This is the first episode of Wednesday Rant where I go on a lighthearted rant about what’s on my mind in the travel agent world. If you ever find yourself complaining that your clients don’t read, then this episode is for you.

I cover how to deal with imposter syndrome early on before you know everything you need to know. I give my top two pieces of advice for new travel agents, and I explain a few ways you can reduce the likelihood of your clients ghosting you.

In this episode, Tiffany Wade & Tami Campbell of Tailored Assistant Services explain how using their well-trained personal assistants for your travel agent business can help you manage your time more effectively. By delegating routine tasks and responsibilities, you can free up your own time and resources to focus on your most important tasks and projects; and how much could you grow your business if you only had to do your absolute most important tasks?

Stefany Jones, Director of Retail Affairs for Palladium Hotel Group, has 18 years of experience at prominent travel providers with a focus on account management, marketing and business development. We discuss the unique selling points for each different Palladium Hotel Group brand and resort including the Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre at the Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres, the Chic Cabaret experience in Costa Mujeres, Riviera Maya, and Punta Cana, and the open-ended promotion, “two kids 17 and under stay free in the Family Selection” of Grand Palladium properties. We also discuss the strategic partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, upcoming renovations and refurbishments, and how the Palladium Connect platform can help agents earn more from their bookings

In order to have a successful travel agency business, you have to be able to open, close, and scale. You have to open the opportunity, typically with a pitch explaining how you can solve your client’s problem. You have to close the sale, because the longer you wait, the more likely they’re going to fall off and take their business elsewhere; and you have to scale, because you can’t run your business the same way with 500 clients that you did with 5. This episode is a quick look at how you can improve at opening, closing, and scaling.

On this episode of the Modern Travel Agent Podcast, I sit down with Daniela Ocampo Morales and Stefany Jones of Palladium Hotel Group. Daniela is Regional Weddings Sr Manager América, and she has 15 years of experience in the wedding industry. Stefany is the Director of Retail Affairs, and she has 18 years of experience at prominent travel providers with a focus on account management, marketing and business development. We discuss destination weddings, including some of the top wedding venues at their properties. We discuss wedding trends and how agents can better sell destination weddings, and we discuss Palladium Hotel Group’s wedding optimizer which is a great tool that enables agents to check wedding availability online in real-time.

The first thing I tell every travel agent starting in this industry is, “It’s all about relationships,” and because this industry is all about relationships, it’s all about reputation. In this episode, I focus on how you can grow your reputation the right way, with your clients, with other agents, and with your suppliers and partners, so that you can take your business to the next level.

The most common challenge for travel agents and travel agency owners is getting new clients, and while there are a million different ways you can market your travel agency, the most consistent and proven method I’ve found is word of mouth. It’s all about giving your clients a great experience, and then having them refer their friends and family to you. In this episode, I’m going to share a three step process you can implement to increase the number of referrals you receive for your travel agency business.

For those of you who struggle to set boundaries with your clients, I’m going to share some simple ways for you to frame your boundaries to your clients, which will make it easier for you to do and make it less likely that they’ll try to bulldoze. I’m also going to share some examples of specific situations where you might find yourself setting boundaries like work hours, availability, or number of destinations and resort options that you send, so that you can apply these strategies directly to your process.

Communication is everything, and using the “Show & Tell” Method of Communication is a great way to insure your clients can envision your product and service in a tangible way and understand why each component is relevant specifically to them. I discuss the “Show & Tell” Method of Communication and how you can use it to help grow your business on Episode 15 of the Modern Travel Agent Podcast.

If you’re interested in a simple system that will help you improve your process and save you time, then this is going to be a great episode for you. Every agent wants more time, but when you’re in the whirlwind of replying to emails, returning calls, making reservations, and dealing with travel emergencies, it’s hard to set aside the time needed to look at your process and figure out ways to improve it. That is why this system is so helpful, because it works whether you have 20 minutes or several hours.

One of the most challenging parts of being a travel agent is de-escalating negative situations with unhappy clients. After 12 years in the industry, I’ve interacted with a lot of clients, some of which were unhappy, to put it mildly, and I feel like I’ve learned a ton throughout this process on what works and what doesn’t work, so on this episode, I’m going to share with you some of the tips I learned on how to de-escalate negative situations with unhappy clients.

On this episode, we speak with Nuit Hernandez who is a Director of Sales with Marival Resorts. We discuss the region of Puerto Vallarta, the importance of agent education, of qualifying clients and putting them first, and keeping perspective during difficult times.

On this episode we speak with Todd Kirlik who is a Senior Director with Sunwing Travel Group. Sunwing Travel Group is a 17,000 employee vertically integrated travel company with brands at the level of tour operator, airline, hotel, destination management, and retail.

We interview Luke Majewski who is the Business Development Manager for AIC Hotel Group. Luke shares his insights on how agents can maximize their social media and referral programs to drive new business.

We interview Mary Jo Salas who is the Central Southwest Business Development Manager for AM Resorts. Mary Jo shares what she believes the most successful travel agencies are doing differently and she gives her advice on how travel agencies can set their agents up for success. 

An introduction to podcast hosts and brothers, Chris & Tim, as they discuss the importance of travel agents and the lessons they’ve learned over the past 14 years of running a successful travel business.