Podcast

SEE SHOW NOTES AT www.travelagentachievers.com/podcast/003

 

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business. 

Roslyn Ranse:

Hey everybody, Welcome back to the Travel Agent Achievers Podcast. I am so thrilled that you're back here again, listening to episode number three. I just want to say a huge shout out and thank you to everybody that has given me feedback. Sent me direct messages via email. I'm so glad you have absolutely loved the first few episodes. So I appreciate you and I thank you very much to everybody who has subscribed already and left me a review. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. 

And those that do know me already, know that I am very grateful for all the support and love and care that you all share. So thank you. 

Once again, today's topic is about getting started as a mobile travel agent and what you need to track and also work on in the first year of business.

And then also a few tips for continuing the momentum over the years. 

Now, why am I talking about this? 

Well, I received over the last few weeks of an Instagram direct message from a travel agent here in Australia. She's worked in a storefront for a few years, and she's now working as a mobile travel agent. 

Shout out to Stephanie. Hey, congratulations on making the move and I know that you've done it for all the right reasons. I absolutely believe in you and know that you'll be a huge success. And this podcast goes out to everybody that has started a mobile travel business. 

I know the challenges that come with it. I've done it myself. That's why I'm here.  I'm here to help guide you through as you set out on this new adventure that's for sure. 

So if you are starting out or you have been in business for a while, I know you're going to get a lot out of this episode, so let's just jump straight into it. 

There are two main areas to focus on when you're just starting out.
One is on yourself and the other one is business.

Now I have split these two up, but they also do into twine. 

Let's start with you. 

You have obviously become a travel agent for a reason. And what I'd really like you to think about is why you're in business in the first place. Why did you become a travel agent? What's your story? There are going to be tough times and we'll go through them together I do hope, there is always light at the other end of the tunnel. Though, really. Take stock of this. Think about it. Type it up. 

Have a screen saver or note on your desk. Have something somewhere. Or remember the story as to why you got into business in the first place. For me, as you may know, I was a corporate traveler. I spent 6-9 months on the road and I just wanted to come home. 

For me, my story was that I had a lot of friends and family who asked me about travel. Where they should stay. What they should do. Because they knew that I had traveled all over the world for work. This also gave me a reason, to help explain destinations and talk about a world that I absolutely love to be able to explore. 

But I also wanted to come home. And so for me my ‘why’ was I just wanted to get off the road. 

I wanted to come home.
I wanted to do something different.
But I also wanted to continue to help people. 

Now, coming from the sales and marketing and international education background, I was able to talk about the destinations, but I didn't know about the systems in travel, and that was my hard bit in learning this business. So my ‘why’ now, it’s about my family. I've got a photo of my husband, my gorgeous son in front of me as well as my sisters and extended family around me. 

I want to be near them. I don't want to be on the road 6 to 9 months the year. I want to be able to provide for them. I want to be able to spend time with them wherever I can. 

In saying that, I honestly think that I also have the travel bug gene. Now, if you haven't heard of this specific gene, I don't even know whether it's real or not. It's called DRD4-7R. No, I'm not a scientist, But check out the link to this video that we've got on our website, which is Travel Agent Achievers. EPISODE 3. So this will be the third podcast that you can check out. And that will link to a very cool video. Then share it on your social media pages if you really want to get some great engagement. But it talks about having the travel bug Gene right. 

Anyhow, back to why I am doing this for my family. I want to be at home. I want to be able to take them on adventures. And I want to be able to show my son the world and the possibilities of the things that he can see and do. That's my life. So if you need to take the time, reflect on this, write down why, you're actually in business? 

Why did you start something for yourself?
Is it to be with your family?
Do you want to spend more time at home with your kids, see them grow up, be able to attend all of those school functions
Do you want to work remotely and not have a fixed address?
Did you become an agent to do things differently? 

Being a travel agent can be tough. You are going to be challenged, but you're in the industry because I'm sure you love it. You love, travel. You love to see incredible things. And you also want to share those experiences with others. Now that's your life.
That's number one. 

Number two to think about in your first year of business is that you need to then become known for something or an area and become an authority on it. 

Be the go-to person that people are going to be attracted to. You need to be easy to talk to. Clients need to know you're going to get the job done. You also need to know and understand your clients. Highlight and talk about your experiences. 

This may be a new concept for some, because when you're in the storefront, you may actually lean on the brand and the company, not necessarily yourself. 

So you've always got people walking through the front door, and they're coming to that front door a lot of times because of advertising campaigns or marketing that they've seen online or on TV or in the newspaper. So when you're working for yourself, YOU become the brand. You are going to be the person that people are going to naturally come to. 

But if you don't get out and talk to people. You don't do any marketing, then they're not going to know to come to you. 

So when you're in a storefront, people will come to the brand in the majority of cases. Now a lot of agents do tend to build their own business within a business. However, when you become a mobile agent, you don't have people coming through the front door. So you do need to ensure that you are talking about yourself and your own experiences, and you need to get that out of there. 

This is going to get jumbled up quite a bit with marketing, and it's something that I love to talk about. I am always learning. Sales and marketing are my backgrounds. So this is something that I absolutely love, and I'm always thinking of new ideas. 

