Tomorrow I am going to a program in my hometown called Ignite! Actually, I attended my first one last year, and I am going again to maybe work up my courage for next year! Ignite is (my definition) a very short TED Talk with a twist. You come up with a topic. You provide 20 slides to go with your presentation and you have 5 minutes to finish it with each slide advancing every 15 seconds. No pressure there huh? So what does that have to do with…

What would you try to do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

I bet you would try to do a lot more than you are currently attempting. If you couldn’t fail you would step outside of your comfort zone and try all sorts of new and exciting things.

Failure has a way to erode one’s self-confidence, and self-confidence is as delicate as a soft breath. It makes a huge difference between what we accomplish, and what we don’t attempt for fear of failing. Most people talk themselves right out of accomplishment and right into a more comfortable state of mediocrity. Why? Because they don’t think they can succeed. It is safe to maintain the status quo. Shunning failure seems like a logical choice. (It…

I often hear travel professionals complain they are making no sales from their websites. To my ear, the complaint, however, sounds a bit strange. If you are making “sales” from your website, I suspect you are using a booking engine or a search engine geared to supplier specials, much like Travelocity or Expedia. However, for personal travel consultants, a website is far more of a marketing tool than a sales tool.  The difference is an important one to consider.

Firstly, every website should be designed with the business model of the company behind it in mind. There is no “one site fits all” website. If your business model resembles that of Expedia, then you are gearing for great volumes with little personal client interaction. In this…

Joel Cohen is a travel industry veteran, having worked closely with the President of New York City Vacation Packages, Barry Tenenbaum, for over 40 years. Both an accomplished author and speaker, Joel Cohen has appeared at many travel industry events. He was once named the Who's Who of American Business Leaders, and with his customer first attitude it is no wonder why. Joel has helped to build great relationships with both travel agencies and industry suppliers. To find out more about Joel and New York City Vacation Packages, continue reading...