How should travel advisors manage client expectations?
Travel advisors, how do you handle it when a client has unrealistic expectations? What if they ask to stay at a property you wouldn’t recommend (especially if they serve truly lackluster midnight hotdogs)? What do you do when their budget is unrealistic for the trip they want? Or, what if they have…
Trade Secrets on the road, part 3: How does Europe’s travel agency landscape compare to the U.S.?
Trade Secrets is on the road for a special, three-episode series recorded on the ground at the ASTA Travel Advisor Conference in Dallas. In this episode, the final in the series, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada welcome Eric Dresin, the secretary general of the European Travel Agents’ and…
Trade Secrets on the road, part 2: From pitch to prime time, how travel advisors can — and should — get on TV (feat. Jenn Lee, Vanessa McGovern and Erika Richter)
Trade Secrets is on the road for a special, three-episode series recorded on the ground at the ASTA Travel Advisor Conference in Dallas. In this episode, part two in the series, travel advisors can learn all about how to get on TV, and why it’s the best marketing tactic a small business can employ.…
Trade Secrets on the road, part 1: ASTA’s Zane Kerby on American Airlines and the importance of education
Trade Secrets is on the road for a special, three-episode series recorded on the ground at the ASTA Travel Advisor Conference in Dallas. In this episode, part one in the series, hear ASTA CEO Zane Kerby’s take on American Airlines’ decision to change course on its NDC implementation after listening…
How do you grow your travel agency — and trust your new advisors?
When it’s time to expand your business, what’s the best way to do it? Should you hire independent contractors, employees or assistants? Then, once they’re onboarded, how do you effectively train — and, subsequently, trust — your new people? All that and more is covered in this week’s Trade Secrets,…
Travel advisors, what’s your brand identity? (feat. Christina Vieira)
Marketing is an important part of most travel advisors’ businesses. This week on Trade Secrets, Christina Vieira of Showcase the World Travel discusses finding your “why,” identifying ideal clients and reaching those clients on the platforms that make sense. She also discusses the importance of a g…
How should travel agents address travel advisories?
When the State Department upgrades its travel advisory for a destination, or updates an advisory with new information, it can make clients a little jumpy. How should travel agents navigate the situation? Get the answer on this week’s episode of Trade Secrets, when co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie …
Travel advisors, what’s your elevator pitch? (feat. Jackie Friedman)
Welcome to season five of Trade Secrets. In this episode, hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada welcome Nexion Travel Group president Jackie Friedman on the show to talk about the value of travel advisors. They discuss the modern history of the profession and the evolution from “agent” to “adviso…
Mic check, one, two: How do we create Trade Secrets?
How is the Trade Secrets podcast made? Find out all the behind-the-scenes details in this special episode with co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada. From the show’s origin, to scripting, to editing and posting, take a peek behind the Trade Secrets curtain. This is a special episode of Trade …
Why can't we be friends? Forming productive travel advisor-supplier relationships (feat. Vicki Freed and Jamie Margolis)
Welcome to the season four finale of Trade Secrets. This week, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada welcome Royal Caribbean’s Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales and trade support and service, and Jamie Margolis, owner of the Dream Vacations franchise Moms at Sea, during the second in…