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"Confidence, Connection & Conversions: Why Listening is Key in Travel Sales"

Ros: Hey, everybody, welcome back to the Travel Agent Achievers podcast. It's Ros here and today I am joined by a very special guest, Nicole O'Sullivan from Bird's Eye View Consulting. I am thrilled that she's here. You may be thinking, Ros, what is Bird's Eye View Consulting and who is Nicole O'Sullivan? So let me just tell you a little bit about her because she is somebody that I've met over the last 12 months and have been following very closely, but she is an absolute powerhouse. She helps travel professionals master sales without feeling salesy. Right. And I know you get this because you might struggle with asking for a sale or coming up with your sales process, but with over two decades of experience, which includes 17 years with Flight Centre, now you've got to be good at sales to be with them, right? And then also spending six years in the US with the Flight Centre group coaching on this particular topic, she has absolutely transformed the way that travel advisors connect, sell, and grow their businesses. She brings practical psychology-based strategies that make selling feel really natural, which we all want. And also to ensure that advisors like you and I not only book more travel bookings, but we also build lasting client relationships. That one thing we all want and we know and we love is bringing more repeat referrals into our own travel business. Nicole, Nick, welcome to the Travel Agent Achievers podcast.

Nicole: Thank you so much. It's such an honour to be on your amazing podcast to begin with. So thank you. And likewise, I've been following you for a while now as well. And yeah, I think when we first met, it was like, I feel like I've known you my whole life, so it's great.

Ros: That's right. I mean, that was, I think it was in person. We met for the first time only just over six months ago, I think now, at a conference. Yeah, Beyond Borders. So the AFTA conference that I was emceeing and we were there together and mixing and mingling with everybody, I mean, that was so much fun. It was great to see you there. And it's like you've just come in and I'm like, this is awesome. The topic that you talk about, sales, obviously it is something very close to your heart. You spent 17 years with Flight Centre, six of that being in the US as a sales coach. I mean, I want to pick your brains on how that all came about. And like, tell me more about what it's like being in the US in a travel environment and particularly over the time that you were there. But what are some of the biggest lessons that you learned from that? And can you give us a bit about your background and how that even all came about?

Nicole: Absolutely. Well, I think travel, I think that's one thing that every single listener on this podcast has got in common—we love travel, right? And I think at an early age, I just got my wings and off I went, and you get the travel bug. And so of course, I was destined to be in this amazing industry. So I guess for me, my time at Flight Centre has honestly been really instrumental in shaping the way I approach sales coaching and what I'm doing today. I think spending six years in the US has been particularly eye-opening because I got to really see firsthand how sales techniques need to adapt to different cultures and nuances as well. Like, I feel like being a travel agent in Australia, then going to America and being a wholesale agent just gave me a little bit of a different perspective.

Ros: Are we different?

Nicole: A little bit. I think Australians are great at geography. I'm just going to leave that there.

Ros: That was actually one of my favourite subjects going through to the final years of school—geography. So I completely agree with you. You have to have a love of good geography to be in the travel industry.

Nicole: And looking at the map behind you, I think we just have a really good sense of where things are around the globe. So I think the biggest lesson for me is that sales is never about product knowledge. And I think that we think that people need to feel like we know everything, but it's actually just about people connection. That's what sales is all about. And so understanding the real psychology behind why people buy and how people make decisions and what truly drives their choices has been a real game changer. Because when I listened to calls in my role in the US, it was so patterned. Like, that's probably the best way I can describe it. It was like reading code. Every call—I could pause and go, they're going to say this, you're going to say that, they're going to say that. And the outcome is no booking or the outcome is they're actually going to book. And it was like prediction. I could predict it within an inch, sometimes even word for word. And I was like, okay, far out. This is actually kind of cool. So that's what really got me to do what I'm doing today. That's where Bird's Eye View Consulting was born. Because it's really about going, let's take a bit of a bird's eye view from this conversation and understand that everybody has a story and everybody has a journey. And when you actually take time to find out about the journey, you find out so much, right? And I think that one of the lessons that I've learned is that the best salespeople aren't the ones with the best pitch. They're the best listeners. And that is what makes a salesperson thrive. So I love guiding people to understand and uncover conversations that really matter to their clients. So I think it's interesting, right? We get taught so many things through school, what's right from wrong, but we don't really get taught how to listen properly. Like, it's a skill that is. It's a fine tune, you know, like, if you look at an orchestra, they're designed to tune in an instrument to the inch of its life so that it all sounds the same. But how do we do that for ourselves around? How do we quieten down when we need to quieten down? How do we respond to what someone said that stuff? And that's what I've absolutely loved and thrive in. So, yeah, that's what I like, the.

