When a new inquiry comes in, how do you approach it? In today's episode, Jeremy Sulek of Jetset World Travel shares his less conventional approach to handling every inquiry and effectively booking clients. If you cautiously vet potential clients when inquiries come in, expecting them to prove that they are worth your time and energy, Jeremy will challenge your mindset. Learn how to maintain a positive outward posture, even with potentially unsuitable clients. Plus, learn strategies for restructu...
Aug 20, 2024•58 min•Season 4Ep. 187
We're all in this industry for the travel, but achieving financial freedom is an (attainable) goal that many travel advisors have! Join Brianna as she chats with Stephanie Cannon, a licensed CPA and small business accountant who specializes in helping travel advisors achieve higher profits without needing a finance or accounting degree. Dive into financial planning, expense management, profitability misconceptions, and strategic decision-making to foster business growth in the travel industry....
Aug 13, 2024•50 min•Season 4Ep. 186
How can you utilize the world's most powerful search engine to spread word about your business and attract ideal clients? Join us for this informative conversation with Lee Friedman and Denise Kubica, who both share their unconventional strategies for building their travel businesses by leveraging Google reviews, blogging, and SEO. Tune in for fresh ideas from these seasoned advisors!
Aug 06, 2024•59 min•Season 4Ep. 185
Personalization is the key to success when it comes to your client experience. So, how do you curate a personalized selection of hotels to share with your clients when planning a new trip? Tune in to learn from three top travel advisors (Whitney Shindelar, Julia Matheson and Kate Sullivan), all self-proclaimed hotel lovers, on how they select hotels to include in proposals and how they present them to clients. This episode was a free webinar hosted by The Hive – if you want to learn more about h...
Jul 30, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 184
Peel back the curtain on a Master Hour member call inside the Advisor Accelerator! Join us as Victoria of BrandWell Designs leads us in a session about brand differentiation and how to leverage your brand to stand out in a saturated market . Victoria and her team have designed more than a thousand brands and websites over the last several years, so you'll definitely want to tune in to learn from her extensive expertise!
Jul 23, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 183
And we're back with Part 2 of how to create content while traveling! By popular request, we invite back Kate Sullivan and Julie Patterson for this practical discussion that any travel advisor will find useful. We delve deep into marketing strategies, ROI measurements, the importance of authenticity, and balancing content creation with being present in the moment. From pre-trip planning to post-trip posts, Brianna and guests share their personal experiences and practical tips for maximizing engag...
Jul 16, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 182
We asked listeners on our Instagram what topics you want to hear on the podcast, and the topic of "incentive travel" was one. So today, Brittney Tromanhauser of Avery Travel Group shares about her journey as a corporate incentive travel specialist. She discusses the transition from leisure travel to focusing on corporate group travel and the ins and outs of that sector.
Jul 09, 2024•57 min•Season 4Ep. 181
Looking to build or shift a travel business into the luxury travel market? Join Brianna and guest Becky Lukovic for a conversation about the intricacies of providing luxury travel services, from catering to discerning clients, ensuring superior service, and doing the research to take you to this level.
Jul 02, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 180
Do you ever find finance-related conversations to be dry and not very inspiring? Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at an Advisor Accelerator Master hour call – we welcome Travis Shelton, an executive financial coach and host of the Meaning Over Money podcast, to help us find the meaning behind the work we do and the $ we bring in. We talk abut the challenges faced by small business owners in the travel industry, balancing financial stability with passion, and defining personal success in unco...
Jun 25, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 179
In this exciting roundtable episode, we welcome three incredible travel advisors: Haleigh, Lina, and Ashley, all members of the Advisor Accelerator. Our onversation delves into the unique value of being part of a supportive, peer-to-peer community designed for travel advisors. And each guest shares how they have grown their businesses while being part of a collaborative, diverse learning space like the Advisor Accelerator. (Sneak peak: Haleigh hired someone and can't imagine 6 months ago before ...
