Darci Huhn
Where were you born? In Merritt, a small logging town in BC’s interior.
What was your 1st job? (Laughs) I pumped gas in a gas station.
How long have you been in the business? 4 years – before that I was in big box retail management and also a stay-at-home mum running a home care (day care) from my house.
Tell me about your 1st airplane ride. From Vancouver to Las Vegas – I was 24 years old. And I got stuck there for 9/11!
Do you have a specialty? A lot of family travel (we’re a family of 5). Also destination weddings – a lot of fun and funky stuff such as Hard Rock Hotels, Costa Rica, very cool places.
If you could have any job in the business what would it be? I love what I do right now but I’d love to be in marketing and sales for a bigger company, within TravelOnly.
What was your best FAM? A destination wedding FAM with Sandals.
What drives you crazy? Well…do you want it point form? (Laughs) People who aren’t accountable for their decisions. And I deal with a lot of brides who think if they yell and spin their heads around they can get anything. I blame reality TV.
What was your biggest individual sale? $42,000 for a couple booking a suite at the Grand Wailea in Hawaii for a month. Just over $6,000 in commission. 6 emails in total. Love that!
What’s the 1st thing you do when you get into a hotel room? Head straight to the bathroom, as I’m a bathtub girl.
Do you have a magic sentence to close the sale? “How would you like to pay for that?” And at the bottom of every email quote I have: “Thank you for allowing me the pleasure of providing a quote for your vacation experience.”
What’s the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked? Get this: I had a bride ask me if the wedding would be legal if her divorce wasn’t final. (Laughs long and loud) My polygamous bride!
Do you have any time management strategies? Yes, I do set myself a morning to-do list by priority, return phone calls and emails within 24 hours and invoice within 48 hours. I’ve just broken a million in sales so far this year, so I’m very busy.
How do you cope with jetlag? I don’t get jet lag! I have 3 kids – I’m always tired!
What do you do to keep your clients loyal? Make sure they’re appreciated, dropping off a bottle of wine, doing seat selection or Plaza Premium Lounge passes, which I pay for. I run my own promotion offerings, for instance, I'll include Lounge passes if you book by a certain date. Also I’m extremely active on Facebook (1,300 followers) and Twitter, and have a monthly TV segment.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? “Believe in yourself.”
If you had to spend 6 months in a destination, which one would you pick? St. Lucia. The people, the food, the island, the ocean – I feel like I’m at home there and it’s awful when I leave. I just feel like I should be there.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing? Hanging out with babies!
If you or someone you know is a front line travel agent in Canada and would like to be featured in Up Front, please email martha@gk.openjaw.xyz.