I want to be ahead of the competition in everything, but you cannot do everything, so I want you to think about how you portray yourself on social media. How do you describe yourself on company websites? How up to date is information about you and your experiences and travel experiences also on social media platforms as well? 

A quick tip. If you don't have a website, or even if you do, I want you to check out about.me
Check out the link to this in the show notes. 

It's where you can get a free one-page website. You add a photo.
You add a short description. 

Google absolutely loves these, but you really should have one as an extra layer of marketing. 

It's very simple. It's free. You just need a photo. So one of the latest photos; make sure it's good. It's clear, you're smiling and your face is in it, not very far away from the camera. You don't need your sunnies on, but make it somewhat professional and then you have it. 

This is an extra layer of marketing. We are going to discuss marketing in greater detail over time.
Don't fret what platforms you need to be working on right now. 

What marketing strategies are working right now, we have a structure and you’ll be able to set yourself up for success without the overwhelm of all of this sort of stuff. 

When it comes to social media marketing sales, we will talk about that, but for right now, I'd really like you to set up an about.me page. Also update your Facebook business page, Instagram, Linkedin. 

If you have any of these, keep them up to date. 

Make sure you've got how people can contact you. 

We’ve been recently talking about your experiences promote things that you absolutely love to become known in a certain area. 

If you're traveling to Bali all the time, why not talk about Bali? 

Why not talk about the different areas that you can stay in?  The different activities that you can do? The islands that are off Bali, The different adventures, whether it's diving, laying around, you know, bungee jumping or watching the sunset. You can talk about these things all day long. 

People will become more attracted to you because you are then seen as the expert in that area.

Now that's just one thing. So we'll talk about the niche or niche 🙂 Depending on where you are in the world, we will talk more about that in further detail. 

So right now, just make sure everything's up to date. Make sure that you're putting your best foot forward. 

You are presenting yourself as best you possibly can, and you are actually talking about things that people are going to be attracted to. 

If you're posting personal things. What? Your morning routine was what I had for breakfast. Think about what your clients are going to think… Is this what they would like? Is this what they relate to? 

Is this what they then think is going to be the next dream destination or the next dream holiday? Sure, they may be your friends. I totally get that. 

But sometimes we need to put business and personal life separate and cater to the dreams and the aspirations of our clients. 

So just keep that in mind when you are posting on social media and also on other things like your website.

Number 3. Working from home can be lonely. 

Oh, my gosh, I totally get this. When I first started out over 10 years ago as a mobile travel agent, sometimes I would go out every single day. I would find a distraction. I would drive 30 minutes to an hour to a coffee shop or to a place where there are other people. Just so that I could be around the people because I was lonely. 

I didn't like being in the house all day. I didn't want to go and do my washing and the cleaning of the house and get distracted that way. Now,  I do now, but I'm saying it can be really lonely. 

For me, I personally don't need to sit next to somebody and talk all day to them. 

But being around people really helps me to focus. It's energy. So my morning routine is I going to get a coffee from a local favorite cafe. And if I feel I need a little bit of extra energy that day, or in need to be around people, I'll actually stay there and work for an hour or so. And then I come home, turn on the music in another room, and I can work away in my office. 

Now my husband is home, as he can often work from home. He knows not to interrupt me. Work is work, and I focus on where I can when my son's in daycare. So I love to be able to have that morning with him and not actually switch on for my clients and my business until nine o'clock. I do pick him up at five o'clock in the afternoon, sometimes a little bit earlier, so I want to make sure that I can maximize my focus and the work that needs to get done during those times. But I also don't want to be lonely. 

So if you need music in another room, if you need to go and work in a coffee shop, I really encourage 

You to do this because when you do work from home, it can be quiet, can be a little bit lonely, so encouraging you to go and find a balance. Ask yourself some questions. Maybe when you're starting out, because these are things that you're going to come across and you may not have thought about them. 

Do you need a co-working space to be around others?
Are you ok to work by yourself all day, every day?
Can you meet up with other mobile agents, join a networking group, share space with somebody else?
Do you need to work from a cafe an hour or a couple of hours each day just to get the energy of the people moving around you? 

You know, that's always a great thing as well. If you've got your logo or something on your computer and you're working in a cafe regularly you'll probably find that people will come and gravitate to you. If you don't have your head down all the time, they may come and talk to you and say, Oh, hey, you know, I've seen you here a few times. What do you do? You'll get to know people on. 

This is another great way of when you're first starting out and just doing some networking. So if you are working in a cafe and I have seen agents do this very successfully going working in a particular cafe each day they will see clients that they used to have before or they will make people. And this is where business comes from. 

I encourage you to find something that works for you.
Please don't just isolate yourself as it can get lonely. And this isn't conducive to building a business. So those are the things for you.
Find out why you are in business  - remember this. 

I encourage you to meet people. Get out there. Working from home can be lonely and also think of what makes you unique. 

Become an authority on something or somewhere. People will gravitate to this. 

Now we're moving on to the fun stuff, the business side of things. There is so much to do in that first year of business, whether you have already known suppliers before or whether you're like me. 

I became a mobile agent straight up, not coming from a shop front, and I needed to meet suppliers. So I encourage you to meet people, get to know them, ask for their advice and attend training nights, breakfasts, lunches, whatever you can. 

