Travel Advisor Success Stories focus on veteran advisors and how they achieved success. Here’s a look at Susan Butler, founder of The Travel Butler, an affiliate of Travel Experts.
How did you get your start as a travel advisor?
In college, I studied abroad for a semester in Italy. I fell in love with experiencing how others outside America lived. My passion for international travel and exploration skyrocketed and while working as a CPA, I traveled as often as I possibly could. I was not enjoying being an accountant and knew I wanted to start my own business. It made sense to marry my passion for all things travel into a career where I could help people have the best travel experiences possible. I am celebrating over a decade in business and love my clients who are part of The Travel Butler family.
How did you build your business over the years?
Attending trade events such as ILTM Cannes, ILTM Americas, LE/Miami, PURE, Virtuoso Travel Week and other boutique shows has really helped build relationships with my partners who help me shine when clients are traveling. Investing time and money into immersive travel all over the world has really helped me advise clients from personal experience. All my business has been based on word-of-mouth referrals. Social media is a useful tool for sharing, although in recent years I have not had the time to share due to constraints on my time.
What characteristics make you a successful advisor?
My passion for travel is likely the number one key to my success. I worked many days, nights and weekends for no money because I was passionate about all things travel. My background is in business and I am a former CPA. I am very organized and detail oriented – two traits that are absolutely necessary when planning many complex trips at once. I have always been a very ambitious woman with an ability to multi-task and prioritize efficiency. I love helping people and I do not take for granted that my clients entrust me to make the most of their hard-earned free time and money. There will always be unexpected hiccups but I strive for perfection and genuinely care about my clients and consider them friends and family.
What have been your greatest challenges been?
When I started my business I did not have anyone to train me so I reinvented the wheel multiple times. My biggest challenge now is growing a support team while facing so many constraints on my time. This is a daily struggle that many agents can relate to.
What have your greatest accomplishments been?
I am most proud of creating a successful business on my own while maintaining integrity and humility. I cherish the relationships I have with my clients and couldn’t be more proud of who they are as well. The most rewarding part of my job is creating memories for others that will last a lifetime and hearing from clients whose expectations I have exceeded.
What tips can you provide advisors new to the industry?
Always treat others how you would want to be treated. Never put profits over people. Invest significant time early on in attending trade events to learn and network, and travel as much as possible, learning about a variety of destinations and inspecting many hotels. Be prepared for long days, nights and weekends where you may not make much money knowing that over time being a luxury travel advisor can be a rewarding and fulfilling career.
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