Navigating the Spotlight for Success as a Travel Advisor
Contributed By: Scott Koepf, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)– Cruise Planners
One of the most revolutionary musicals to hit the stage was A Chorus Line which delved into the fiercely competitive world of trying to make it into a Broadway show. Consumers who want to buy travel are also auditioning travel advisors so our approach and emotions will be quite similar. The show starts with the plea that many travel advisors may sing to themselves as they try to convince a customer to use their services:
God, I hope I get it.
I hope I get it.
How many cabins does he need?
How many reservations does she need?
God, I hope I get it.
I hope I get it.
I really need this job.
Please God, I need this job.
I’ve got to get this job.
Although the actors auditioning get to see who they are up against, in selling travel you can’t see your competitors. Yet, you know who they are: is the consumer going direct, buying online or using a different advisor? You also know what you need to convey to make yourself stand out and get the part. Just like the aspiring stars auditioning for A Chorus Line, getting the ‘job’ will not be based on just one thing. In theater it is now considered a requirement to be a triple threat. You need to sing, dance and act with equal skill to even be considered for a part in a Broadway musical.
That is the case in selling travel too, although it may be more than three skills you need to master! Look at the full sales process and add in marketing and promotion and there are many steps to making a sale that need to be mastered. It is imperative to study and practice and script out what will make you have the ‘it factor’ and stand out among the competitors. Knowing that there is a process and what the steps are is only the start.
To make it in theater there is an expectation that you have been studying dance, voice and acting with extraordinary dedication, and travel advisors need to make the same commitment to the skills that will make them successful. If not, you may end up singing a different chorus from the song:
God, I really blew it!
I really blew it!
How could I do a thing like that?
Now I’ll never make it!
I’ll never make it!
We all have to deal with that negative self-talk but the more preparation you do to master your craft, the less you will doubt your ability to land the role of being a star in the consumers’ travel show. So put in the time and effort to break down the sales process and put your spin on each step. If you do, then I ask you to sing the lyrics of another song from this show:
I can do that,
I can do that.
I can do this.
That I can do!
I can do that.
