How to Improve Travel Agent Business Skills Post Prep for Wave Week –  Episode 37

Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

If you’re wondering how to improve travel agent business results and actually move the needle forward, you’re in the right place.

I just wrapped up the inaugural Prep for Wave Week, and wow, the feedback has been incredible.

But more than that, putting this event together reminded me of some foundational truths about running a successful travel agency that I think we all need to hear again.

I’ve been a travel advisor for over 10 years, and I’m navigating this winding road of entrepreneurship right alongside you.

I created Prep for Wave Week because I wanted to share the things I’ve learned from leaders both in and out of our industry that I really wish I would have known way back then.

And in preparing for this event, I had to get crystal clear on what actually works when it comes to client attraction, positioning yourself as an expert, and building a travel business that doesn’t just survive, but thrives.

So let me share the proven strategies that helped me create an event that delivered massive value and positioned me (and can position you) as the go-to expert in your niche.

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How to Improve Travel Agent Business Skills: Know Your Ideal Client Inside and Out

This is where everything starts.

I created topics for Prep for Wave Week that I knew you as fellow travel advisors were going to be interested in hearing about.

And how did I know that?

Because I know travel advisors very well *wink wink*, as I myself have been a travel advisor since 2010.

I know the things that I would have loved to have heard about way back when, and I know the pain points too.

Your ideal client is usually someone who is very much like you.

For me, with my niche being cruise retreats (helping business owners), I had to think about what topics I, as a business owner, would like to hear about to connect with someone who could potentially help my business. 

Make sense? 

Very meta, I know. 

And that’s where working with a brand astrologer (affiliate link) became a game-changer.

Based on my birth chart, she identified my ideal clients as Cancer and Leo personalities.

Team leaders or business owners who want to take care of their teams and audience but just don’t know how.

That’s where my Capricorn Rising strategy comes in.

My ideal clients also want to be the star of the show and look amazing to their teams and clients, and that’s exactly what I do through my cruise retreats.

I knew this instinctively, but I couldn’t articulate it.

The astrologer gave me the framework to better understand and communicate who I serve.

And that clarity?

That’s what makes all the difference in your content, your messaging, and your client attraction.

So let me ask you: who is your ideal client? If you work B2C with consumers rather than other business owners like I do with my B2B model, think about this differently. What do moms need to hear about traveling right now? What do wedding planners need to know when they’re working with their clients and you’re bridging that gap? What do retirees need to know about travel right now?

And if you’re working with luxury travel clients, they probably don’t want to manage anything.

They want you to take care of all the details for them.

So how are you going to prove yourself?

How are you going to show that you’re more than capable to handle the details for them, especially when you’re talking about client attraction?

Listen to the episode on YouTube

Understanding the Core Messages for Different Client Types

There are different types of content you can put out there for people at different stages.

For me personally, with my niche, I have to educate and train a lot of people to understand that retreats don’t have to be on land.

They don’t have to be in a retreat center or a hotel.

Cruise retreats are a real, viable option.

What are those nuances in your own niche that you have to train people to break free from or start thinking differently about?

A lot of the things we talked about at Prep for Wave Week were very foundational so that you can set the stage to be successful in another way.

These business fundamentals matter because without them, you’re building on shaky ground.

Do a case study analysis even as yourself or like one of your top clients.

Who are they?

What do they love to do?

What questions do they normally ask about?

What do they find of value every time?

Like when they say “thank you so much for helping us plan X, Y and Z; it was so much easier,” what are those things-focus on them.

If you’ve written or posted content in the past, what are the things that have really engaged your audience? Hone in on that and find some way to repurpose it. Knowing your clients inside and out will help you become more effective at content creation. This will also help keep them in your atmosphere.

And remember that rule of repetition.

People need to hear things over and over again.

Maybe you’ve done something as a social media post.

Convert it to a blog post, a short video, a long video, or an email article.

There are just so many ways that you can use the content you have already without having to invest more time reinventing the wheel.

In my own agency, I repurposed email content into blog and podcast episodes, so that I wouldn’t have to start from square one each week.

While I didn’t initially repurpose podcast content in this business (Take the Helm), this blog post you’re reading is a great example of how I’m doing that now.

I have nearly 5 years of really great content that I’ve built up, and I’m thinking about how to break stuff down even more.

Provide Incredible Free Value (And Watch What Happens)

Not to toot my own horn, but I provided so much free value at Prep for Wave Week. 

A lot of that came from me being mindful of the speakers that joined the event and really thinking through the questions I was going to ask them.

I made sure they weren’t going to be pie in the sky questions, but getting down to the nitty gritty.

And this goes back to the fact that I am, in a sense, my ideal client.

I am a travel advisor looking for those answers, and I know I’m not the only one who’s going to have those questions.

When you think about your ideal client, what questions do you think they have?

You might think they’re silly, but get to the core. It could be like some sort of packing hack.

Or did you know that you should visit Timbuktu in July instead of December (not sure if this is actually the case, but it’s just another example)?

Whatever these nuances are, potential clients really need to know, and they’re YEARNING to.

You just have to pour into these leads.

Once you have invested in your clients and your potential clients, they are going to give so much more back to you.

I feel this so passionately as someone who is people-first.

For example, I provided so much value on the Cruise Retreat Podcast while it was live.

One of my retreat clients knew exactly how I worked based on the information I shared there, so it was easy for her to become a client of mine.

She didn’t need convincing because I had already shown her my process, values, and expertise.

What are your core values?

How can you relay those back and provide super value?

