Unleashing Your Inner Magic: How to Shine as a Travel Advisor
Contributed By: Scott Koepf, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)– Cruise Planners
Pippin is a musical that revolves around a young man trying to find his purpose in life. It reminds me of the effort that travel advisors have to go through to establish their value to consumers. You may know that you can have a huge impact on a customer’s purchase and their travel experience, but until you prove it, customers are not aware of the benefits of your brilliance!
Since your services are not yet known by your soon-to-be adoring audience, you need to let them know what is in store for them. The opening number of “Magic to Do” in Pippin does the same thing by preparing the audience for what they are about to experience: “We’ve got Magic to do just for you”
You also ‘got Magic to do’, so don’t be shy about singing about it right away. You must believe in your heart that you do indeed provide magic. Spend some time drafting exactly how you will provide magic on a personalized basis for each customer just like the song says: “Magic to do – Just for YOU!”
The key to providing magic is the confidence in your abilities, and having the above noted list of what you will be ‘performing’ for your customers that make them exclaim in awe of your skills. Just like Pippin, you need to find the unique place in the marketplace where you know you will shine, or as Pippin sings in another famous song from the show:
Every man has his daydreams
Every man has his goal
People like the way dreams have
Of sticking to the soul
Thunderclouds have their lightning
Nightingales have their song
And don’t you see I want my life to be
Something more than long….
Rivers belong where they can ramble
Eagles belong where they can fly
I’ve got to be where my spirit can run free
Got to find my corner of the sky
The lyrics are a perfect description of the process every entrepreneur needs to go through to create their story. Do you want your life to have an impact and to help people experience their dream vacations? To have a life of impact you have to ‘find your corner of the sky’. In other words, you need to determine what makes you different and how to communicate that to all potential customers. Let your ‘spirit run free’ and your personality shine, and then create a unique sales proposition that will make your story enchanting!
The real secret to a life well lived and to being a travel advisor who provides extraordinary value is made clear at the end of the show when Pippin learns that he (just like you) is extraordinary! As the lyrics so eloquently describe: spread your sunshine by pitching in and doing what is right and you will be closer to your heart’s desire by living your life in superlatives and doing extraordinary things!
Now I’ve learned if I just pitch in and do what’s right
Things will always work out
And if we all could spread a little sunshine
All could light a little fire
We all would be a little closer
To our heart’s desire
I’ve got to be someone who lives
All of his life in superlatives
When you’re extraordinary
You gotta do extraordinary things
Get ready to create your story because…you got magic to do!