I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. Specialize, specialize, specialize.  Okay, that was three times, but you get the point.

I recently spoke at both the New York Times and Boston Globe Travel Shows about creating a niche. It was very encouraging to have so many agents come up to me afterwards and say “I started concentrating on a few destinations I’m really passionate about and my sales and referrals have increased dramatically.”

It takes time to specialize, just like any transition. However, I can tell you consumers are looking for specialists for their trips, not generalists.  Imagine a customer looking for a yacht cruise in the Greek islands.  Do you think that customer wants to book with anyone? Or an agent who can “book anything for anyone”? No. They want someone who went to Greece themselves recently.  Someone who knows the best yacht-cruise line. Someone who can recommend not only the right ship on which to sail, but the right time of year and the right cabin type.  They also want someone who can passionately describe how clear the water is, how hot the black sand is on Santorini AND the sumptuous taste of the fresh octopus at their favorite seaside restaurant on Mykonos.  Get it? They want someone, frankly, who can offer information that can’t be pulled up on the internet in a few clicks.  They want someone with personal experience. They want an expert. For this, they’ll even gladly pay a service fee.

So, if you find yourself telling people “I can help you with that” no matter what the destination, stop it.  Pick a few destinations or pick a travel type and concentrate on those. Haven’t been there in a while yourself?  Jump on a fam fast.  Need help?  Need co-op marketing funds? Talk to your suppliers. As long as you have a real plan, have experience and passion, they’ll be more than happy to assist.

Finally, have you earned your CTC from the Travel Institute?  Consumers are looking for validity in credentials. The CTC, in my opinion, is your best option, not to mention the other destination specialist courses they offer. 

Happy selling.