Educating The Next Travel Agent Generation

Lisa Fletcher has seen her industry and her profession change dramatically in the 30-plus years she has worked in the industry, including the last six owning her own travel agency.

 

She has held positions in the wholesale, retail, corporate, leisure and training sectors. Most recently, as owner of Signature Escapes by Lisa, she focused on Europe, the South Pacific and Hawaii. In 2010, she started group business coaching for the Global Institute for Travel Entrepreneurs (GIFTE), “to help me take my travel business to the next level, although I had no clear vision what that next level actually was,” she said.

 

One of the modules in the program is designed to help travel professionals find their own unique “brilliance” or “why” for their business, so they can better craft a clear message and make their marketing efforts more focused and efficient.  “I discovered my ‘brilliance’ was in the nurturing/teaching/coaching/education field,” Fletcher said. “Who knew?  So, I continued to educate and inspire my Hawaii and European vacation clients with lots of cultural information and over-the-top customer service, thinking that would be a good use for my brilliance.”

 

For the past three years, Fletcher has served as a mentor in Gifted Travel Network’s Travel MBA Program. Beginning June 1, she becomes director of education and training.

 

“I certainly feel bittersweet about closing down my beloved Signature Escapes,” she said, but “I feel like it is a very natural progression for me and enables me to be of service to even more travel professionals.

 

In her new role, Fletcher said she hopes to “use my past to help create a powerful and positive future for the new travel experts out there. My goal is to make it as effortless as possible for agents to have access to the resources they need – training, connection with supplier partners, innovative marketing ideas, and to see the number of wildly successful travel professionals to grow exponentially.”

 

Travel Market Report asked Fletcher about what skills and expertise are critical to the future success of travel agents.

 

1. What do you think are the most beneficial areas of knowledge and expertise an agent should be focused on to meet the demands of today’s consumer?
Today’s travel consumer doesn’t need a traditional travel “agent.”  What they crave is a true travel “expert” who can help them navigate the crazy world of the internet and online booking engines by providing excellent product knowledge and crazy good customer service the whole way through the inquiry/booking/travel/follow-up process. The best way to claim expert status in this industry is to choose a niche or specialty that reflects the travel professional’s passion and knowledge.  And that doesn’t mean you have to focus on only one destination, or know everything about your “specialty.”  Once you figure out your own “brilliance,” it is much easier to identify who needs that…and your target market becomes more clear.  And that makes marketing and advertising so much more magnetic and efficient.  I think the biggest focus for new agents (once their business marketing foundations and branding are defined) needs to be list building first…and consistent relationship building second.  You can have all the product knowledge in the world, but if you have no prospects or clients to sell to, it does you absolutely no good!

 

2. What soft skills are the most important?
I think the #1 important soft skill is the ability to be a Great Communicator…and it’s more important to be a good listener than a good speaker.  Really listening to a client’s likes, dislikes and travel dreams can make the difference between delivering a so-so vacation and a knock-their-socks-off travel adventure. #2 on the list is probably Adaptability.  This crazy industry that we all love is constantly changing and we need to be able to keep up with the times.  Just think about all the road bumps in the past year – Zika, political unrest, terrorism, AirBnB, airline and other travel company mergers and acquisitions. We have to stay informed and on top of things to make sure our clients are receiving the best possible service and that our business is continuing to move forward and not becoming stagnant.  I would give the #3 soft skill slot to Organizational skills.  Seriously, the ability to establish great Time Management policies is vital in an industry where multi-tasking is always required.  Establishing (and continuously tweaking) an organized calendar that allots the right amount of time to marketing, list building, client care, education, back office needs and, of course, personal time so your home, health and family life don’t suffer is absolutely necessary for long term success.

 

3. Who was the greatest mentor/teacher during your career? What did they teach you that was so important? How did that knowledge help your travel agent career?
Boy, that is a tough one to narrow down to one person.  I’m going to cheat and choose the three amazing women who envisioned and created GIFTE and the Gifted Travel Network – Meredith Hill, Vanessa McGovern and Jennifer Cochrane.  They each have totally different skill sets, approaches and knowledge, but they have proven to me that together, we can do anything we have the passion for and that it doesn’t even have to be that hard!  Sure, you need to have a vision and take the necessary steps to make things happen, but when we are in complete alignment with our purpose, we can make decisions from a place of inspiration and not desperation.  Your career should be exciting, challenging and fun. I’m sure many of your readers hear co-workers complaining constantly about nightmare clients, price matching, long hold times and lack of ideal clients….stop it! We are fortunate to work in the best industry in the world and we all need to recognize that and enjoy ourselves….Wear the sparkly shoes!