Ros: Listening aspect of things, and I really want to dive into that. But something that you said before, that, sales isn't necessarily about your product knowledge. It's more about the people. And just on that, as a travel professional myself and working in the industry for a long period of time, I agree it's around the people. But as an advisor, there are times that somebody will ask me about something and I will feel less than if I don't have that product knowledge of a particular thing. Like, it just came up for me today, and I was having, one of those brain moments that I'm like, this is something that I should know, but it has escaped me. And I had to ask a friend and I was like, I feel really silly because of this. And I'll be completely honest with you, it was about Venice. I'm like, surely I should know about Venice. Why isn't it coming to me, right? Why isn't this brain and the particular hotels that I was thinking? But it was, I felt really less than because I couldn't recall that information on a particular city. Now remembering, we deal with the world, all continents know everything, from the Arctic to Antarctica and everything in between, right? Down to their cities. But as an advisor, that I would go, is Sal not about being the, the most knowledgeable? Is it around the human? And so for you saying listening, absolutely. I completely agree. It's the people and the people who are selling or the people who are listening and promoting certain things. But you mentioned that it's never just about product knowledge. Do you think that there is more of a cross or is it okay to have those less than feelings?

Nicole: Oh, absolutely. You cannot have been to every hotel, you can't have been to every country, you can't have been on every airline. And I think that thats where the technique comes in, is its going. You are still the expert, right? No matter what. Like, you've got to put yourself in that you have a superpower. You guys have like to be able to have it. Like you are, a planner, right? You plan people's trips to every minute of the day. And that is a skill that not everybody has. So that's a superpower. And so that's why people come to you, because they can't do that. They can research it, the cows come home, but they don't know how to put it all together. That's why you guys exist, right? So the thing is that when you know that about your superpower, what you need to start to remember is even if you don't know, you still let the customer know that, hey, I can't have known everything. So, the thing is, like, how you phrase it is, that is a really great question. And you know what? I actually have not ever had that question before. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to look into that right now for you and I'm going to get back to you about that question because, wow, that's a ripper. I'm going to really look into that, right? Because then the customer doesn't feel doubt that you don't know what you're doing and you don't have the experience. It's going, oh, I feel kind of cool that I've asked them, I've given them a question that they've never heard of before.

Ros: That's amazing how you turn that around. Because what I said to the client, and it was about a different, place, it wasn't Venice. It was something different that I haven't ever experienced. I said, I haven't been to that specific city before. Like a tiny little village up in the Dolomites. So I said, I haven't been to that specific village before. Let me ask somebody that I know has recently been there on a different experience. And I will come back to you.

Nicole: Yeah, it's all about how you frame it.

Ros: I felt really good about that.

Nicole: Great. And I'm sure they did too because now they're like, oh, fab. She also knows something. And I think that's the thing, especially for those of us have been in the industry a long time. Lean into that experience, lean into your network. You're better together. Even if you work by yourself, you're better with the network that you've created around you. because that's again, I've had customers stand and look at the map and go, I want to go here. And I go, oh great. I'd love to go there too. If you've never been there, I'm not booking with you. Great. That's sales. You're not going to win everybody. Right. And that's okay. Maybe we're not a good fit anyway. And fine. Some people are going toa have that as a value that they need someone that has actually been. But even if you've actually been to the same place as someone, doesn't necessarily mean you like the same things.

Ros: Yeah, so if we then look at the product side of things and now the people side of things and the listening. I love that you just touched on values ca because this is something that we're talking about inside the achievers and for an advisor to be determining what their purpose values are and also their business values. I don't think that they do it enough in actually understanding what are the business values as well as personal values. And so hearing you say that from a people perspective, then it's okay for people to make their own choices and to go elsewhere and that could be part of their values. Do you think that starting with understanding yourself and your values needs to be important to start with?

