This article
originally appeared in the December issue of AGENTatHOME magazine. Subscribe
here to receive your free copy each month.
It’s time to start
shaking things up for the new year by listening even more closely to your
clients, harking back to your learning and roots, and pushing yourself to
travel outside your comfort zone.
Here are three
tips for travel advisors looking to broaden the scope of their luxury business
— because I firmly believe that if you’re not on the frontlines and testing out
the new experiences available in the world of luxury, you are leaving good
revenue on the table.
Walk on the Wild
Side
Do you stop
breathing at the thought of boarding a Zodiac for an Arctic excursion? Does the
concept of “barefoot luxury” in a thatched-roof hut below the equator give you
all the wrong vibes? Suck it up and push yourself to try the many experiences
your clients are asking you about. After facing your trepidation, you may
discover you have a passion for a new form of travel that you can’t wait to
tell your clients about.
Immerse
Yourself in Your Clients’ Lifestyles
I’m not talking
about joining the country club they all belong to, but rather understanding
where your clients live, what their homes look like and what their perceptions
of luxury are.
Invite a group of
your top customers for an intimate meal at the best restaurant in town so you
can listen to what they talk about in their more relaxed moments. Or, if your
clients are spread far apart across the world, invite them to a Zoom call to
get their take on where they all want to travel next year. Get them speaking to
one another so you can hear what they’re curious about, what they scoff at and
where they’re getting their travel inspiration from.
Get Back to
Basics
Make a vow to
attend one-on-one meetings with suppliers at industry conferences — even if
you’ve been in the travel business for decades. You knew it all at a certain
point, but with so much new product out there, there’s no way you’re up to
speed on all that’s available.
Take the meetings,
do the educational tracks, and sit in on workshops with new advisors so you can
understand what they’re hearing. You’ll learn more than you can imagine and,
odds are, you’ll be rethinking your business on the flight home.
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