The luxury travel community is based on relationships. The connection between a supplier and an agency can make all the difference to a client’s trip experience. Newbies to the industry may wonder how they can forge strong bonds with suppliers, especially when they attend trade shows and conferences where it seems everyone not only knows each other, they like and respect each other. So how does someone fresh to luxury travel get in on some of the love and some of the respect they see other advisors receiving from travel companies?
We caught up with two luxury travel agency owners to get their insights on how to start developing a strong book of business with suppliers. Each excels in this category and had unique perspectives to share.
Camille Cutrone Holubar of Vista Travel Consultants is a third-generation travel professional; she learned from her mother and grandmother, as did her brother, Nick, with whom she owns the family agency, which is a member of Virtuoso.
Robyn Potter is owner of Robyn Potter Travel; her independent agency, which has been in business for 37 years, is unaffiliated and has eight independent contractors.
“I came into the travel industry after being on a teen tour and exploring the world,” says Potter. “I decided that was where I wanted to be and I’m still loving it. I always tell people this is not a job. It’s my passion,” say Potter.
She says that she looks at suppliers first as friends and that’s where the relationship begins. “I am the most loyal person in the industry. So if I’m loyal to you and I love you, I love to put my business through you,” she says, noting that that loyalty comes back to her in full force. “Suppliers support me and make me look like a superstar every time,” she says.
Holubar works with a similar mindset and believes that success is built through human connection. She says she is still benefitting from the strong relationships her mother, Sandy Cutrone, forged back in the day.
“The loyalty of these hoteliers and cruise lines is unbelievable, she notes. “The way they treat us as an individual, small family-run agency really makes a difference.”
She sees this in particular in Italy, where her agency has strong ties with many of the family-run hotels. “The connection that we have with those hoteliers and their staff enables our clients to have out-of-the-box experiences,” she says.
So, where do those in the beginning of their careers get started?
Potter tells the two advisors on her team that to forge connections, they need to go out and explore the world. “You need to know what you’re selling. You need to go to shows, and dinners and lunches and make direct contact,” says Potter.
Don’t assume you can build a relationship just on email communication, she advises, even though it might be tempting.
“My clients trust me because they know that I really know what I’m selling and that I know the product. I know these suppliers and that makes all the difference in the world because anybody can book a trip, but it’s the little details and the little nuances that we put into it to be able to produce what we do.”
Respect for suppliers is vital to having good business alliances, says Holubar. “It’s very important to have respect for the people on the other side. I grew up with a mother who was both a supplier and a travel agency owner so I’ve seen it both ways.”
And so, conferences, trade shows, networking events and in-person familiarization trips are the way to meet industry contacts. But advisors might also need to invest some of their own funds to travel where they want to send their clients and then engage with the hoteliers and DMCs they’re visiting.
“You have to go make appointments with the hotels, with the general managers and with the salespeople and to make it a point to get to know them and to respect them. You also need to respect their time,” says Holubar.
As an advisor visiting a hotel, it’s important to request a full property tour and not just “stay” there, she says.
“Go on site inspections and take pictures of all the rooms,” she recommends. “And then thank the people who are taking the time to bring you on the site inspections.”
At busy industry events, luxury travel advisors need to be proactive when it comes to meeting suppliers, says Potter. “If they don’t see you and they don’t know you, then there’s no possible way that you can establish that connection,” she says.
That means just walking up to a supplier and introducing yourself is the way to go, says Potter. And be conversational. Potter says suppliers have told her they enjoy it when an advisor asks questions about their property and tells them a little bit about themselves. Showing that you want to learn from the person you’re visiting with can go a long way and make you more memorable.
If a very large industry conference seems overwhelming, start small, says Holubar. A new advisor can go to regional meetings first and build up their sales before going to a larger event, where advisors are often vetted before being invited or hosted.
At all costs, be polite, says Holubar, who says suppliers have shared with her that advisors will sometimes show up for a planned meeting at networking events and inform them that they don’t sell them, and simply sit and read their phones for the next eight minutes.
“That really hurts their feelings,” she says. And the real point is, you never know if you’re going to need that supplier.
“Even if you don’t sell Africa at this moment, listen to who’s in front of you because you never know. Tomorrow, your clients may ask you to send them to Africa.”
At conferences, participate in all that’s planned, says Holubar. Attend the meetings, go to the evening events, and above all, if you’ve said you’re going to show up at a supplier event you’ve been invited to, show up.
“Respecting the people in our industry is one of the most beneficial ways of establishing these human connections. If there’s no respect, you can’t expect to have a successful business,” says Holubar.
Potter agrees: “We are part of the best industry in the world and it’s all about human connection. The friendships you make here will last you a lifetime.”
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