March has been the best booking month of the year. For some, even their best month ever! I heard those over and over on my calls this week to owners and advisors.
Sharing the good news of the week can be summed up by this New York Times article, quoting an ASTA poll:
In early March, 76 percent of travel advisers are seeing an increase in customers in 2021, compared to before the pandemic,
and 80 percent are hearing from travelers who have never worked with a travel adviser before.
There is no question that the lift-off is happening throughout North America. The US may be slightly ahead of Canada, and some agencies may have the jump, but the curve for travel’s biggest comeback is heading in the same direction.
What stands out for me is the noticeable trend of new customers who have never used a travel advisor. That spells nothing but opportunity.
With the pent-up demand for travel (one advisor quoted someone calling them 15 minutes after they had their vaccine), it is easy to make the leap that you're about to experience an epic rebound.
While the opportunity is magnificent, there is a right way and a wrong way to lead your comeback.
It takes a strong leader to leverage the momentum. Sustaining the kind of rebound you’re looking for requires a different kind of effort. To quote Marshall Goldsmith, “What got you here will not get you there.”
Here are three tips for helping your team excel through these early stages of the comeback.
1.Lead your way forward with unwavering optimism. Learn from what is behind you, face the “brutal facts” of your current state, but above all, continue to lead with confidence and conviction.
Jim Collins in his book Good to Great says that every great company does this:
You must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end,
regardless of the difficulties,
and at the same time have the discipline to confront
the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.
2. Create a structured sales process for your team. In a study of high-performing sales teams by Steve Martin, he learned that three things made all the difference. 1. A process. 2. Stretch Goals. and 3. Accountability.
To lead forward, it is important to create a process that clearly demonstrates to your team that “we’re back” in business.
After a full year of trying to make sense of uncertainty, it's easy to fall into the habit of talking about the pandemic. What if this happens, and what if that does not happen?
It is time for less talk, more action. It is time to CONNECT with your past customers and prospects.
Create a structure for your day with a dedicated focus on sales. Here are a few ideas.
10 x 12 (ten calls before noon),
Team calling parties or blitzes.
Emailing 10 clients to book a bucket list planning session.
Check in on clients celebrating milestones in the next 18 months
*For more ideas on creating sales actions join this week's webinar!
3. What gets measured gets done. What gets recognized improves that exponentially. This week Benjamin Hardy released a video that resonated with me. The Pearson law says that:
“What is measured, improves. That which is measured and reported improves exponentially.” – Karl Pearson
When you take the time to recognize those actions, you grow your impact exponentially.
Take time to recognize team members, especially when they are pushing themselves outside their comfort zone. Set up accountability buddies within your team so that even the smallest efforts get recognized.
I firmly believe that selling is a team sport! It goes so much better when done in a safe and supportive team environment.
I’m passionate about helping leaders achieve BIG goals, without losing their way. If you need help engaging your team for the comeback, reach out! You don’t have to do this alone!
For more information on my programs click here or reach out to me directly at geraldine@geraldineree.com
PS I'm hosting a FREE Flying Colors Basecamp webinar for Advisors on Thursday, April 22. How to Comeback Bigger, Better, and Bolder!
Please share it with your team, and click here to register!
Let's do this together!
