Heather Di Pietro. (Source: Heather Di Pietro)
Success Stories focus on veteran advisors and how they achieved success. Here’s a look at Heather Di Pietro, president and CEO TravelSalesGroup.
How did you get your start as a travel advisor?
I booked an anniversary trip for my husband through an agency based in New Jersey. I ended up chatting with the agent and then the owner, and they asked if I had ever thought about working from home. With two young girls, it seemed like a no brainer. I started training while still working my other job at a restaurant and six months later, I was able to quit the other job because I had become one of their two top booking agents. This was more than a job. It was a career and something I was really passionate about.
How did you build your business over the years?
In the beginning, I used my circle of friends for leads and then I started to get leads from the agency that I was working for. It wasn’t long before I found my niche in romance travel and started doing bridal shows. That is when I really found some traction. We only do one or two shows a year, but we market not just to the brides but to the whole group. We started to book tons of bachelorette parties, girls groups and honeymoons. We were also booking the moms to relax after the weddings. Within a couple of years, word of mouth and referrals were really the only marketing we needed.
What characteristics make you a successful advisor?
I think having a passion for what you do is important. Listening well is huge! You have to really listen to your clients to be able to understand their needs and wants. I also think empathy is a huge part of what we do. If you have a client calling you that has had their flight cancelled and it is 5a.m., it is super easy to be grumpy and wish they had just called the 800 number on their documents. We really try to put ourselves in their shoes and remember how frustrating that is. If you do that, and respond with care and empathy, treating everyone like you would your nana, you will have happy clients. Happy clients lead to a successful business.
What have been your greatest challenges been?
My biggest challenges have been when to hire people and scaling the business. It is really scary to take that leap and hire someone full time when you know you need them but you are not 100 percent sure you can afford them yet. I was doing crazy sales, making up well over 70 percent of what our agency brought in every year, running the business, doing the marketing, bookkeeping, social media – the list went on.
It wasn’t until I joined the Travel ALLIES Society and heard other ladies talking their businesses that I realized I could actually start to scale my business and make more money. Now, I work much less in my business and most of my day is spent on my business.
I am most valuable at the beginning of the selling cycle because of my product knowledge. I have been to nearly 500 resorts in 50 countries. So, I get on that first call and help to qualify clients into the right places, and then I pass the rest of the booking process to one of my advisors who is totally capable of handling the rest. Work smarter not harder!
What have been your greatest accomplishments?
We have been so blessed in the 10 years since I opened TravelSalesGroup. I have been very fortunate to sit on several advisory boards and we have been Elite with NEST for all but the first year we started out. We have won two back-to-back Piton Awards for St Lucia and a Black Pineapple for Antigua. We have been Travel Impressions’ Best of the Best and ALG Elite every year.
The ones that I am most proud of though, are the Inspire Awards I received from NEST, which were given to me because of my personal contributions to the industry, which I am so passionate about. To have people think that I am raising our industry and inspiring people is something I am incredibly proud of and plan to work every day to earn.
What tips can you provide advisors new to the industry?
Travel – the more you travel, the more you know. The more you know, the more you can qualify your clients into the right experiences and properties. The better you qualify your clients, the happier they will be, and happy clients equal return clients and referrals!
If you want new clients, go where they are. Stay where they stay. Fly where they fly. People ask me all the time how to get luxury clientele. Hang out where affluent people hang out. Go to country clubs, golf course and yacht clubs. Spend the extra dollars to sit in first class from time to time. Stay in the nicer hotels, even if it’s just for a night or two.
You need to be where they are. You are not going to find luxury clients while staying at a Motel 6. If you want to specialize in honeymoons and destination weddings, do bridal shows and get into partnerships with other wedding vendors.
Never stop learning! There is a saying that people who spend at least two hours a week learning something new about what they do will excel in their field. Put in the time. Attend conferences and webinars. Just keep learning!
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