For those that have read this column for years, this will come as no surprise. I am a huge fan of email marketing. I believe, that if done right, it can be the most effective weapon in your arsenal.

Email marketing is a great tool for customer acquisition and retention. However, many email newsletters get a bad rap because they're often seen as spam, are sent too frequently or never reach the intended audience. All things that you need to think about. Consider this:

Customer intelligence. What is the purpose of creating an email newsletter? If you made the unilateral decision that your customers needed a newsletter, I might think again—or at least think some…

Stacey Ray is the CEO and founder of Groupit Travel and Groupit Travel Host Agency, the only host agency in the US to specialize in group travel. She is a veteran traveler having been to almost 70 countries and has sailed more than 50 times ranging from 5 days to 6 weeks onboard. She is a certified Destination Wedding & Honeymoon Specialist and also certified by the The Gay Wedding Institute for same-sex destination weddings. Stacey is proud to be a Certified Luxury Travel Specialist and to lead our Certified Accessible Travel Advocate agency. Stacey has been an invited as a fully-hosted buyer to the Global Travel Marketplace, ILTM (International Luxury Travel Marketplace), ITE (Incentive Travel Exchange), CruiseWorld and…

The year is slipping by quickly. The holiday of the autumnal equinox, traditionally called Harvest Home, comes to us all in September. Long ago, humanity lived by such agricultural markers. But your clients, and all of the potential clients "out there," have their own schedules. They travel when they are ready. Their travel plans have nothing to do with your preparations, business plans, or agendas. But someday, Ms. Client will look at Mr. Client and say something like, "Let's go to Ireland off-season this year."  Before they next think of price or plans or preparations, will your clients' thoughts turn to you?

Too often, we treat marketing like it's a bag of "tricks" and techniques. Sales down? Better start…

“What we have here is a failure to communicate.” This familiar quote was taken from the movie Cool Hand Luke starring Paul Newman (1967).

Communication, when properly executed requires a “sender” and a “receiver.” Most people are pretty good at “sending.” Where the ball is dropped is when it comes to “receiving,” or listening.

Starting today, you must give this element of the communication process (listening) more than just lip service. You have to actually hear what other people are saying, and make every effort to interpret what is being…