Tourism authorities often have a whole lot of events on this as well, so make sure you sign up for these, get to what you can if you're in a city that does this. 

If not, then make sure you join online training, become the expert on something and speak to these suppliers because they will tell you what's working now. What sells. 

Work out what you like to sell and what you want to sell. 

If you hate being on a cruise ship and the rocking on the cruise… ask yourself, is cruising the right thing for you? realistically? like it may be a popular thing, but you need to think about what's going to work for you. 

Do you love being able to explore a city in depth by walking tours or going on an adventure holiday? 

Those sorts of things, are maybe something that you could become known for. 

So work out what you like to sell and what you want to sell. 

You may initially have to be everything to everyone to start out with. But over time you should definitely narrow this down and you'll become known for a particular area. 

As I said, we'll be talking about niche-ing in a future podcast episode. 

But for right now, think about something that you love and you could talk about all day. Is it a country? Is it a city? Is it a particular type of holiday? Whether it's cruising, coach touring, guided holidays, cycling, walking, dancing, you name it. There is something out there for everyone. Is it a particular market that you like to talk to? 

Finding something that works for you and also your clients is where you need to be. 

Check out your supplier or host agency networking events, get out there, not only talk to suppliers but also bounce some ideas off other consultants that you work closely with. 

If they aren’t too competitive. This is a really good idea, however, It's also good if they are competitive because you want to build your business. See what's working. 

What are other people doing? What's selling at the moment?

A collaborative approach is much better than doing things on your own. 

This can also give you motivation when you see what is working for others, as it may also for you. 

Now, remember that I also say that not everything works for everyone. But I will say that there is business and there is a business out there for everyone, so you don't need to be competitive in a bad way. 

Know and trust that your clients will gravitate to you because of you. 

That's why they get to book the holidays with you. Now on this note and a bit of a business tip, when you do meet people, make sure you follow up with them. 

I have heard this time and time again over the years that going to an expo or a networking event that when suppliers have asked me to attend, the reason why they do is that they know I follow up. 

I will speak to every person afterward, I will email them. I will keep in contact with them, whether that's through a newsletter or a different form of communication. 

But I am following up. That I can tell you time and time again becomes natural for people to come to you. They say. ‘Oh, yeah, that's right. I received something from you, Ros, or we met a few years ago.’ “ I'm coming back to you because of the time I met you at so and so.” 

So it may not turn around initially as booking, but the more you keep in contact and you follow up with people - not in a stalkerish way, but the way you present yourself and you become an authority on something, people will naturally come back to you. 

So make sure you take names, email addresses for your database, business cards from events and follow up with them. 

You don't want these to be a lost lead or a lost sale.
In your first year of business, there are additional things that you need to focus on within your business.
These are New clients!  And we've just spoken about networking and building relationships. 

You do need to have a presence on social media, but I would encourage you to provide value for people, not necessarily all specials. There's an 80/20 rule that will talk about later as well, however, provide value to people who are coming to you for your experience. 

The other big thing to look at is your numbers.
This is something that a lot of people don't do because they don't know how to. 

When you've worked in a storefront, you're often given the guidance of what you need to sell per month or how much commission needs to bring in. 

Or what are your forward bookings to know the style of business that you need to be chasing now? The Quick wins that you may need to get or the long term business that you need to project over the coming months. 

So you really need to think about what bookings are coming in.

PLUS  what money is going out and be realistic with the numbers? I can say wholeheartedly in your first year, you may not sell $1,000,000 worth of travel. This will take time, even if you come with a very big client list to start with. But please … everything in moderation. 

You need to be realistic.
You don't want to work 80 or 90 hours a week.
You need to make sure you are looking at what bookings are coming in.
What commissions are coming in and what money is going out? 

Obviously, you can't go and sit in a cafe every day and spend $50 or $60 on food and coffee and drinks and those sorts of things. 

If you're only selling at $2000 holiday, that makes you $20, right?
So be realistic when setting up and looking at your numbers. We've got some great spreadsheets that are really easy to follow. 

So if you are interested in any of these please, reach out and we'll go get them to you. 

This is just so you can track what bookings are coming in and what money is going out.
Be realistic with these numbers.
You also need to learn the business side of things. 

My first rule of starting a business is really… 

• Set some goals.  
• Why you're in business and what you want to achieve. 

So when you set goals, be realistic. 

If it is to sell $500,000 worth travel in your 1st 12 months. Awesome. That's a goal. Then we work together to break that down, and this is something that I've done for years. 

I love being able to have a goal that I can challenge myself to, but also to be realistic and know that I'm not tripling my income each year or anything like that. It is purely about focus and knowing where I'm going. So setting goals.

Then over time, you need to check and measure everything. 

What's working? What's not working? 

If, for instance, coming back to the cruising example, you are selling cruising, but nobody's biting. Nobody is interested in booking a cruise with you. 

There may be a reason for this. It may be that your audience isn't interested in cruising. They might be interested in cycling holidays. 

You don't know, but you need to track what works and what doesn't work. 

