Brenna Stratton, pictured with her husband and son (Source: Brenna Stratton)
Travel Advisor Success Stories focus on veteran advisors and how they achieved success. Here’s a look at Brenna Stratton, owner of the Cruise Shop, a NEST affiliate.
How did you get your start as a travel advisor?
When I was 19, I traveled with my best friend to Hawaii. It was our first taste of freedom, and I was overwhelmed with the desire to see more of this beautiful world. It was one of those defining moments in my life.
I had been on the fence on where I wanted my career path to take me, but that trip sealed the deal. I knew then that I wanted to pursue a career in the travel industry. I enrolled in school for travel and hospitality as soon as we returned home.
After graduation, I was offered a job with The Cruise Shop, and I accepted right away. I started off part-time and later had the opportunity to take over as the owner. It has been a wild ride, but one that I am grateful for every day.
How did you build your business over the years?
When I first began working for The Cruise Shop, we had a brick-and-mortar office. The previous owner took me under her wing. She gave me so much guidance and really encouraged me to take this on. I learned so much from her.
I was young when I started out, so I had a lot of younger clientele at the time. I booked several friend groups and a lot of cruises.
A few years later, I met my husband on one of the group cruises I was hosting, and a few years after that, we had a destination wedding in Mexico. That led me to booking so many groups, destination weddings and honeymoons for clients, friends and family. It was a really fun time in my career.
I noticed that those same clients started having children around the time I did. This led to a big increase in family travel.
I feel like my business has grown right along with me. Having first-hand travel experience has really been my greatest asset for growing my business.
What characteristics make you a successful advisor?
Honesty and a passion for travel have brought me the most success over the years. I tell every client I work with that I would never send them to a place I wouldn’t travel to myself. I have turned down requests to places I wouldn’t want to stay or send my own family to.
This may not be the best sales tactic for everyone, but it has worked for me for the past 20-plus years, and I have a very high referral rate as a result. I’m not in it just to make a sale. I truly want my clients to come back happy.
I feel very successful when I hear, ‘This was the best vacation we have ever been on.’ Being upfront and honest builds a special trust between advisors and clients and will have them coming back to book with you over and over again.
I also have a strong desire to visit as many new places as possible. My family and I make it a point to travel to more exotic, off-the-beaten-path locations so I can show our clients that it is possible to go to these places with your children and get them excited for new destinations and experiences.
Having the passion to travel is key. If you don’t like traveling to new destinations, you won’t be very successful. People are looking for advisors with that travel experience, especially to the places they themselves are interested in.
What have been your greatest challenges?
One of my biggest challenges is trying to stay on top of all the constant changes, especially over the last five years. It feels like the moment you start feeling comfortable, new entry requirements, policy changes, or even all-new booking engines are released. Cruising is nothing like it was six years ago – that has completely changed as well.
There are days when it can feel very overwhelming, especially when you have a wide range of clients. Although it can be difficult, some of the changes have been good. It’s just finding the time to stay on top of it all and maintain a work/life balance.
What have your greatest accomplishments been?
On a personal level, experiencing the world with my family is my greatest accomplishment. We wouldn't be able to travel as we do without this amazing career.
We took our 10-year-old son out of public school a couple of years ago and decided to homeschool him so he could have more opportunities. It has been an amazing experience, not only as a family, but for his own education.
He has been to 25 countries so far. He’s seen the pyramids in Egypt in person, visited Christ the Redeemer in Brazil and played with children of an indigenous tribe in Panama.
We are getting ready to visit Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in a couple of months. We love hands-on learning and the freedom homeschooling has given us over the past two years.
From a business perspective, I feel very blessed that we not only survived a recession but also a pandemic and came out on top. Last year was our biggest since I took over the agency 10 years ago. I truly think I have the most amazing clients and wonderful agents working for me.
What tips can you provide advisors new to the industry?
Get excited about travel! You cannot be in this business and be successful if travel is not a top priority in your life. Learn as much as you can, educate yourself, pick a niche, and go all in. Take the education courses, but more importantly, take the trip.
You will gain clients by sharing your first-hand experience – but also remember that you don’t work for free.
If your friends and family want to know all the ins and outs of a vacation, make sure they book with you before you start sharing all the insider tips. Share the pictures online, but only the special tips and tricks with your clients.
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