Agent to Agent: Don't Stop Me Now

Dear Tammy: When I started in this business, I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and filled with enthusiasm. We’ve been through a lot since then.

We watched the world stop and then start again after 9/11 and we’ve been through our own financial ups and downs, but we made it through stronger than ever. So why am I writing?

Because this time around, I feel like I lost the passion for what I’m doing. You seem so passionate about your work, and I don’t know how you do it. The world is chaotic right now: I have people who are canceling trips and those who are sad about the state of the world and won’t book the trips they wanted to enjoy before.

I feel like I’m in a slump and ready to give up. I’m not sure what I'm asking you for but just wanted to write.

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Tammy: I completely understand, but please don’t give up.

You are exactly the kind of travel agent our industry needs right now because you get it. With everything happening in the world today, it’s important that we actually get out and travel and support our communities. You’ve seen that through other past world events that we’ve had.

You know how to convince others to travel because you sell from your heart and with emotion.

Honestly, I have been through so much in my life like that, but it was at the absolute worst time when I started my travel business. You can read all about it in my autobiography Sink or Swim.

It was then that I realized that material things really do not matter. It was all about the experiences, not the things in our lives that mattered.

That’s why becoming a travel agent mattered to me because I wanted others to enjoy those experiences too. It’s what we need today—experiences to make us happy and give us fulfillment.

Today, millennials are taking the same approach. They are living in smaller homes and working harder because they saw us struggle and they want better things for themselves and a better experience in life. This is what you need to focus on, not the negative stuff.

We need you to focus on selling better in this time in our world and caring and giving your clients a lasting memory and experience.

READ MORE: 5 Can't-Miss Travel Books You Missed

It’s almost the end of the year. Someone I know was having a hard year and said they couldn’t wait for this year to be over. I said, ‘why not make the rest of the year better?”

It’s all about perception.

We need to focus on making the rest of the year better for our clients. You can do that!