Written By: Scott Koepf, Vice President of Strategic Development – Cruise Planners
One of the most creative musicals I have ever seen was ‘City of Angels’. It is not produced often now due to some very complicated set pieces needed to meld a fictional story (in black and white) with real life (in color). Throughout the musical there is a tension between fantasy and reality that I think we can all understand but one song in particular could be heralded as the Travel Advisors Lament. In the show our leading lady is bemoaning her love life but as the lyrics below indicate it is easy to hear these words come from a travel advisor as she toils through another day:
If you need a gal to go without salary and work too hard
You can always count on me
Though my kind of game will die out like the dinosaurs
You can always count on me
Faithful and true as a Saint Bernard
I’m loyal to the Nth degree
You can always count on me!
Just like this character, we can create a self-fulfilling prophecy by what we believe and repeat. In other words if you believe that while you are loyal and true you will never make much money and that you are doomed to a life of poverty then it will come true! For years I have heard about how our industry needs more young people. No question that is true but how do we solve the problem. Well, to quote a cartoon character from long ago, “We have met the enemy, and it is us!”
Now I know I am generalizing but with the rare exception, when I am at trade shows and visiting advisors, the take away from the conversations is that being a travel agent is fraught with headaches, greatly unappreciated and severely underpaid. I challenge you to change your tune! When I do have a conversation with a travel advisor who loves what they do and is well paid I am reminded just how easily we could recruit the next generation. Unfortunately there are not enough positive agents singing the praises of this business so take this as a challenge to focus on the excitement and opportunity retail travel really has. Remember that fantasy can become reality through a positive attitude and diligent pursuit of the results you dream about.
If you nodded your head when you read the lyrics above I hope it was because of the loyalty you have and that your clients can indeed count on you. If you related more to the lack of salary and the same fate as the dinosaurs, you may need an attitude check and a whole new song to sing! There is no doubt that a great travel advisor is someone who can sing ‘you can always count on me’ but you need to know that you can provide loyalty and make a good living without fear of extinction. Actually your goal should be to get your clients to sing another song from this show back to you on a regular basis:
I’m nothing without you
Without you I lack what it takes
You are the singular person I need
With you by my side, there’s no better guide
Without you, I’m nothing at all