The Shakespearean Blueprint for Becoming a Stellar Travel Advisor
Contributed By: Scott Koepf, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)– Cruise Planners
In this column I normally reference musical theatre as the metaphor for business lessons. This time I will take a more classical reference as we consider the extraordinary works of William Shakespeare for motivation. The Bard’s literary contributions are timeless works of art and they also provide three specific lessons about selling travel that I would like to share.
First of all, I love the fact that a compilation of Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets are normally referred to as the Complete Works of William Shakespeare. I have no doubt that the creation and fine-tuning of each and every manuscript required a tremendous amount of work. While there are many theories as to the authenticity of his penmanship, it cannot be disputed that the finished product was the result of hard labor. The first takeaway therefore is that we need to take the same approach with our businesses and devote ourselves to our craft at an extremely high level.
Using the title of this article (and what might be Shakespeare’s most famous line) as an example, we might be tempted to think that he just drafted that line on a whim. Even if it did come to him as a spark of revelation, after he wrote it down he most likely spent a tremendous amount of time crafting the surrounding context and placement of the text.
This leads me to the second lesson: the power of scripts for your interactions with clients. It is a common misconception that scripting greetings and responses will be a less personalized connection to our customers. I suggest that it is the opposite that will bring exceptional success. Every script penned by Shakespeare, and all other famous playwrights, no doubt went through numerous revisions and adjustments to ensure the right message and emotional content was in place when delivered. I highly recommend that travel agents do the same for in-person, phone, and e-mail communication. You may not create the next Macbeth or Hamlet, but you will have a much more effective approach to finding customers and closing sales with a well thought-out message.
The third and final lesson is found in how the script is interpreted and performed. For example, “To Be or Not To Be” has been delivered by thousands of actors each with their own interpretation. However, some are more believable than others. Successful, memorable, and impactful delivery is a combination of a brilliant script with the rehearsed communication of the words. If you think about watching any great play or movie you rarely reflect upon how much you loved the actual script, but instead you find yourself caught up in the story – in the compelling performance. Obviously this takes rehearsing beforehand!
In summary, with constant devotion to your business, well-crafted scripts, and multiple rehearsals to perfect your delivery, To Be or Not to Be…a Great Travel Advisor will no longer be debated.