An easy way to do this is to get to know your suppliers. As I've said before, meeting your suppliers, ask them. They will tell you what's selling, what's not selling. If they say to you... right now, the northern lights are really hot and everybody wants to go there. That's when you get more information. You asked questions about it, and you can then say Awesome. Let me see if I can run a campaign to jump on this bandwagon. 

If it doesn't work, at least you've tried. At least you've learned, you became an expert on something. 

But you know that your audience at this time may not be interested in that, and that's OK. It's about testing, measuring and tracking.

So those are a few things that I really wanted to talk about today. 

You.  New clients, your numbers and your business.
Getting to know your WHY, looking after yourself, Seeing the numbers and learning the business side of things. 

These are things that I absolutely love and working with businesses to help them grow is something that I'm really passionate about because I believe that travel agents can do well in business. 

I've been a prime example of this myself. I've got a number of colleagues and friends around me that have done this too, and I just really believe that if you're listening to this podcast, you want to make a difference not only in other people's lives but also in your own and in your business. 

So if you've got any questions, please reach out.
Don't hesitate to contact us.
Check out Travel Agent Achievers For more information. Check out the show notes on this page. 

Make sure you subscribe to this podcast. 

Please leave me a review. If you've got any questions, I'm here. 

Also - on the website we’ve got checklists. We've got worksheets.
Reach out with a direct message if you want. 

And we also have a guide, which is five ways to build rapport in your business.
So five quick ways that you can build rapport to help you build your business.
And if you'd like a copy of this, please check out the show notes and getting contact will send it to you right away. 

Thank you so much again, everybody, for listening to this.
I am absolutely loving the feedback.
I really look forward to talking to you in the next few episodes. 

We've got some great ones coming up. Episodes on money, on customer service, how to build referrals, repeat business, talking about your niche and so much more. I am so excited. 

There is so much to talk about and I hope that you're going to be continuing to enjoy this wonderful journey with us.
Thank you so much for listening and I'll talk to you soon. Have a great week ahead!

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business.

 

SEE SHOW NOTES AT www.travelagentachievers.com/podcast/003

SEE SHOW NOTES AT www.travelagentachievers.com/podcast/002

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business. 

Roslyn Ranse: Hey, guys, welcome back to another episode of Travel Agent Achievers. You're here today with Ros, myself, and also a very special guest. Lauren Brown. 

I have known Lauren for over 10 years now, and she's certainly one of the movers and shakers Australia's marketing and promotion scene. She owns a creative and event specialist company, Liquid Promotions, based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 

Founded in 2014 Liquid Promotions is a boutique promotional company that creates bespoke custom made merchandise for businesses. 

Now, these promotional items can include anything from stationery and office supplies, electronics, clothing, you know, uniforms and also specifically for the travel industry. I've worked with Lauren for a number of years, and we've created several items together that my clients absolutely love. 

So, I've asked Lauren here today to have a chat with us. She's a mum to two gorgeous boys. We are both very busy in our work, which is what everybody says, but I'm very glad that Lauren can be here with me today. So Lauren, thank you so much for coming on. I really appreciate it. I just want to say thank you so much for making the time to have a chat with me today. 

Roslyn Ranse: Can you tell me a little bit about you and how Liquid Promotions started? 

Lauren Brown: I have been in the industry for about 14 years. I was a bit lost when I started, didn't know what I wanted to do. I studied Geology,  did the whole travel thing and, you know, sort of found a job in the promo space, which is where it all started. 

And then, went on to have my kids and left where I was and it all sort of grew organically. So I've had experiences like the custom-making and then the uniforms, and clothing and then the promo items - working out what’s suitable for a business rather than just having something to give away because people have an overall thing to like free stuff

Roslyn Ranse: Exactly

Lauren Brown: And not making it useful and not landfill is sort of where we’ve found our niche. This is sort of been a really good role for me because I couldn't jump around and my head doesn't just stay in one place. 

Roslyn Ranse: So you consider yourself a bit of a creative type? 

Lauren Brown: Yes. 

Lauren Brown: Creative and it gives you the opportunity to use that creativity and then put it into practice into what people may want and find the right fit for them rather than sort of making them fit to the mold. 

Roslyn Ranse: So how did liquid promotions come about? 

Lauren Brown: So when I had my kids, I loved what I was doing and I really found myself and I found my avenue that I could grow in and then I could help people do good things for their business without finding that they had to do something. So they didn't want people to spend money on crap. 

I wanted it to be, you know, promotion with a purpose, rather, you know, this is, you know, you start off a campaign and you go, What's the end goal? And it was just taking people who were not given the time of the day because they weren't big enough for they were, you know, big clients who didn't know where they were taking the direction and finding how to make it. 

How to make their business come to life as well as being part of that journey. So when I had my kids and I started out of my journey on my own, it was quite scary I'm sure it is for everybody, but you know, we couldn't come up with a name and then I went liquid and I remember Alex going it's a really bad name. I went no, I like it. There's something about it that's fluid and it moves and it doesn't get stuck. 

And that's how we all need to bathe. Just keep it moving. Keep it simple. 

You know, the source of everything comes from liquid. So it was like, well, that's going to be us. 

Roslyn Ranse: That's awesome! So it's fluid as you said, you work with the small companies, large companies, and it's about getting to know them and then finding out what's going to be the right thing for them. 

