosophy of what you're trying to
do, and I feel like newbies like myself and my peers, we try very much to,
okay, we want to be professional, and we want to have legitimacy, and we're
trying to put it out there, and we're worrying about, All
of this stuff. And the one thing that I
have learned differently from month two compared to today. Is don't take your personality out of it. Oh yeah. But it's hard because a
lot of people go into that. Okay. They're a little bit more formality
because they're looking to establish themselves because they're looking to,
you know, have that presence that they're, they're, they're showing a business and
they're trying to show a professional, but there's an element of it there that. I think can get
washed away. And that's why like that video call
that I have with my people, I get really bummed out when they sign up
for the phone one, but the video call that I have, it's where we sell the,
why, you know, why are you doing this? Why do you want to go there? You know, why is it important to you? Yeah. That's a great point, Judy. Because the, as a travel advisor,
you are selling things and it's, but, but like the passion and having
your personality in it, like that's the thing that no one can
ever copy. They can copy everything
about your process. They can copy your fees. They can copy, have a similar
name, the same niche, but no one ever captures your personality. And that's, that's to your advantage. So. It's to everybody's advantage. Exactly. Because they're working with you. You want them to pay you fees? You want them to trust you with
their hard earned vacation time? You know, let them know who you are. Perfect. Well, that's a wonderful way
to close things out, Judy. I want to
thank you for
sharing your experience the past year and congratulations. Huge congrats on your success. Steph, thank you so much. And thank you to the Heart Community,
to all of you, You know, Rita, the you know, Mary, everybody within the
community itself on top of, you know, the peers that I went through the
course with I'm excited that I signed up to stay in the, the bus sessions a
little longer because, you know, it's just exciting to see people take off. It's exciting to see, you know, thei
r
little avenues and, and it's, it's, it's in a warm and inviting industry. I can't say that was probably
the biggest surprise. Yeah, it's, it's incredibly welcome. Yes. Welcoming to everybody. So it's very much so I, I have
to stay in the sales world. My husband comes from a sales
engineering world in a sales world. I was very, it was
just, it fills my heart. Yeah. Well. Thank you all for tuning in as
well for today's TAC episode. I know that everyone has very,
very busy days and we appreciate
the time you spent with us today. So this is Q1's podcast and we
will be out with a Q2 podcast. Well, I can't tell you when,
but it will be sometime in Q2. So until then, thank you all. And thank you again, Judy. Thank you. Thank you so much and
have a good day everyone. Like today's show? We'd love it if you had time to
hop on over and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform, but
we also know you're busy people. So if you can't leave a
review today, that's okay. At least have some dark
chocolate or cookies for us. You can read a transcript, read
the show notes and watch a video of today's episode all in one place. Head on over to hostagencyreviews. com slash TAC and click on episode 28.
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