I have to be honest with you. When I am home and flipping through the channels and I come across “Jeopardy,” I quickly change the station. That show scares me; it makes me feel inferior, as I tend to get most of the questions wrong. “Wheel of Fortune,” on the other hand, is a slam dunk for me. I can see words and predict phrases with just a few letters and, of course, a vowel or two.
We recently held Luxury Travel Advisor’s Ultra Summit at The Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC. The feedback we received was refreshing, as well as rewarding. Many of the advisors and suppliers appreciated not knowing all the answers but, with collaboration and conversations, the answers were found, which makes predicting the future that much easier. We heard from Anne Scully of McCabe World Travel on the “dos and don’ts” of supplier-to-advisor communication and selling. When was the last time you actually asked your client, “How am I doing? Do you find my communication helpful? What can I do differently?” Anne led that discussion artfully and the bottom line is that what you don’t know shouldn’t scare you.
Overwhelming feedback was that connections were made with suppliers and advisors; the knowledge that was acquired was done so amidst some familiar faces and some new ones, which doesn’t happen in the day-to-day workplace. Heard over and over was, “I didn’t know that!” and “That’s good to know!”
With today’s savvy affluent consumer, we can’t be caught off guard; not knowing is scary and will cost you the big sale or provide poor results for your client. Slowing down, thinking, discussing and exploring are the keys to getting the answers right. And yes, next time I come across “Jeopardy,” I should slow down and not be scared.
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