Lauren Brown: Yes

Roslyn Ranse: So as a small company, like, us as travel agents we run small businesses when you say finding the time and getting to know the clients, do you think that corporate gifts and merchandising is something that smaller companies in general need? 

Lauren Brown: I think they do. But they need to know why they're giving it rather than just giving it for the sake of giving it. 

Because if you're going to give someone a pen, what's the purpose of that pen? 

Like if you were to give someone a pen that’s going in their travel wallet its got a purpose. But if you were just giving them a pen because they were passing you by the trade show, so are 400 other people. 

So what makes you different? 

Roslyn Ranse: Exactly. 

Lauren Brown: So you need to have a product that you are spending money on that has a purpose. You need to understand your goal, and if you don't know what your goal is to give it out then work out what your target is at the end and then work out the product to go with it. 

Roslyn Ranse: Is that something that you work with your clients on the ground and what's going to be the right thing for them and the most value, especially in a giveaway, as you say, a pen anybody can do. 

But what's the purpose behind that?
That's not something that I actually thought about before.
What's the purpose? 

I know being on travel our travel wallets are really important, the eye masks and earplugs and, you know, little bits and pieces like that. But thinking about the end goal and the purpose that makes people come back for more.

Lauren Brown: Yes, so you know, it's you really, really need to know, like with all of your merch it’s been like you want people on a plane to see someone with your thinking I didn't get one from my travel agent.You know, I didn't feel my special at the end. 

So when you handed out, you could be proud to give that, not just go oh, it was a sort of like an okay idea. 

Roslyn Ranse: So it's creating a bit of a FOMO. The Fear Of Missing Out for anybody else that you saying something that you're giving away your clients that other people are looking at it going. 

Oh, why didn't I get one too? 

Lauren Brown: Mine’s not as pretty as yours. No one loved me enough to give it to me.

Roslyn Ranse: Yes, true. So when you're giving out a promotional item to a client. 

How does somebody like the business owner know that they're getting the most out of that promotional item to use?
Like the product?
Lifetime value?
How?
How does somebody like a business owner? How do they know? 

Lauren Brown: It's hard to guess. There are some items out there that have a really short shelf life, but that it's all for me about the purpose of sustainability. So you're giving out something, it has to have a purpose, you would be able to understand the results that it got in the end.

Roslyn Ranse: Can you give me some examples of some short shelf-life products that you do? Do you mean like chocolate?

Lauren Brown: Confectionery, chocolate, you know things like that. It's got branding on it. You know you eat it. It's their purpose for that sort of thing is if you were a trade show and you had the bag of popcorn that was branded, people want the popcorn, so you're going to get the opportunity to have a chat with them because they're going to want your product rather than the mints somewhere next door.

Roslyn Ranse: Right. 

Lauren Brown: By doing a low-cost little thing, you might get the bigger,  you know, the bigger booking because you've got the opportunity to chat with them because they have to come and talk to you if they want that problem, so that has its purpose. And then your gift, when you give them at the end, you have to work out based on what you need in your, you know, financial what you can allocate to a promotion. 

You don't want whatever the budget is, you don’t want that product in the bin. So giving someone a bigger item is not necessarily better than smaller items. Some people just like the token and thought, and some people like the big thing. You can't get it. 

You can’t always make everybody happy. 

Roslyn Ranse: That brings a really good point, particularly, I know you're during event work now and preparing merchandise and promotional materials for events as well. So as travel agents, we go to a lot of expos, and you know, whether that's a wedding expo, or a conference or an event or something and to have as you say, a short shelf life product it's the perfect key to draw people into your stand or draw people into you to talk to you. 

Would you find that in the work that you're doing with clients at the moment?  And then differentiating that with a longer-term use a product such as a travel wallet as they're traveling, or a neck pillow or something like that?

Lauren Brown:  Yes, 100%. When you do the exhibition, you need to get someone in, but you don't necessarily need to spend a lot of money to get them in. But they're the people that you know. 

You need to get people to come to see you, so you need to have something there to entice them. 

Otherwise, they don't necessarily come but when you give them your promo items, at the end of you know, it's the last impression, which is the most important. 

Sorry, you've given them the travel wallet that you've remembered to put in there all their little bits and pieces and you know as a travel agent, we rely on you guys to make sure that everything is ready so I can get on the plane, and I'm like, yep passport, visa. All of that's done, and then you get to the airport, and I know that you'd always do this with me, open my travel wallet. And like oh my pen, and then I'm like, there's always one in there like every card of everything is thought about. So that's that last impression. Going how do you to fill in this thing, oh, that’s alright, I'm all sorted. 

Roslyn Ranse: Right

Lauren Brown: That’s that last giveaway where you've got that impression to give back. It's like, yep, it's all done. 

Got on the plane.
I was uncomfortable.
I had my travel pillow.
Like that last impression that it can make or break anything 

Roslyn Ranse: Yes.

Lauren Brown: So when we do like our event management, you know, we always say you need to give out something to get people in. 

And it's got to be something that people want, not just something because it's there.
And in this current climate, you don't want landfill. 

Roslyn Ranse: No.

Lauren Brown: You need to be careful of what you're giving out. 

