“What’s your niche?” It’s the hot new question to ask in the travel agent community. Actually, scratch that—the topic of niching has been popular for a while now! And I’m a big fan of honing in on a niche or specialty. Speaking to a specific group of travelers through your marketing is much more effective than trying to market to everyone. But niching comes with a downside. I’ve talked with travel pros who go all in on a niche—and then really struggle to attract any clients in that niche. I’m talking about … read more
The 3 Best Podcasts for Travel Agents
Have you jumped on the travel agent podcast bandwagon yet? In a lot of ways, I think travel agents are spoiled for business resources—from in-depth blog posts and trade journals to certification courses and coaching. (In fact, there are so many resources out there, you can quickly get overwhelmed if you try to consume it all!). But one thing I haven’t seen much of are bite-sized tips and tricks for travel pros … especially from other agents who have been in the trenches. That’s why I’m SO excited about the … read more
3 Tips for Charging Your Travel Agent Service Fee
There’s a debate that rages on in the travel agent community: whether or not to charge a service/planning fee. No, not a deposit. A non-refundable fee to compensate for the research, skill, and expertise that goes into planning travel. It’s probably not a surprise that I am Team Fee. But … I work with a lot of agents who still feel nervous about charging a service fee, or about introducing a new fee when they’ve been operating without one for a long time. If charging a service fee—and actually sticking … read more
Work Smarter in Your Travel Business with This Time Management Trick
Being a copywriter is a lot like being a travel agent. We’re both selling our expertise. More than that, though, we’re both selling our TIME. Once we max out on time, we max out on how many clients we can take on, and … we max out on how much money we can bring in. (It’s just too bad they haven’t invented a cloning machine for busy business owners yet, huh?). That’s why one of my BIG goals for this year is to get a whole lot better at time … read more
Why “Being Yourself” Is a Smart Business Move
Ah, how time flies. Just a year ago, I was moving out of my first D.C. apartment, packing my bags for a two-month stay in Europe, and …. preparing to launch Bon Vivant Copy! Yep, my copywriting baby is turning one! I’ve learned a lot since then. Like, DON’T leave client copy projects for Friday afternoons. My eyes glaze over completely once 2 pm hits … But probably the biggest business lesson I’ve learned since launching is: It’s hard to separate the personal and the professional … so don’t fight … read more
How to Nail the Next 3 Months for Your Travel Agency with a Quarterly Business Plan
Last week, I worked on my quarterly business plan. I’d be lost without it, succumbing to shiny object syndrome every single week. My quarterly business plan keeps me FOCUSED, ensuring that I’m always moving toward my goals. (Okay, sometimes I still slip up, but I’ve got my plan printed out and taped right by my desk to help me get back on track). A lot of entrepreneurs break their big goals into quarters like this. You can accomplish a lot in 90 days — but it’s not as overwhelming as … read more
Create Travel Clients for Life with an Offboarding Strategy
Want to know how to be a good travel agent? It starts with being really, really good to your clients. Before, during, and even after their trip. As a travel pro, you’ve probably perfected the “before” with your client onboarding process. You know how to lead prospects from the consult call to the contract, how and when to collect cc details, and how to get the ball rolling. In fact, I’ve worked with several travel agents now who wanted me to create a document to give to their new clients … read more
2017 Year in Review: What Worked, What Didn’t, and What We’re Tackling This Year
Where oh where did 2017 go? Well, for me, it went into experimenting with new marketing strategies, tweaking what’s worked in the past, and growing Bon Vivant Copy into a sustainable business I had only dreamt of a few short years ago. It’s been a pretty good year! Before 2017 becomes too distant of a memory, I wanted to take a step back and analyze what’s worked well marketing-wise for BVC this past year (plus what didn’t more … on that in a sec). Take a peek into my biz … read more
The Top Travel Agent Marketing Tools (5 Are Free!)
As a travel entrepreneur, you wear a lot of hats — and CMO (that’s Chief Marketing Officer) is one of them. It takes time (and passion!) to market your travel business effectively. Luckily, there are TONS of tools out there aiming to make the marketing process easier for entrepreneurs. Without further ado, here are 7 of my favorite travel agent marketing tools — and you don’t have to spend a penny on some of them!: My Top 7 Travel Agent Marketing Tools to Help Build Your Travel Business 1. Help A … read more
How to Become a Travel Agent: The REAL Start-Up Costs
So you want to be a travel agent. It sounds like a total dream job, right? And you’ve heard that all you need is a laptop, a love of travel, and passion to get started! Well … not so fast. It’s true that becoming a travel agent has a fairly low barrier to entry. You don’t need a special degree, and yes, you can work from home in your slippers 😉 But that doesn’t mean becoming a travel agent doesn’t require an investment, both in terms of your time and … read more
