Speaking shortly after her return from a Sears Top Producers’ VIP FAM to Vegas, this agent shares some of her secrets to success.
Where were you born? In Venezuela – I’ve lived in Canada 25 years now.
What was your 1st job? I was a student teacher in Guyana.
How long have you been in the business? Even before I left Venezuela, I worked in a hotel and for an airline. When I came to Canada I worked for Trafalgar, then Sears, Global Matrix and now I’ve been back almost 15 years at Sears.
Tell me about your 1st airplane ride. It was in Guyana, on a 15 seater from Santa Rosa to Georgetown – I was 10. Was I frightened? No, I was excited!
How has the business changed since you got into it? Tremendously! People are more picky now about where they travel due to safety factors.
Do you have a specialty? Customer service! I do everything sales-wise but prefer motor coach.
What was your best FAM? Fiji and Sydney with Goway. They threw a huge party for us in Sydney with a 70s theme and we had a lot of fun. Everything was so pristine in Fiji, and Sydney had a really good atmosphere of prosperity and calm.
What drives you crazy? I don’t get driven crazy very often. Perhaps when people are taken advantage of.
What was your biggest individual sale? $54,000, for a couple on a Holland American cruise sailing to Australia and New Zealand. It was funny how it happened: I was with a client when the lady came into the agency and asked for a brochure. I couldn’t spend much time with her but she did ask me to send her an e-mail quote for a specific cruise and stateroom. I did that and the next thing I knew she called back and said “Book it!”
What’s the 1st thing you do when you get into a hotel room? I inspect it! I look at the safety issues like the windows and the balcony. I inspect the bathroom to see it’s clean and then I bounce on the bed to see how comfy it is.
Do you have a magic sentence to close the sale? I don’t – I’m sure of what I’m giving once I’ve qualified the client so it’s just a matter of them saying “Yup, go ahead.”
Do you have any time management strategies? I keep everything on my electronic calendar so I don’t have to remember anything and can keep my mind clear.
If you had to spend 6 months in a destination, which one would you pick? Spain, because my forefathers were from there.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing? Probably theatre with kids.
If you or someone you know who is a front line travel agent in Canada would like to be featured in Biting Questions, please e-mail martha@gk.openjaw.xyz