Roslyn Ranse: So what are some hot items at the moment that you're seeing across all industries, what sort of things are you seeing?

Lauren Brown: There's always the tech products that people love something to do with your phone or computer. Things like that are always, always big. Doing a lot of, you know, a lot of water bottles and notebooks and sort of those things that come through. But then I'm even doing some beautiful presentation boxes and a lot of the focus has moved to how it's presented, so you put anything in a nice wrapping and you can present it. So it's useful. 

It's sustainable in it's nice, sort of recycled and, you know, bamboo coffee cups and just really sustainable things that are not heavy and bulky and overpriced. Just everyday use items that aren’t filling up the cupboards.

Stuff that you don't really need. 

Roslyn Ranse: That's true, not filling up your cupboards. And it's also not going to waste and landfill as you say. That's a huge thing! So you're finding that now within your industry, that more clients are looking for sustainable products and things that aren't going to go to waste?

Lauren Brown: 100%. And we're positioning ourselves as a company that way. Look, I don't want to supply balloons. I don't want to supply plastic bags, bottled water, all of those things. You just know you can get them, but you can get them from someone else because those are the things that are killing our planet. 

And I think you everybody needs to take a stand on their passions. And for us, you know it's got to be. 

Roslyn Ranse: That's awesome! Much more eco-friendly. 

Yeah, I completely agree. So in saying that, that's what you guys do. And that's certainly where your business is going with Liquid Promotions in the sustainable direction and making sure that it makes a lasting impression for clients. But it's also something that'll stick around for a long period of time. It's not just going to disappear. It's not going to go in waste.

Lauren Brown: 100%, sometimes the cheapest isn't the best, you know. 

But there is a promo product that's, you know, suitable for every market, for every client that will work. 

That's not rubbish. 

I am a big fan of telling people, if it's rubbish, there's no point in spending money on it. Because if no one's going to keep it and it doesn't have a purpose then don’t do it. 

Roslyn Ranse: Yeah, absolutely! So when you're putting together these campaigns and working really closely with your client to make sure that you've got the right product and the right fit for everything, when the products are delivered and that period of time can be anywhere from what week to three months to have things delivered?

Lauren Brown:  So it just depends on how custom-made you want to it. If you need something quick and easy, we find something off the shelf and then we print it here. And we, you know, do what we need to do. 

If we've got a little bit more time and a bigger quantity, or we can collate different orders to make it a pack, we can do it. I have to say it takes about 12 weeks. We sample, we get custom, everything we can really, really focus on tailoring that product exactly what you need. 

Roslyn Ranse: So it can be quite a long process. What's the feeling when those products land on your doorstep in to your warehouse and then you go and deliver the first lot or the first lot arrives.

Lauren Brown:  At first nervous, going although we have our agent over there and it's all quality tested, but you've got a sample here and you're wondering if it's like you're going to make sure you put that whole thing happening and then you get it and it's perfect. You take it out and then to see someone's face that something that was just a concept that they thought can't come to life and then it's gone through all the different stages of changes and I like it here a bit there and making it perfect. And then you get it. And it's just, like, so excited. 

Roslyn Ranse: Yeah, I completely agree! When I received the products here. It's so exciting. And I love the feedback that I also get from clients. And I know other colleagues as well when they giving out products to our clients. The feedback that we get, it just makes the biggest difference because of how happy they are. 

It's going that extra mile. 

It's the thought that you've put into it. So that all certainly definitely would come straight back to you as our partner that we work with them, make sure that we're getting the right products for everybody. So we thank you for that. But it's really good to hear that you've also got that excitement when something comes in and then that goes out as well. 

Lauren Brown: Yes, and then it's just the reaction to know that it wasn't off the shelf and it was perfect. So it's such a rush. 

Roslyn Ranse: Yeah. So do you have any tips for travel agents on how they can leverage the power of promotional materials to attract and retain clients? 

What sort of things would you suggest?
And how can we, you know, leverage these things?

Lauren Brown: So, firstly, it's definitely knowing you give something out. What do you want out of it? 

So you're giving it to someone, because they can use it or because you're trying to get them in, you need to start out knowing what, where you're at and how are you going to use it and then making sure that your product fits what you're doing. 

So if you're looking at an exhibition or you're looking at giving it to someone who you've booked the trip with or it's they're a honeymoon, reunion, you need to make sure that that product is appropriate for your target market.

Otherwise, it kind of looks a bit home. Okay, it's a nice thought. So like your industry, you need to make you know you can. You've got such a broad spectrum because it can be taken away. Or is it home is when you get your documents or just the little thing that comes in the post, whatever it is, as long as you’re making sure that it's working. See, a lot of you can do things that are on the go. You can have your chargers. You can have water bottles. You can have a really nice story, but that they could put memories in and you could custom-make this beautiful diary that they would like to take with them. 

And say right, we went here, this is who came and these were the highlights. It doesn't have to be big it can be like the 10 pages thing like your trip highlight. You know, the worst part of your trip, whatever it was and you've just got this tiny little thin book of memories from that particular trip, and it's all signed at the bottom from you. With love. 

Like it doesn't have to be a big thing. It just has to be a thoughtful thing.