Jun 18, 2024•45 min•Season 4Ep. 178
You asked, we're answering! We put out a question: "What do you want to know about client experience?" and listeners really challenged us with some great questions. How to level up the pre-travel experience, how to request feedback from clients effectively, and tips for surprising and delighting clients that have worked for us...this are just some of the topics we cover today.
Jun 11, 2024•56 min•Season 4Ep. 177
In our third Client Experience series episode, we delve into the intricacies of communication and systems in the four phases of the trip design process. Learn what those four phases of trip design are and how client communication will change in each phase, Plus, get our tips for tools and systems to streamline and support each phase of trip design so that you can truly master the most important part of travel advisor work. Plus, we are hosting a free masterclass – learn more about it!
Jun 04, 2024•59 min•Season 4Ep. 176
In this second episode of our 4-part client experience series, we explore five top areas of business that impact any client's experience working with you: service offering, aesthetics, communication, systems, and attracting new clients. Do a self-audit on your travel business with this episode, and hear our experiences and advice as you consider these vital parts of your business and how to improve each of them.
May 28, 2024•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 175
Today premiers the first episode of our 4-part Client Experience Series! Join us as we explore all the ins and outs of creating a memorable, signature client experience. This week, we are talking about how your brand experience impacts the client experience more than you may realize. Learn to define your business purpose, gauge a client's expectations, and create memorable memories from the first moment the learn about you to the post-trip check-in.
May 21, 2024•50 min•Season 4Ep. 174
Will artificial intelligence replace travel advisors? David Shull of Tern Travel shares insights on how AI can aid, not hurt, the travel industry. Gain insights about the challenges travel advisors face and how AI can optimize workflows, personalize services, and transform the way travel advisors manage data and engage with their clientele. Learn more about the opportunities that AI brings to the travel industry, along with how the human touch remains irreplaceable.
May 14, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 4Ep. 173
How do you know when to hire? In this episode, Whitney is joined by Madeline and Kristen from Steuber Travel Group to explore the intricacies of team expansion. They chat about setting financial goals, the benefits and challenges of having a hybrid team structure, the importance of job role clarity, and the impact of strategic hiring on operational efficiency and sales growth.
May 07, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 172
Welcome back to Shop Talk, where Brianna and Whitney share about what is going on in their businesses right now. This week they delve into the dynamics of team workflow efficiency and delegation, particularly the transition from task delegation to autonomy in decision-making. Brianna shares about how she handled unforeseen travel incidents, and Whitney is systematizing responses to enhance client communication Lastly, they talk about why they dropped the podcast paywall and the bigger picture fo...
Apr 30, 2024•55 min•Season 4Ep. 171
Is there a difference between treating your work as a travel advisor like a hobby and a business? In this episode, Brianna and guest Sandy Saburn dive into what it means to be a successful professional in the travel industry. Hear their seasoned insights on how to have an entrepreneurial mindset, effective marketing strategies, and the importance of understanding the numbers that drive a profitable travel business.
Apr 23, 2024•50 min•Season 4Ep. 170
Join Brianna as she chats with Megan Vatnsdal, the passionate entrepreneur behind Onyx and Evergreen Travel, to discuss the ins and outs of attracting new clients and crafting value in our sometimes competitive industry. They explore marketing, but with a twist – how to use events as a way to showcase your value and serve as a catalyst for travel business growth. Plus, they also chat about mentorship, networking, and growing into your entrepreneurial mindset.
Apr 16, 2024•47 min•Season 4Ep. 169
It's time for Shop Talk, where Brianna and Whitney talk about what is going on in their businesses right now . Whitney is preparing for maternity leave, and both she and Brianna are thinking about how to work with their teams to achieve proactive client management and nurturing client relationships. Plus, they chat about their individual strides toward aligning marketing efforts with business goals to continue attracting their ideal clientele.
Apr 09, 2024•53 min•Season 4Ep. 168
Pull back the curtain on a Master Hour inside the Advisor Accelerator, where Sarah Williams of Rebel Office Inc and the host of IT'S A VIBE Podcast joins us to talk about client experience! We dive into topics like client retention, the art of client onboarding/offboarding, and the power of nurturing long-term relationships with clients. Plus, we cover nuanced topics like how to create personalized touch-points that strike a balance between professional boundaries and friendly engagement + incen...
