I started my travel industry career as a reporter, and it appears those instincts just stick with me. Some 25 years later, and not many bylines in my recent past, I still find it an absolute need to stay current and really on the pulse of the industry and general business trends. This week, I thought I’d share five tips to keep you current. These are five actions I take to keep my mind fresh, the ideas flowing and my business on the path to new successes.
1. Subscribe to (AND ACTUALLY READ) at least two NON travel industry e-newsletters that spark your interest. I, for example, subscribe to a few different newsletters from Smart Brief www.smartbrief.com/index.jsp and from Mediapost www.mediapost.com.
2. Like at least ten smart, creative fellow travel professionals and at least 10 travel industry suppliers to see what they are posting on Facebook and to keep up on consumer FB trends. I allow myself a half hour of FB time during my work day to check in on status updates, interesting posts, and see what other folks are thinking about. I don’t consider this wasted time, I truly do learn some things and I even get a few laughs to add to my day!
3. Schedule at least two webinars a month to update your skills, learn about a new product, and motivate your juices to create a new idea. I would recommend at least one that is travel industry specific and one that is business skill set specific. The webinar training environment is exploding. If you are not attending at least one a month you are doing yourself and your business a disservice. The Travel Institute is a great place to start, so are the travel trade publications and your consortia, host agency or favorite supplier.
4. Get active on a message board. Lots of people make fun of me because I still have an AOL address, but it’s funny, my AOL address has its roots in my very first message board experience. I started getting involved in a very early travel industry discussion group 20 years ago and I was involved in with my travelmp@aol.com email address. I still chat with some of those folks about business all these years later. Today, I think some of the smartest discussions in our industry are happening at the TravelProfessionalCommunity.com. That’s where your colleagues are gathering to discuss the news of the day, their latest challenge, their latest success. Find a home and become a part. It’s okay to just read for a while too. Read the conversations, and when you are ready, get involved.
5. Read newspapers, magazines and of course your trade publications. No one can be informed if they don’t read. For those of you who remember the moving “Working Girl,” Melanie Griffith’s greatest business idea came from something she read on Page 6 of the New York Post! You never know where your next great brainstorm will come from, so be sure to read all the news outlets you can. In the age of the Internet, you have no excuse. Subscribe online or set up an RSS feed or a news feed or whatever you want, but stay informed.
If you are up on what’s happening, you are a better source for your local media in interpreting a trend, explaining a problem, helping them sift through a situation. You are a better customer service provider to your clients and you are a better contributor to making the travel agency profession more and more professional.
Mary Pat Sullivan, CTC
President, Sullivan Marketing Advisors
