How long have you been in the business? 17 years – I started in New York City with a small consolidator called Comfort Travel, the year I came from India.
Tell me about your first airplane ride. From Bangalore to Mumbai, about 90 minutes or so. It was a pretty big deal – I was 14 and I remember bragging to everybody about it!
How has the business changed since you got into it? Technology is an issue, but more than that – we learn that as we go – we are now competing with the airlines. They used to support us but now they compete with us.
Do you have a specialty? Consolidation, with all major carriers.
What was your best FAM? I don’t do too many due to my commitment to my little one (her 11 year old son) but one to Nassau three years ago was a blast.
What drives you crazy? It’s very hard to drive me crazy, only when someone pushes me to the limit. It’s very hard for me to lose my temper. If I lose my cool, it’s all over!
If you could have a secret weapon what would it be? I don’t need one - how you treat the other person takes you a long way and that’s all you need.
What was your biggest individual sale? 13 business class tickets to Johannesburg on BA. About $13,000 each – almost $170,000 before their land. I was pretty happy!
Do you have a magic sentence to close the sale? Mmmm…you know what? I always try to put it on option for the people. “Do you want to hold this?” makes people feel a commitment but also when you have something in black and white it’s more effective.
How do you cope with jet lag? I just get back to work, I just get going (laughs). I don’t think about it! Seriously!
What do you do to keep your clients loyal? It’s the service, offering competitive pricing and understanding what they are looking for and exceeding their expectations.
How would your clients describe you? They say I’m very friendly and aggressive at the same time – and very detail oriented.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received? From my boss! (laughs again) Vina Budhdeo, Huntington’s owner, always says “It can be really, really bad – but there’s always a solution.” And you know what? That’s so true.
If you had to spend six months in a destination, which one would you pick? That’s a long time to go away! Doing nothing? I can’t do that!
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing? I have my Masters in Accounting but I’m so hooked onto travel. Plus the company I am working for has become part and parcel of my life. I’m so hooked on the travel industry I can’t get out of it!
