What's Your Passion?

Are you feeling passionate as Valentine’s Day approaches? Hopefully, you’re thinking fondly of that someone special. A rewarding and fulfilling relationship makes such a difference and it transforms the routine into something that’s exciting and memorable.

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Having that same, high level of passion for what you do and for your clients, albeit in a different context, is equally critical. Indeed, Jim Mansfield brought that point home to me one day last March.

First, let me provide a little backstory. Regular readers of this column may recall my occasional reference to my longtime passion for Corvettes, in spite of their obvious impracticality. Anything more than a gallon of milk and I’m renting a truck to go to the grocery store. With each passing year, entering and exiting become a more challenging exercise and a chiropractor’s dream.

Local mileage isn’t the best, but I’m quick to point out that the new technology has practically made them a Prius on the highway. And yes, I’ll admit to using that argument with a friend’s wife who was skeptical of his desire to purchase a new Corvette. Lastly, I was already driving a 2007 with only 21,000 miles on it, so it wasn’t like I needed reliable transportation or something. Logic screamed “no” to a new one yet passion seductively said “yes”!

But passion can work two ways and that’s where Jim Mansfield comes in. In ordering our new car, my wife, Wendi, and I opted to have it delivered at the National Corvette Museum, which is literally across the street from the Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Jim was assigned to be our host for the day-long delivery process, which included a factory tour, a comprehensive familiarization with the car and, of course, oversight of the requisite paperwork.

Not surprisingly, Jim was highly knowledgeable about the car, but he also possessed a great personality, got to know us quickly and made it clear that his job was to fulfill whatever request we might have. He accomplished everything he was expected to by his management—and by us. But his passion for what he did was what really made the day an “event” for us.

Sound familiar? Your clients expect you to be knowledgeable. They want you to get to know them so you can make the most appropriate recommendations possible. They assume that you’ll be there pretty much 24/7 before, during and after the vacation. And whether or not you’ve sold this product or destination 10 times this week, they expect you to be passionate about selling travel and about their vacation overall.

Are you genuinely passionate about what you do? Or have you been at it long enough to feel less than enthusiastic? If you’re relatively new to the industry, has the initial novelty worn off? If so, it’s critical to reinvigorate that fervor because your “passion factor” will be obvious to your customers and will directly affect their likelihood of buying from you or recommending you in the future. Do you need to be reinvigorated? Here are a few paths to a positive attitude:

Launch your day with the right mindset. Spend a moment each morning reflecting on the things you do for your customers. Remind yourself that you’re making their dreams come true.

Make your customers collaborate. Ask questions, challenge them, involve them in the planning. It will make the experience that much more exciting for them and invigorating for you.

Improve your skills constantly. Conduct an honest self-analysis. What do you need to work on? Debrief your clients on their return and determine how the trip could have been even more spectacular. By the way, this is also an excuse to be in touch with them one more time and remind them of the fantastic job you did.

Be consistently upbeat with your customers. Make sure everything you do validates your enthusiasm. Skip the gloom and doom when asked how business is going. Keep your website contemporary and vibrant and your tweets exciting. Your passion for travel should permeate everything.

Give back to your industry and community. Pro bono work is good PR and visibility for you, and it gives you an inspiring sense of accomplishment, refueling your ability to be enthusiastic.

If you’re a seasoned veteran or a relative newcomer who may have lost the passion, make it a top priority to change that immediately. I guarantee your clients will notice the difference and you’ll feel better, sell more and truly enjoy what you are doing.