Roslyn Ranse: I love that! I think now more and more people are gathering all these photos as an example on their phone, and they are no longer people printing photos, which is really sad but that's the way that video's going and audio's going and nobody's actually keeping the memories to go that refer to later. So whether that is in a storybook or, you know, a little notebook that you can print out your photos from your phone and there are many gadgets now that you can actually print out a little thing from your phone. 

That's a really cool idea! I also think for kids these days as well, when they're going on a trip with their parents that they can take notes and keep a bit of a journal and it’ll remind them as they are growing up as well. So thanks for that tip. I'm actually going to run with it. And that's something that we could do together. 

Lauren Brown: Yeah, it’s just the little thin ones. Just for that trip. A note to keep them going. So they can get a new one each time. 

Roslyn Ranse: Yeah, I love it. Great idea. So coming together with one thing that I'm going to put together and make sure that all of our listeners have access to so they can download a PDF, which will be on How to turn your creative ideas into a promotional product or event. 

What are some things that we need to think about? So, we start off with an idea or concept.
What's the end goal?
Is that how you would start? 

Lauren Brown: You need to know what your purpose is. It's sort of you need to know who you’re targeting and making sure that that product is appropriate for that person, and that's going to be desirable. 

Are you going to get the right person by having a balloon there? Because you’re really going to get the two-year old who screaming for the balloon. 

Do you want that as your person?
Do you want someone who's come up to you because they're going to give you a business? 

Roslyn Ranse: I want the person that you know is going to need the glass of champagne or something because they’ve got the two-year-old. 

Lauren Brown:  Exactly! It doesn't necessarily have to be a branded item to get in. It has to have that something. That's the memory. 

Roslyn Ranse: Yeah

Lauren Brown: You just have to, you know, think about the big picture first and then put the pieces together. So you need to start with your end goal and then work backward to make it make sure that all the steps fit. 

Roslyn Ranse: Awesome! We're going to put together a checklist that people can download and have access to so that they can then tick off all of these bits and pieces. They can brainstorm some ideas if they got an event or something coming up, or they're even thinking long term about what they'd like to give their clients. They can go through a few different ideas. They can brainstorm the end goal, and they can think about what it is that they actually want their clients to receive in the end but also how they want to be interpreted. 

As you say, if it's a honeymoon client. If it's a family client-specific niche, everybody is different and we need to make sure that if you are providing promotional materials or promotional items to your clients, that it is specific for their needs and they are going to come back to you.

So we’ll prepare that checklist. 

Lauren Brown: You would always want to ask for help on that because you don't always know what the right thing is. And you don't have to come up with the product because that's what we’re around for. We need to bring these ideas to me because that's what we do. You know? 

It's like someone comes, you know, I want to go on a holiday. Where do you want to go? No, I don’t know. 

Roslyn Ranse: Exactly. Oh, my gosh, it’s so true. We need to make sure that we're asking the right questions and then to bring those questions to you so that you can help formulate a product.

Lauren Brown: 100%. So you've got the bones of what you're trying to achieve name. You put together the rest of it to make sure it's not just spending money to spend money because that's just not going to get anyone anywhere. 

Roslyn Ranse: Yeah, that's absolutely the same way it works in travel as well. So when a client comes to us and may say I want to go to San Diego, where do I stay? So we need to be able to have the ideas and know that clients super well to know exactly what they're going to like, what they're going to love. And they will then continue to come back to us. 

So thank you so much, Lauren! If people want to get in contact with you or with Liquid Promotions how can they do so?

Lauren Brown: So you can email at lauren@liquidpromotions.com.au or come to our Facebook page: We are Liquid Promotions or Instagram: weareliquidpromotions. 

Reach out, there's a beautiful one here and then there’s the team as well. So events, promo, ideas. 

Roslyn Ranse: Anything 

Lauren Brown: We’re always around. 

Roslyn Ranse: Awesome! So Facebook and Instagram “We are Liquid Promotions” or reach out to Lauren by email and to get access to this PDF and checklist to help you with your information before you go to Lauren, then log on to www.travelagentachievers.com/podcast Or find the podcast notes here and down below. 

And we will get this information straight after you. So thank you so much, Lauren! Are you are a huge asset to any travel business and certainly to mine. And I love being able to work with you. 

You make it so easy, so fun, and you just get us. So, as travel agents, we can be quite unique in some areas and we all do different things. And we really appreciate all your help. 

So thank you for everything you did for us. 

Lauren Brown: Thank you! It’s been such fun. 

Roslyn Ranse: I will see you soon!

Lauren Brown: See you soon!

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business.

 

SEE SHOW NOTES AT www.travelagentachievers.com/podcast/002

SEE SHOW NOTES AT www.travelagentachievers.com/podcast/001

 

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business. 

Roslyn Ranse: Hey, guys, it's Ros! Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers.

The podcast is finally here! It’s all come to life and something that I have certainly been wanting to put together for several years now. 

No time like the present and let's get down to it! 

I wanted to explain what this is all about. Travel Agent Achievers podcast is a podcast for travel agents, travel counselors, travel consultants, travel managers, those of you that are working from home or in an office. 

