Small Steps, Big Impact: Professional Growth for Time-Strapped Advisors
In the fast-moving world of travel, where clients’ needs and booking deadlines dominate the daily agenda for travel advisors, it can be easy to put professional growth and business development on the back burner. But successful advisors say that setting aside time to invest in themselves and their businesses is exactly what helps them stay ahead of the curve and thriving in a competitive landscape.
Here are tips on how to fit professional development—like deepening destination knowledge, sharpening sales skills, or building relationships with suppliers and peers—into a jam-packed schedule. Follow these steps to begin future-proofing your travel business.
Block Out Time
Travel advisors can start by blocking off dedicated time each week or month for growth-focused activities. That might mean setting aside a quiet hour on Friday afternoons to complete supplier trainings, scheduling one virtual networking event a month, or planning quarterly check-ins with a business coach or mentor. Treating these activities as non-negotiable appointments—just like client calls—can help shift them from “nice to do” to “must do.”
Break It Down
Joshua Martinez, co-owner, Enchanted Honeymoons, has a proven system in place to support the many outside agents that are part of his agency. He meets with his agents monthly on a one-to-one basis in one-hour sessions to figure out what it is that they want to improve on. They talk about what they want to focus on, what their overall goals are, what they want to achieve. And then they take those goals and break them down into a monthly, weekly, and daily schedule. They determine what is important and then set priorities to enhance each category.
Since processes like these are the cornerstone of professional development, let’s dive in a bit further. Martinez explains: “From a management perspective, I feel that so many people just go with the flow, they say, ‘I’d love to sell this amount this month,’ or ‘I’d love to attain this one day.’ But you have to ask, if you want to attain that, what type of skills do you have to develop? Or what do you need to do on a day-to-day basis to be able to attain that? Let’s look at your numbers, ok you have a 32% close percentage, and that means you have to talk to x amount of people every single day in order to hit those goals.
“Break it down day by day from a numbers perspective or a thought-provoking perspective, and then determine how you’ll get there. Set goals and then act upon them. You can’t grow unless you’re willing to take the steps. And it all starts now.”
Take Inventory
If this sounds overwhelming to those who might be struggling to find the time or energy to implement professional development initiatives, they may need to step back and first take an inventory of their time.
Advisors can start tracking what they do on a daily basis, noting how much time they spend on each task category, and then evaluate their findings to see where they can implement more actions, or cut things out, or be more effective in specific categories to free up more time.
This is also an area where AI can help. AI applications are quickly becoming valuable time-saving tools for travel advisors, automating routine tasks and streamlining day-to-day operations. From drafting marketing emails and social media posts to generating client-facing itineraries and responding to common inquiries, AI-powered tools can handle the busywork—freeing up advisors to focus on sales and service…and engage in more professional development activities that further build their businesses.
Layer Learning
Another strategy for achieving a heightened sense of professional development is to integrate learning into the daily workflow. Think of it as ‘layering learning,’ meaning incorporating diverse educational formats like podcasts, webinars, and micro-certifications into the workday.
For example, listening to industry podcasts during commutes or while handling admin tasks can keep advisors current without adding time to the calendar. Similarly, attending one live webinar a week—or even joining small-group mastermind sessions—can provide fresh ideas and accountability, especially when working independently.
On-demand learning provides flexible resources that can be accessed anytime—from a lunch break to late at night. Advisors can fit professional development into their day when it works for them, allowing continuous growth without sacrificing client service. This just-in-time learning model helps advisors stay informed, earn certifications, and build expertise on their own terms.
Maximize FAMs
While participating in FAMs around the world is certainly a perk for travel advisors, it also serves a critical role in expanding one’s travel base of knowledge. So we ask, how can advisors maximize FAM trip experiences, transforming them beyond mere familiarization exercises into tangible opportunities for niche expertise, content creation, and reputation building?
