John McMahon
John McMahon

 

Over the years whenever I speak with many of you and I ask, “Where have you been lately?” the most popular answer I get to hear is “I am too busy to travel.”

Now that’s both good and bad. Good that you are making money, bad that you’re not experiencing the product that you are selling.

However, this is changing and you all need to adapt to this new way of doing business. I call it “Advisor on Location.” Some of you are already on board and practicing this, so good for you. I discovered this new breed of agents as I made it my goal to connect with advisors through my social media channels.

As I observed my new-found advisor friends, I saw many of them constantly traveling and I wondered how they get any work done. I talked to a few and they all said the same thing—the destinations and cruises they sell are their office; technology has enabled them to transact and communicate remotely. Social media gives them instant marketing tools to communicate to clients on location.

From a client’s perspective they are buying from a world travel advisor that personally experiences all recommendations firsthand. The advisor goes into market posts and tweets on-location experiences, and e-mails bounce back with requests to price out a similar experience. Now that’s an amazing feeling—to be on vacation and making money.

Build Your Network

The key to this success is to build your media network as mentioned previously—you all are publishers and reporters. You cannot survive on walk-in customers and be an order-taker; that has no value. You need to boast about your knowledge and firsthand experiences. Those who make this move and go beyond being just travel agents are true travel advisors. So set yourself free from that desk and go see the world. Isn’t that why you got into this business in the first place?

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