As business owners, we wear many hats and face many challenges. The biggest challenge is customers. Finding them. Acquiring them. And in the end, understanding their needs, desires, and capabilities. It is a never-ending challenge. Recently I was on a dreaded* Zoom call with some colleagues brainstorming on ways to better understand our clients.  Here are several ways, if I can read my scribbles from my notes!

Today’s client is mobile in many ways. They are on the move, and they run their lives in the palm of their hands. Voicemail is nearly dead, so at a minimum, you need to be available by text. Take it a few steps further and add in a chat or video chat (Facetime, etc.) feature as well. Of…

People rationalize their buying decisions using the most precise logic. Once they have made a decision, a buyer can list all of the features that drove them to purchase. The reality, however, is that people make buying decisions in a large degree based not on logic, but on emotion - how they feel about the product and, more importantly, about you. That's why a good travel consultant must understand both the client's logical thinking process as well as their emotional make-up. At the end of the day, buying decisions are based on other than pure logic.

These baseline facts can create confusion for the travel counselor. Playing to people's emotions sounds like a cheap sales trick. However, it…

by Richard Earls
Sunday January 30, 2022

I know I have chosen a risky metaphor here, stick with me a bit.

Personally, I am a fan of interesting tattoos. I know that is not necessarily a shared preference. Body art is not for everyone and please do note my preference: interesting tattoos. I have certainly been exposed, to use a phrase, to some very bad…

It often amuses me how things come to be. Some favorable outcomes appear to fall right out of the sky without warning or merit. This, however, is more often the exception. Most positive outcomes are the result of some form of action. In other words, we are all basically responsible for our futures. As the ear-torn saying reminds us, “If it is to be, it is up to me.”

I remember the phone call. My good friend and speaking competitor shared his exciting memories from a recent European river cruise experience. He was literally “over the top” with good things to say. This single phone call fueled my interest, and motivated my writing a letter that would soon alter my life for the better.

A river cruise…