Whether you’re a brand-new travel advisor or have been working in the industry for years, there’s always something new you can learn. We recently caught up with Drew Daly, senior vice president and general manager at Dream Vacations, to gain insights into what works best when it comes to growing a travel business.
For Dream Vacations, supporting travel advisors comes in all forms. Not every advisor learns the same way, and the company puts a priority on being personal in order to help each one thrive. “Personal equals remarkable,” Daly said. “So the more personal we can make the experience for someone, the more remarkable it’s going to be, and they’re going to want to continue to do more and learn more. So we provide a lot of ongoing support and training.”
Networking
According to Daly, growth “starts with education.” And one of the best ways to learn is to interact with new people, including suppliers and other travel advisors. Dream Vacations offers several chances throughout the year for their travel advisors to come together and learn about new products, hear from leadership and interact with suppliers and each other.
“Networking is key,” Daly said. “At the end of the day, networking is what this business is about because you never know when an opportunity is going to present itself.”
In addition to networking within the industry, Daly also says it’s important to go out and mingle with the local community. Since Dream Vacations is a “network of niches,” not every advisor books the exact same type of travel, and it’s helpful to attend local events that align with the type of client each advisor is in search of.
And while the end goal is to book vacations, it starts with building a clientele. Daly encourages advisors to lean into their creativity in order to meet more prospective clients. “We try to help [advisors] understand ways to be innovative and creative, with the goal of, yes, eventually booking people, but you have to expand your database first,” he said.
Qualify Clients
If you bring in a new client and book them a vacation they aren’t happy with, chances are you might not hear from them again. Qualifying clients and getting to the bottom of what they really want out of a vacation is going to help turn them into repeat customers.
“Qualifying, at the end of the day, is all about how you can make sure you’re building the best recipe for success,” Daly said. “Because in order to have the best recipe, you have to have the right ingredients.”
He said to spend time exploring more of what your clients want. Stay curious, listen and ask questions – then ask follow-up questions. Each question provides you with a “special ingredient” that you can use to build a “gourmet meal” (or valuable vacation) for your client.
Stepping Outside the Comfort Zone
Taking a step outside of your comfort zone doesn’t always have to be scary. Daly reminds advisors to have fun along the way.
“It’s always about number one, [advisors] should always be having fun because we’re selling fun. It’s a fun business. It’s a great industry. And they have to get out of their own way,” Daly said, adding that if advisors have an idea, they should take action and at least try it. If it doesn’t end up being successful, they will at the very least learn from it.
And while it’s not always easy for everyone, Daly says sharing your travels can help grow your business. If you’re on a FAM trip, at a conference or taking your own vacation, don’t be afraid to create stories and posts along the way.
“Traveling and sharing your experience on social media, that’s a great way to get business, and it just happens naturally because people see you out there traveling and experiencing the world. They’re going to want your opinion,” Daly said.
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