For Marci Jennings, owner and travel advisor, Design Your Vacation, “The form of professional development that has made the most impact in my personal business and leading my company is FAM trips. We have found significant results measuring data post-FAM at the 90-day and six-month mark that we don’t see with other forms of learning. I believe confidence is the most important factor for success of an advisor, and have found that immersing myself and my agents in a destination that we intend to market pays significant dividends as they see, feel, and taste the experience firsthand.
With the seemingly unlimited number of FAMs being offered, the next step is to decide which ones to attend. Jennings offers this advice: “Start with one FAM trip to a destination that you want to increase sales in. Make sure to vet who is leading the FAM, what the agenda is to make sure it aligns with your growth goals, and then immerse yourself with the experience when you are there to maximize the opportunity.
“Be strategic on what opportunity you say ‘yes’ to when your time is limited. Sometimes you have to let go of many good opportunities to choose the great one that better aligns for you. Also, what aligns with you may be very different than others at your agency or your favorite work travel companion…only say ‘yes’ to the options that are best for YOU!”
Find a Niche
Having a niche is one of the most effective professional development strategies a travel advisor can pursue. Specializing in a certain type of travel—whether it’s luxury cruises, wellness retreats, multigenerational vacations, accessible travel, or just about anything an advisor can dream up—allows them to build a depth of expertise, differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace, and attract clients who value their insider knowledge.
A well-defined niche not only streamlines marketing efforts and increases credibility, but it also fosters stronger supplier relationships and better commission opportunities. By focusing their learning, content creation, and networking around a specific area, advisors can become go-to experts in that space, resulting in more referrals, higher client satisfaction, and long-term business growth.
And this leads to the question of just how does one go about finding their niche?
“Figure out what’s most exciting to you,” Martinez suggests. “I always train agents in the beginning on all-inclusive because that’s where the majority of [our clients] want to go. But from there, over time, you’ll figure out what’s most exciting to you. We have one agent who is really into yoga and spa and self-help and the spiritual aspect of all that, so that’s become what she’s focused on and has transitioned her business to, and she has more passion for it just because it’s something that she enjoys.
“At the beginning, don’t overcomplicate it. Just learn the basics, learn how the industry works. And then as you learn and as you grow, you’ll find things that are most impactful to you that you can eventually transition into.”
Relish Those Relationships
For as long as people have done business with other people, networking and relationship-building have been squarely in place. These types of interactions of course boost sales, but they also create a ripple effect that fuels referrals and knowledge sharing.
Trusted connections with fellow advisors and suppliers often lead to client referrals, especially when someone is looking for an expert in a niche area. At the same time, these relationships provide a steady stream of insider insights, destination updates, and problem-solving support that is not always found in formal training programs. By staying connected, advisors not only grow their businesses, but also stay informed and inspired.
“Referrals as such a huge part of the business,” says Martinez. “If you had no money for marketing, if you couldn’t do any social media posts, and you had no connections, referrals should be your always go-to. It should be your base of how you grow your clients, how you expand your business.”
He also points out the importance of relationship-building with industry partners, namely hotels, tour operators, and DMCs. So if an issue arises, you can just text or call someone there on the ground for help. “This whole business is about relationships,” he says.
Invest in Yourself
Ultimately, successful advisors recognize that investing time in themselves pays dividends for their clients and their business. By being intentional about scheduling and seeking out learning and networking opportunities that align with their goals, they can keep building the expertise and confidence that today’s travelers expect.
FROM THE SPONSOR:
ALG Vacations® champions travel advisors’ growth through robust education and innovative tools designed to unlock greater business potential. ALGVPro provides in-depth, product-focused training with real-world sales applications. Program modules cover pre/post cruise packages, Exclusive Nonstop Vacation Flights (ENVFs), and more, ensuring advisors are equipped to meet evolving client demands. Advisors can also stay informed with live and on-demand webinars and access a comprehensive Self-Help Library for quick problem solving to maximize efficiency. ALG Vacations is dedicated to your success, providing the resources to continuously build expertise and confidence. To learn more about tools and latest news, follow ALGV on Facebook and LinkedIn. Don’t forget to connect with your BDM, part of the largest U.S.-based sales team, to be made aware of in-person events, trainings, and FAMs.