Nicole: Yeah, absolutely. You've also got your non negotiables right? Like what are you willing to do and not do? What are you willing to be paid and not paid? So you've got to have your standards and you've got to have your what are your non negotiables in your business? And when someone starts to colour out of the lines with that space, you go, that's okay, we're not the right fit. I can recommend so someone so for you if you like, or you know, maybe there's a better fit over here and this is where your network is really important because you know, yeah, you're not going toa win everybody. And don't try to because sometimes they're not actually the right fit for you anyway. Right. Don't ever book your family. Let's be honest about that. Nightmare else. t exactly.

Ros: I hear you with the values and I do think that they can change over time. So a lot of mobile and home based advisors, it was the thing I want to say maybe 10 years ago, probably even up until before the pandemic, that as an advisor it felt really good and also the clients loved it to say, I am available 24 7. I remember that it was like, oh yeah, I'm available and if you need me I will pick up the phone. Whereas now I think there's a lot more boundaries that are put in place. And so to be able to be very clear with that, and this is where we can talk about the communication and listening and stuff is being really clear to say, hey, I don't work weekends, unless of course you're travelling and something happens, I'll be there and available for you. However, to protect my own space, I'm out.

Nicole: Yeah, yeah, 100%. And I think we were touching on this last time we were chatting. But you know, it all comes down to expectations. So if anyone that's listening right now, if you're out for a walk or anything doing when you get home, please write this down. It is no plus manage equals meat. And this is all revolves around expectations. The reason why people get frustrated around things not being met, around what they expect to happen, is because we have assumed that they know, right? They know what's expected, they know when your documents are due, they know that when they get off the flight and they've got a transit somewhere else, that we just assume that they know what to do. And so when a flight cancels and something happens, like you've got to remember that unless there'a repeat client of yours that you've worked with for years and they know you and you know them and even then you still can't take expectations for granted. You still got to make sure that you know them and you're managing the expectation because otherwise no one gets met. The expectations never get met. And so this is where complaints happen. This is where objections come because know if it's a price objection, it's because we didn't ask the expectation at the beginning. And if you get squeamy about asking a budget question, you have to ask it like you have to know because otherwise you're just working your guts out putting the best way to describe it is. I'm sure we all are. MasterChef fans. Right? I know I am. The best way to describe it is if you walked into a MasterChef pantry with all the lights off. But your task is to. To make the most incredible tasting dish in the world. Right? You walk in and you can't even see your hands in front of you and you're trying to grab ingredients to try and put this together and you don't know what you're grabbing. Right? Because I haven't asked the right questions, I haven't listened to what it is that I need. And because I can't see, I'm, now just going to just wing it and hope that what I'm putting together works and tastes good. So when you're actually delivering the product and recommending to the customer, theyre re going to take a bite and go.

Ros: Oh, that wasn't what I was thinking I wanted.

Nicole: Yeah, this is what happens. And so this is why we get frustrated at the customer going, far out, man. I just did so much work for that. And you didn't buy, or you went online and booked it somewhere else, or you went to my competitor. Damn you. But actually take some time to reflect on that and go, bloody hell, did I just put a recipe together with not the right ingredients in it? And is that why it didn't taste good? Because that's honestly what expectations are about. You've got to ask good questions. And this is why listening for me when I do mystery calling to businesses, we just don't listen anywhere near enough that we should.

Ros: When you say we don't listen enough, M what do you think, are some of the things or the reasons like why are we not listening? How do you define what is enough and what.

Nicole: Yeah, I think what happens is that we, we have to listen to do what we need to do in the motion of booking a trip. Right. So we need to know what travel dates are, we need to know how many people are travelling, we need to know all of the things, how many nights, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, all the details. So when you're like, it's kind of like hearing to process. Does that make sense? Like you're kind of listening to do a task?

Ros: Yeah. So it's like, ok, what are the dates? What saying about where they want to stay? How long do they want to stay for? Are they looking for certain things? Are they looking for it near the water? Are they looking for a city centre? Like, you're listening for the detail.