This is just for you. If you love to be able to create memorable travel experiences for your clients, but you're stuck or you need ideas for other areas of the business. That's why I'm here just for you. So over the last 10 years, I've been a mobile travel agent. I guess I came from a slightly different angle than those that normally would become a mobile agent. And the reason for this is that I come from a corporate sales and marketing background. 

From my experience, most work-from-home mobile agents here in Australia have worked in the industry for many years and they want or need a sea change. 

They want the flexibility to work, how they want to work with who they want and to have the opportunity to be at home with young kids, always families or really just have the flexibility to work whenever they want. 

Now in my experience, I've worked in international education. I've also worked in hotels. I've worked in recruitment and there's a little pride in actually getting into travel. I decided to become a travel agent because I was always asked about travel where to stay, what to do, what to see where to go. It was a really natural choice for me to jump in, to travel from international education, and I also just wanted to come home. I was on the road for 6 to 9 months of the year. 

I was promoting Australia as a destination to study, and I decided to take the leap and forever thankful to the host agency that allowed me the opportunity to dive in as I just didn't want to go and work in a store. I wanted the flexibility to be at home, and it allowed me to do that, which I absolutely loved. 

Now when I became an agent, I knew sales and marketing. That was my background. I knew finance. I knew geography, but I had to learn the systems and processes in travel. And this is very different for those that have already been in the travel industry for many years and decide to become a mobile agent. So I struggled not necessarily struggled, but I really was challenged by how complex Galileo, Sabre, Amadeus was, and that was my hurdle. Suppliers were the fun part of building relationships and negotiations. I was absolutely in my element, and I still am. 

Over the years, I've come to know several agents who know that stuff as well, and they love their clients. But sometimes they struggle with the business side of things. So you’re already a travel agent, you know how to book travel. But when it comes to running a business as a mobile travel agent, that's where the challenge I have seen is. 

So how to get clients?
What is marketing?
How do I talk to people on Facebook?
What is Instagram all about?
What're these new things, Snapchat and Twitter? And how does that all work?
Finance and accounting?
Managing your own Books, setting up a business?
And why do you need to do so? 

A lot of consultants really struggle with these things. But then I've also taken it to the next step in setting up systems to make my job a lot easier and also outsourcing some tasks that aren't necessary that I need to do on the day to day basis. Because I know where my strengths lie. That is in talking with clients, building relationships with suppliers, getting some of the tasks actually done the things that can be outsourced. 

No, I love all of this stuff, and with my background, I've been able to build a business that I absolutely love, and I've created jobs for many other people. I've also spent probably over the last seven years with business coaches, and I still today love learning. I am often at a business conference. I'm often networking people such as Dale Beaumont here in Australia, Amy Porterfield in the U. S., Chris Docker, Jasmine Star, Pat Flynn. I absolutely love learning from these business gurus and I also love learning from my colleagues and suppliers. 

My clients are also the biggest form of learning, and especially with their feedback, I'm always continuously updating my own knowledge. Now today we are in a changing environment, and as travel agents, it's imperative that we stay head off, or at least amongst the current trends. 

Now, I'm sure you'd agree with this that there are challenges that we face day-to-day, and I'm not going to deny that. But I think that there are things that we can do to stay abreast of these and stay ahead of them in a lot of ways. Now, just so you know, I don't assume or attest to say that I know everything, I absolutely don't. But I do know where to get information. 

I have the determination and the courage to speak up and I learn and I want to help share with you everything that I know and that's one of the things that this podcast is for to help you grow your business. My goal is to help you become a savvy sales and marketing expert, building strength and your travel business. But to do it in a smart way, I want to help you feel confident that you are going to drop the ball on a missed ticket or payment, setting up some structures and systems that you know what and how to speak to your ideal client and also nurture and build relationships that are going to strengthen your business from many years to come. 

I am like you.
I am very normal.
I am a mom.
I'm a housekeeper.
I am a wife. 

I look after everything at home as well as all my clients. And most cases actually put everybody else first before myself. And this is something that I'm going to be working on for sure. But it's just who I am and at the core is that I just want to help. I want to be able to help you as a travel agent, as a travel consultant. 

Now, you know travel and I'm not here to teach you about suppliers and what they have to sell. I'm assuming you really know these guys. However, I'm here to help you with the business side of things. We as travel agents, We love travel, and if systems sales and marketing finance are all confusing to you then I'm here to help. 

I'm going to bring in experts who know this sort of stuff. Make sure they break it down into actionable chunks and you're going to be able to learn and use each episode in your business and life. 

Now, we aren't all about work and I do want to have some fun with this podcast too. So let's do this! I look forward to connecting with you, supporting you, empowering you to run a travel business that you absolutely love and working with you and being a part of your travel business journey. I'd love to hear from you, so make sure you check out travelagentachievers.com for tons of free information, downloads, checklists, pdf worksheets, things that are going to help you on your journey. 

And also don't forget to subscribe to this podcast. Be notified of new episodes. I'd love to hear from you. 

Please connect with me on Facebook, on Instagram at Travel Agent Achievers or reach out by email. You’ll find all the details on the website travelagentachievers.com and I look forward to speaking with you again. Very soon!

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business.

 

SEE SHOW NOTES AT www.travelagentachievers.com/podcast/001