Apr 02, 2024•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 167
Ever come home from a trip with hundreds of photos and videos, only to struggle with actually using them to create marketing content for your travel business? On this week's episode, Brianna (Masters in Travel's queen of social media!) is joined by two other travel advisors – Julie Patterson and Kate Sullivan – to talk about the nuances of crafting content for your business even while traveling. They cover the creative process, importance of authenticity, and practical tips that will help get yo...
Mar 26, 2024•50 min•Season 4Ep. 166
Every business owner will inevitably need to take time off. In this episode, we're talking about an extended leave that Whitney is about to embark on – maternity leave! To prepare, she chats with guests Madeline and Kristen of Steuber Travel Group, as the mother-daughter duo (and business partners) have recently navigated Madeline's own maternity leave. They share their experiences and perspectives on the nuances of preparing for leave, how to actually disconnect during it, and the physical and ...
Mar 19, 2024•49 min•Season 4Ep. 165
In this Shop Talk episode, Master in Travel leaders Whitney and Brianna have their monthly conversation where they compare notes about running their travel businesses. Buckle up, because this week the convo covers several topics, including finance coaching, marketing strategies, client segmentation, and the mental shift required as an entrepreneur shifts into a CEO role. Plus, both are currently thinking about or preparing to hiring new team members and are exploring all the intricacies of finan...
Mar 12, 2024•50 min•Season 4Ep. 164
Join Brianna and guest Erica Carr for a conversation on their innovative approaches to scaling a travel business with an employee model, from implementing unique incentive programs to understanding the evolving roles within a travel agency. They delve into the significance of hiring ahead of growth, the shift in industry norms post-Covid, and the vital role of technology in adapting to change. Plus, they share their personal experiences in assembling teams that complement their strengths and dri...
Mar 05, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 163
Love travel and planning it, but hate the sales part? In this episode, Brianna and guest Glenda from The Art of Selling Travel delve into the art of sales and client relations. Glenda shares her seasoned approach to pricing negotiations and reframing rejection, all while maintaining an authentic human connection. She provides invaluable insights on asking the right questions and building rapport that help build connections with clients. Through this candid discussion and personal stories, they u...
Feb 27, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 162
Host agencies...how do you find the right fit for you? Whitney delves into this world with special guest Steph Lee, the founder of Host Agency Reviews. They discuss the importance of transparency in the travel industry, the challenges and opportunities that come with reviewing host agencies, and tips for travel advisors on switching host entities. Steph shares her personal journey from managing a host agency to creating a vital industry resource that helps travel professionals make informed deci...
Feb 20, 2024•55 min•Season 4Ep. 161
In the ever-candid Shop Talk episode, Whitney and Brianna take a behind-the-scenes dive into the inner workings of their travel businesses, sharing industry insights, frustrations, and successes. In today's episode, they grapple with the intricate dynamics of trip planning and client expectations to the broader questions of workload management and goal-setting. Get tried-and-true experiences and tactical approaches to ensure client satisfaction and business growth, even while managing a team and...
Feb 13, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Season 4Ep. 160
Is there a certain part of the world that tugs at your heart strings? If you want to learn more about developing a travel planning niche, this is the episode for you! Brianna chats with Lori Gold, the travel savant behind Mexperts, who has built an impressive career curating personalized trips in the Mexican Caribbean AND as an expert advisor with resources to share. Lori shares her evolution from a generalist travel agent to a specialized advisor, the challenges of entrepreneurship, and how her...
Feb 06, 2024•45 min•Season 4Ep. 159
In this episode of Masters in Travel, Whitney dives into the art of marketing with the experienced Kaytee Fisher, founder of Moxie & Fourth, and guru about all things email marketing for travel advisors. They dissect the strategic layers of marketing: the importance of understanding your target audience, the value of consistency, and tools and tricks for upping engagement. Plus, Kaytee shares her insights on the balance between using various marketing platforms and concentrating on a few tha...
Jan 30, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 158
