Shelley Fremont
Where were you born? In Toronto.
What was your 1st job? Secretary at my dad’s agency, Fisher Fremont Travel, in 1964. I’m a lifer!
How has the business changed since you got into it? Everything was manual.
Do you have a specialty? Luxury FIT worldwide.
If you could have any job in the business what would it be? This! I love it!
What was your best FAM? Africa – Kenya and Tanzania with A & K.
What drives you crazy? People who have unreal expectations about things that can be fixed, like “My flight’s been cancelled.” And people who stress about the small stuff, like the client in Botswana complaining about no air conditioning. It’s one of the most beautiful countries in the world!
What was your biggest individual sale? $500,000. A client and his family of 18 went to Africa.
What’s the 1st thing you do when you get into a hotel room? I look at the bathroom.
Do you have a magic sentence to close the sale? I am a closer. I don’t have a magic sentence. It’s about the conversations we have leading up to it.
What’s the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked? One client wanted an oceanfront room in Jerusalem. And I had a secretary call once, almost in tears, wanting to know where area code 305 was.
Do you have any time management strategies? I have a very good method of prioritizing, keeping reminders and a diary. Plus Vision takes care of a lot of the clerical stuff – it has made my life so much easier and efficient.
What do you do to keep your clients loyal? Keep doing what I do, which is looking after them to death so they never want to go anywhere else. I have clients who say I know where they want to go before they do.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received? “Listen.”
If you had to spend 6 months in a destination, which one would you pick? Italy.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing? I have no idea! Maybe someday, I’d like to open a cooking school.
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.
