Success Stories focus on veteran travel advisors and how they achieved success. Here’s a look James Berglie, president of Fallston, Md.-based Be All Inclusive.
How did you get your start as a travel advisor?
I graduated from college and bounced around in a few ‘traditional’ jobs before jumping out on my own as a full-time photographer. I photographed weddings, corporate events, major sporting events, politics and celebrities. While I had a job everyone seemed to wish they had, my heart really was in travel, so I started up a travel agency!
I was at a unique advantage as an industry outsider who saw things with a fresh set of eyes. Initially, I became an advisor as a way to offer another service for local wedding couples who I photographed – and needed to book honeymoons!
Then I decided to combine photography and travel, and I started offering my photography services to destination weddings clients. For about eight years, I traveled with and photographed destination weddings once a month and was able to really learn a lot about the resorts and substantially grow my sales.
How did you build your business over the years?
Slowly! I spent my early years looking for things I could do better and more efficiently. I focused on processes and efficiencies. I found ways to make things easier not only on my end but the customer as well. The ‘customer first’ mentality is what grew my sales. In in 2020 we used that time to really slingshot our business forward, adding team members.
The niche was easy, having been involved in weddings basically since the day I graduated from college. It was only fitting that I move into destination weddings where my true passion was anyway.
What characteristic make you a successful advisor?
What makes a successful advisor is their ability to connect with their clients. From day one, many of our clients have become our friends. I don’t have a 15-minute phone call, I often have a one- to two-hour chat with clients on the first call to learn about them, connect with them and really dive into what their vision is so I can then offer my expertise and help guide them through the process.
I’m honest them in my assessments of the good and the bad regarding resorts they may be considering, and group incentives that are good and group incentives that are fluff that no one will use. Rather than being ‘salesy’ with them I just guide them. What I do is not something a computer can do, and it’s not something someone without experience can do.
What have been your greatest challenges been?
2020. I know many business owners might say 2020 was proof of their resilience, but you will be hard pressed to convince me that any other industry had it harder than the travel industry. We had just ‘gone on our own,’ leaving another brokerage and starting our own brokerage agency in January 2020 and we were excited for what was on the books for our best year ever.
That all came to a screeching halt in March 2020 when COVID hit and our income went to zero. Clients wanted their money back, but many hotel contracts didn’t allow for refunds, but only a change in date The misinformation and panic out there was immense and let’s just say the worst came out in people, and we were often at the receiving end of that.
For a long time, we were working 80 hour weeks, not making any money and not knowing when or if we ever would make money again. We were lucky enough to have some groups start traveling again in July 2020, and they slowly increased month by month thereafter. But income-wise we were still making very little for the amount of work we had to put in.
We continued to plug away and grow the team – and we never stopped selling. We were preparing for the surge of travel that we hoped would come in the aftermath of the pandemic, and boy did it. From 2020 to now, we grew from one agent to 10 and increased sales [monumentally.]
What have your greatest accomplishments been?
I've got a wall full of awards from suppliers, which is great – but there is nothing I view as more of an accomplishment than my team. Ninety percent of them are industry outsiders who never had any experience in travel. Finding those who have a passion for travel and helping them every step of the way to becoming successful is my biggest accomplishment!
What tips can you provide advisors new to the industry?
It’s all about process and efficiency! Many advisors burn out when they hit high sales levels, but if you want to grow and maintain a balance in life your processes are going to be paramount. Constantly be looking for ways to make things more efficient and for changes to your processes to make things work smoother. The travel landscape is constantly changing and you need to be adaptable.
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