by John Frenaye
Monday May 16, 2016

As I write this, I just returned from an exhausting day of driving, eating, drinking, and mingling. In other words, I am escorting one of my group trips to a resort we frequent annually. Only I have not been here in more than a year and felt it was time to refresh my knowledge and re-connect with my clients on a personal, face-to-face level. And I am glad I did.

To remain competitive, properties must change. Over the past three years, this particular property has had a space that was under construction, which morphed into a conference center, and is now a state-of-the-art game room with a bowling alley. A lobby bar vanished. Their ski slope has been converted into a summer tubing slope. And, for…

“So instead of shouting at your prospects, what if you engage them in a conversation?”

Launch: An Internet Millionaire's Secret Formula To Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your Dreams — Jeff Walker, page 24

This strategy is all about “greasing” the skids and methodically preparing your prospects for the offering that will soon become available to them. In a true sense of the word, it involves “pull” marketing rather than the old fashion “push” marketing…

by Richard Earls
Saturday May 14, 2016

Slump? I ain't in no slump... I just ain't hitting. ~ Yogi Berra

I hope nobody told you the travel business was easy.

I spent last week in Ocho Rios at the Romance Travel Forum.  The travel professionals in attendance seemed upbeat about business prospects, affirming the general sentiment that pent-up demand for travel is taking hold of the general public. One agent, however, indicated things had not been going her way lately and everyone else's enthusiasm was just making her feel worse. Her business was down and she didn't know…

As VP of Marketing at Sky Bird Travel & Tours, Akshay Shah sees firsthand how airfare consolidators can benefit travel agents. With decades of experience, Akshay has helped Sky Bird evolve and remain competitive in an ever-changing and technologically-advancing environment. He is always conjuring up ways to help the travel agent grow their business. While his goal as a consolidator is to negotiate fares that give agents an edge, his goal as a leader is to help educate agents on current events and trends in the travel industry that will help them become a better resource, and therefore more valuable, to their clients. Akshay was president of the United States Air Consolidation Association and is an Honorary Associate…