From Agent to Entrepreneur, Your Path to Success
by Maria LenhartWhether you are an agency owner, agency employee or independent contractor, you need to view yourself first and foremost as a travel entrepreneur.
This is the message consultant Cory Andrichuk, president of brandU Coaching Inc., had for agents attending his workshop on selling skills at the Ensemble Travel Group’s conference in Las Vegas last month.
“You must be an entrepreneur, even if you are on salary. You never know when that salary could end,” Andrichuk said.
“You are the product you are selling. Before your clients are buying Globus or Royal Caribbean, they are buying you.”
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Entrepreneurs made, not born
Andrichuk challenged the audience to rethink common misconceptions about what it means to be an entrepreneur.
“People think you have to be born to be an entrepreneur, but that’s not so – you can adapt,” he said. “It also doesn’t mean you have to be a big risk taker. Most entrepreneurs take a calculated approach.”
Change of mindset
What entrepreneurship does require is a change of mindset, he said. “You need a new outlook for a new outcome.”
Taking on this new mindset begins with self-examination, according to Andrichuk. Among the questions agents need to ask themselves:
• What are your core beliefs and values? (Andrichuk asked the audience to write down three to five words that best describe their characteristics).
• How do you feel about your sales and marketing techniques?
• Do you embrace technology or dread it?
• How do you feel about your customers?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• Can you work from home?
• What is non-negotiable for you?
Mental obstacles
Andrichuk then posed a series of questions designed to challenge agents to consider obstacles that get in the way of achieving an entrepreneurial mindset:
• What beliefs do you have that prevent you from doing what you want to do?
• What do you procrastinate on that prevents you from doing what you should? For example, are you calling clients when they get back from their trip?
• Are you doing what you should to feel good physically, including such basics as getting enough sleep and keeping hydrated?
• What are doing that works against yourself?
• How do you present yourself to the world?
Pathway to entrepreneurship
Andrichuk outlined steps that travel professionals can take to become travel entrepreneurs. They include:
Visualize yourself as an entrepreneur. “Visualization is the ability to use your brain to form a mental image of something not present in your sight. Form a vision of people buying your tours, your experiences. One means to develop a vision is to go to visionboardsite.com and create a vision board.” INSERT LINK
Write up a business plan. “A business plan is a working outlining of strategies you will implement. It can be just one page.” Why do you need one? Eighty percent of enterprises that do not have a business plan fail, according to Andrichuk.
Set realistic goals and write them down. “Goals should be measurable, attainable and timely. For example, you can set a goal of achieving your MCC certification by December, or to learn one new destination per month, or make at least one Facebook posting daily.”
Be willing to take calculated risks. “Are you willing to take risks to pursue groups, which is where the profits are? Are you willing to take space out on spec for groups?”
Be easy to do business with. “Consistent contact information is very important. Your customers must know how to reach you. Your website home page should have your telephone number on it. Your Facebook address should be on your business card.
Establish your value. “Do you charge a fee for your services? Do you position yourself as a professional? Are you accredited?”
Take time for ongoing learning. “Read the really good business books out there – there’s a lot to learn from other entrepreneurs.”
Be reliable. “Do you return calls promptly? Do you call your clients when they get back from a trip?”
Believe in yourself. “What we believe, we will achieve. Affirm that I am accountable, I am a visionary, I am open to new concepts, I am in tune with the needs of my customers, I understand the psychology of people, I try always to maintain a positive attitude.”