I’m not saying you have to give your top hidden secrets, but give enough that it’s more than something that’s Google-able. 

How to Improve Travel Agent Business Relationships 

Relationships are critical.

If I had not made so many amazing relationships with the speakers, they would not have come on to support me in this event.

They would not have come on and supported you with this event.

For the speakers, this event was good promo for them, but it also showed their expertise and provided so much value for everybody all around.

But I could not have done it had I not had those relationships already built.

Shanel Knight, formerly of Norwegian Cruise Line, was one of my first really close supplier partnerships when I first started this business 11 years ago.

I had a group cruise idea, and she let me fly with it.

She was my contact with the cruise line to make that idea come to life, and anytime I had an idea for an activity or experience, she was quick to bring it back to the cruise line team to see how we could make it work.

Unfortunately, that client ended up ghosting me.

But the relationship with Shanel?

That flourished.

She no longer works closely with my host agency.

She has a different territory because she also works with a different company now.

But because of that foundation years ago, I could come up to her and be like, “I really want to have your voice here at Prep for Wave Week.” And she said yes.

That’s the power of investing in the right relationships, even when the immediate project doesn’t work out.

So who are those relationships that you can cultivate that can help your business?

Maybe you want to do something similar like a summit and partner with different travel advisors who specialize in a different niche to help lift and promote travel in your local community.

That’s actually something I had wanted to do, but the plans faltered.

Still, it’s a great idea.

What relationships can you really cultivate that will be beneficial and helpful to you?

Is it podcasters or bloggers in your ideal niche?

Do you want to do Facebook lives or Instagram lives with someone who is complementary to you?

Let me give you an example.

If you work with families, find someone who helps parents with productivity, especially if they have multiple children. Or someone who helps families stay on budget when they have multiple children. You have to start thinking creatively about what’s going to be a complementary service to you that is going to be beneficial for both audiences to listen to.

A couple weeks ago for Hispanic Heritage Month, I featured somebody who was very complementary to what I offer.

I knew they had access to people who might be my ideal clients.

So I raised them up on my Instagram platform, which technically also raised me up on their platform.

These types of collaborations position you as an expert.

A lot of the people that I know, both in the travel industry and outside the industry, are because of collaborations like this.

I’ve seen them on other people’s audiences.

So what are you going to do to position yourself to also get on other people’s audiences?

You may have friends who are business owners that complement what you do in your travel agency.

You may even already be working with other business owners.

But I think this would be a really amazing sweet spot to get yourself to the next level and position yourself as the expert for family travel, luxury travel, or whatever your niche is.

What Makes a Quality Travel Advisor: Putting It All Together

What are the qualities of a travel agent who succeeds in this industry vs one who might not?

You really need to know your ideal clients inside and out

Do that case study analysis.

Who are they?

What do they love to do?

What questions do they normally ask about?

What do they find of value every time?

If you’ve written content in the past or posted content in the past, what are the things that have really engaged your audience?

Hone in on that and find some way to repurpose it.

Knowing your clients inside and out will help you become more effective at the content that you put out for them, so you’re still always connecting with them.

And remember that rule of repetition. People need to hear things more than a few times.

Offer incredible value

Pour into your potential clients.

Give them more than what they can find online or through AI.

Show them your expertise, process, and values. When you invest in your clients and potential clients, they tend to give so much more back to you.

Build relationships

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha. 

Relationships, relationships, relationships.

Start making them 🙂

Anticipate nothing in return.

Start with collaborating and maybe giving them a platform first.

This cultivating of the relationship really does take time and you don’t know where it could lead, especially in the beginning.

The Life of a Travel Agent Who Implements These Strategies

These aren’t just tips to tuck away for someday.

These are the core functions of a travel agency owner that wants to grow.

Whether you’re just starting a travel agency from home or you’re looking at how to run a travel agency successfully after years in the business, these fundamentals don’t change.

The objectives of travel agency success haven’t shifted just because we have new marketing tools or social media platforms. Yes, your online presence matters. Yes, understanding travel trends and having an ultimate guide to your destination or niche helps. But at the core, travel agent sales tips always come back to knowing your client, providing value, and building relationships.

Free travel agent training like Prep for Wave Week helps to further break down these strategies or business trends, so that you don’t always have to start from square one either. 

It’s like the fast pass in travel agent education and you can be assured that every year, I’ll just be growing this event better and better.

So as you think about how to get clients as a travel agent or even how to be the best travel agent in your niche, start here.

Take inventory of who your ideal client really is.

Get specific.

Get detailed.

If you need to, work with someone who can help you articulate what you already know instinctively.

Audit the value you’re providing.

Are you giving enough that people can really understand how you work, what you offer, and why you’re different?

Or are you holding back too much?

Map out your relationship strategy.

Who can you collaborate with?

Who complements your services?

Where can you add value to someone else’s audience while bringing value to your own?

And then implement.

One step at a time.

One piece of content.

One collaboration.

One deeper dive into understanding your client.

The best travel agent business doesn’t happen by accident.

It happens when you get clear on these fundamentals and work them consistently.

I’m doing this work right alongside you.

I’ve got nearly  years of content to break down and repurpose.

I’ve got relationships to continue cultivating. I’ve got clients to understand even more deeply.

This is the ongoing work of being a travel advisor in this industry.

But when you get it right?

When you really nail these three core areas…that’s when things become easier.

That’s when your promotional efforts feel more natural.

That’s when the skill you’ve been developing finally click into place.

So let’s do this work together.

I’m here for you, and I’m excited to see what you create 🙂

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