Nicole: We're hearing to process, hearing to go, what do I need? What do I need to put in. What do I hear? What do I put in? So we're listening on a different frequency. 'listening for the cues that we need to pop into the computer to spit out a price, to spit out a package, whatever that may be. But when you're truly listening, you're actually listening for tone of the customer, emotion, motivations, and un so sort of concerns. Like, when you're really dialled in, like, really dialled in. Like, the things that you hear will blow your mind. Like, blow your mind. It's like if was if a customer calls me and says, hi, Nick. I'm just looking. me and my sister are going to see Taylor Swift in Sydney. And so I was wondering if you could, have a look at what sort of flights are available. And I go, yeah, great. So what date to the concert? Like, how exciting. And I hear some of it, right. But I go into process mode, right. When are the dates? What, you know, what I missed was, yeah, she's going with. I'm going with my sister. And if I didn't think that my sister was worth valuing and saying in that moment, I wouldn't have said it. So why don't we speak about the sister? Oh, so you and your sister going, what's your sister's name? Just that. Yeah. And M change the whole flow of that conversation. Oh, her name's Beck. Oh, great. Do you and Beck go to concerts a lot? No, this is our first ever won. See how it just completely changes the whole. Like, have a chat first before you jump into the detail. Because the chat, you'find so many golden nuggets in that. That can help you build rapport, build relationship. The more people like you, the more they'll buy from you. Simple. Like, that's it. That's the magic formula. Build rapport. Listen. Yeah, rapport.

Ros: Gosh. I'm just thinking of phone call that I had with a client, and she said to me, I justnna feel like I'm skipping through the countryside with a baguette and my picnic basket. I had a little bit of a chuckle, but I was like, I can imagine that. And I can so see you doing that, going to this particular city. I don't think you're gonna get it because it's like, millions of people. You're notnna be in the countryside. But if we, like, move things slightly. Have you thought ofah in a countryside?

Nicole: Right, Great. And see anything?

Ros: I wouldn't have blazed over that.

Nicole: Which sometimes we do, Right. We just miss what truly matters. Like, it's funny, like, you can have five customers go to the Gold coast and different inquiries, but every single one of them is different. Everyone 5 Barali holidays in a row. And you're like, seriously, why am I getting Bali at the moment? But it's like, yeah, but what is one destination for one is so different to every other one that you get. And it's because. And this is going to get really psychological, so I'm just going to jump in here and go. Our brain has filtration system like you wouldn't believe. It goes through it deletes, it distorts and it, generalisess information that we get. So my brother is a police officer, right? And when I say to him, he gets frustrated when three key witnesses witness the exact same crime but all have different statements. Yeah, right. Because it's how we listen. Every single person has gone through an experience and a journey in their life where that's whatever their values are, whatever their beliefs are, whatever their, past experiences were, whatever their political beliefs are. Lots of things, right, that can distort how we information that we get through. So when you're listening to a customer explain what's going on for them, it's important for you to try really hard to try and understand their way of seeing the world. What is your view? If I was to look through, if I was to get behind your eyes. And so that's where values come in, that's where all those things come out because they're expressing as best they can now. Some are better than others, like really giving you detail and giving you painting that picture. And some are very vague, right? And you've got a really, you know, juice the lemon, you know, come on, what else can I get here? but you know, at the end of the day, like, you're asking questions because you. The more you know, what happens is that you don't have to go into. Straight into the computer mode. Your brain just goes, I know exactly what they want. I know exactly how to make this come alive. That's the magic. What you guys do is that you are literally like dream makers, right? Like, you make dreams come true. What people imagine, what their holiday is, you make it happen. But the only way you do that is by really understanding what it is that they feature and envision and think about. And if they've never been to a destination before, this is why it's really good to ask questions. Where have you been before? Like, tell me what it is that you loved about that trip and what I did not like about that trip because, you know, if they go to Venice and they don't like boats, huh? Just you just reminding you that that's gonna be a little bit like what you said that that last holiday was gonna be like. So now they can understand because they can relate it to an experience they've already had versus, oh, you can go and do this and do that. And they're like, I don't know what you mean because I've never done it before.

Ros: Why do you think we don't as advisors? I mean, I could easily say time, but why do you think. And from your experience, especially from a sales coaching perspective, why do you think that advisors may not get this right every time or may not extract that information to get to the core of exactly what is going to be the most amazing trip for those clients?

