How long have you been in the business? About 8 years. Before that I was in hospitality…bartending and banquets. Then I got bitten by the travel bug. The tips aren’t as good, but I’m doing pretty good!
Do you have a specialty? Yes, I do a lot of destination weddings and honeymoons, romantic travel. These days I’m selling a lot of Jamaica. A lot of Australia and South Pacific.
If you could have any job in the business what would it be? Something in the way of marketing. I have a diploma in marketing tourism. Or repping a destination.
What was your best FAM? I just got back from a self-directed FAM to Mexico, in the Mayan Riviera.
Are you seeing any resistance to Mexico these days? No hesitation at all.
What drives you crazy? Last minute changes, air changes, air strikes. It’s not fun for anyone on vacation to have to put up with that.
If you could have a secret weapon what would be it be? The ability to clone myself because there’s never enough hours in the day!
How do you keep up on industry affairs? Vision sends out updates, plus I’m always reading the trades. Clients like to tell me stuff – (laughs) only the good stuff, of course.
What was your biggest individual sale? A family luxury trip to Australia, for about $60,000. I remember him telling me “If the costs get up to $100,000, we’re over budget.”
Do you have a magic sentence to close the sale? Not really. I like to give options. “Which do you like more than the other?”
How do you cope with jet lag? I take a day or two off when I get back.
What do you do to keep your clients loyal? I like to keep in touch and get to know them on a personal level. I get back to people quickly and keep chasing group quotes. And I do lots of follow-up.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received? My Dad always said “Rome wasn’t built in a day. Work hard and your dreams will come true.”
If you had to spend six months in a destination, which one would you pick? I’d go around Australia because it’s such a huge country.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing? Ideally? Having more kids…maybe run a little resort on an island and live on island time. That would be awesome!
