Jamie Biesiada
"Ready. Fire! Aim."
That sequence of commands is a bit mixed up from the more conventional "Ready. Aim. Fire!" but that is purposeful: Entrepreneurs like travel agents have to take unconventional action sometimes, according to Meredith Hill, founder and president of the Gifted Travel Network (GTN), who gave a TW Talk at Travel Weekly's CruiseWorld event in Fort Lauderdale earlier this month.
Hill shared two quotes during her TW Talk, which is a short, informative presentation by industry leaders, who this year were asked to share a favorite quote and talk about it. I shared several of them in last week's Insight and am featuring the remaining presentations this week. (To view the TW Talks, click here.)
Hill shared two quotes. The first: "Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is more people who have come alive," comes from author and philosopher Howard Thurman.
Before she founded GTN, Hill was a Wall Street bond analyst. She worked her way to a great position, had very intelligent co-workers and had a lot going for her, but she felt empty, "dead inside. I did not feel fulfilled," she said. She wanted to do something that "made me come alive," and so she turned to travel. She encouraged agents to take a leap into doing what they loved.
She also shared the quote "Ready. Fire! Aim," which she called more of a philosophy.
"If you do not employ 'Ready. Fire! Aim,' if you're not willing to take imperfect action, you're never going to get there," Hill said.
James Bovino, general manager of Independent by Liberty Travel, chose a quote from Walt Disney: "Whatever you do, do it well."
He shared his journey in the travel industry, one that has been filled with "passion and purpose," he said, calling them the two ingredients that ultimately lead to satisfaction and happiness.
After watching his mother plan several childhood vacations, Bovino got permission at 12 years old to book a family trip to Disney. He loved it and planned family trips for years; travel became a passion for him.
Bovino graduated from college with a degree in business administration, then went on to hold several jobs and earn a master's degree before he landed a job at Flight Centre Travel Group. It was where his passion and purpose aligned, he said.
He urged agents to find passion and purpose in both their personal and professional lives, which will ultimately help them better serve their clients.
Jenn Lee, Travel Planners International's vice president of sales and marketing, shared a quote she said she has read on an almost daily basis for the last 15 years.
It comes from author and inspirational speaker Marianne Williamson: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone, and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
The message, Lee said, is that "playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people feel insecure around you."
Often, industry leaders share sales strategies with agents, she said, like "don't sell out of your own pocketbook" or "if you don't ask, you don't get."
They're great pieces of advice, but they don't matter if an agent is still shrinking themselves, Lee said. For instance, she said, an agent might say they booked a honeymoon; but she said that is the equivalent of kick-starting the first years of a marriage. Booking a seven-night Caribbean cruise is giving an opportunity for a family of four to spend time together and bond.
"I want you to turn to each other and say, 'We make an impact,' right now," she said, getting a good response from agents in the audience.
"So why in the hell are you selling inside cabins?" she concluded, drawing laughs.