Nicole: Well, let's be honest. We've probably been doing this a lot in our life. We've had a lot of inquiry in our time. And so you create your own script in your head about the things that you need to know and the things that you need to ask. And so doing that repetitively over and over and over, you get into a groove of how you do it. Now, some clients come easier than others, and some you got to work a little bit harder. But I think we just get into that thing. And when you do refer back to your brain, it's called a, neuro superhighway. When you create a pathway that's easy to remember and do you just do it without even thinking about it? And so when you try and do something a little bit different, it doesn't feel natural, it feels clunky. You feel like a bit of a goose, and you're like, oh, I don't know if this really is the way that I'd like to say it, but just try because, like, it does change the game. You've got to stay fresh, you've got to stay relevant. And I guess the thing at the moment, too is that Post Covid customers are way more, savvy with research, right? They've got chatGPT at their fingertips. They've got all of the information. And this is the thing to go. Don't be scared of AI. Lean into it. Use it as a tool. But at the end of the day, guess what, guys? They're calling you and they're reaching out to you because human connection still matters. And the only thing that AI cannot do yet is build emotional connection, right? Really show that you Care, because honestly that's what's gonna get your bookings across the line. Not the information that you know 100%.

Ros: I agree. So that's mastering the art of listening and then being able to perfect the recommendations that you're giving to the client. So part of these processes here, the other thing that I really wanna touch on, I am conscious of time for everybody listening. We want you to be out for your walk or your trip to the school or wherever you are at the moment. But it's in the. You're asking for the sale, right? You've offered the package, you've given out the details to the client. One thing that I hear over and over again is about the follow up process. So, mastered the art of listening. You got your recommendations, you've delivered it to the client and you and I could talk for a whole session, I am sure, on delivering the information to the client and how to ask for the sales. I'm not gonna touch on it here. That is something, something that I think we should do inside the Achievers Mastermind, which I know you're gonna be a guest expert in in May, which will be amazing. But it's the follow up, right?

Nicole: Yeah, totally.

Ros: Because I hear advisors that say, oh, I sent an email and I didn't hear back from them. So I then sent them a follow up e email a week later just saying, hey, have you got this? I didn't hear back from them. So now I think they just, they're going elsewhere so they make all these assumptions. And then just recently I had an advisor say to me, oh, and then I fe up with a phone call but they didn't answer the phone call so I assumed it is a lost sale and I moved on to the next one. Yeah, it blew my mind. That was like it was given up so easily. And how I referred to that from my perspective is from sales. If somebody calls me and leaves me a message and I don't get back to them, I'm busy.

Nicole: Right?

Ros: If they send me an email and I haven't responded to it, I often will respond in my head. I know that that's not a good thing, but I'm responding in my head and I'm like, yeah, cool, I'll get back to it. If they don't call me again, it is completely a lost sale because it is something that I want potentially or I have asked for. It just isn't the right time or they've caught me at a bad time and then I've forgotten about it and moved on to the next thing and I haven't had a chance to call them back unless it's a doctor's appointment, then I'll call them. But ah, anything else, I want to be followed up until I'm like this isn't actually going to work for me or now is not the right time, give me a call in six months. Ah, what do you get from four advisors and in that whole follow up process.

Nicole: Yeah, well I think too again doing the mystery calling, I think there's a big gap where it's going. It all comes back down to that equation about expectations. If you haven't set an expectation then you can't assume the customer to know when you're going to call, when you're going to email, what to expect, any of that. Right. So the most important thing about the end process, if they haven't paid you money or a deposit yet, it's about setting the expectation. Great, so when's the best time that I can follow this up with you? And then this is where you can create urgency and get a bit creative and we can maybe dive into that a little bit later next time. But it's going. So the next step is, is that I will call you on Monday and the best time for me to call you is and they go 3:00. Great, I'll call you at 3:00. It's in my calendar. and what I need from you then Ros, is to have your passports ready as names ready so I can get your things ready. I'm going to need the X amount of dollars for the flights so that we can make sure that we don't lose the seats. So you're actually telling them what the call is about so that they know one, when you're calling and two what to expect in that call. It actually helps you be in more control of your business because if you're going I call it the here you go, let me know. Right, Here you go, let me know. You let me know when you're ready to book. No, no, no, I'm ready to book it today. You need to check with so and so. Fine, that's absolutely a valid reason, but can we even try and get a commitment today? And here's why. Because if we don't I can't guarantee the seats and the next available price is an extra $700 more and I would hate for you to have to pay $700 more when it's already this price today. So it gives them that expectation to put the ball in their court to go to your call now. You now know what's happening and I'm in control of what's going on because you're the expert, not them. So I think it's just really being clear. Yeah. And confident and clear. Yeah. What's the next steps? And don't assume that they know because they don't.

Ros: Yeah, I've been hearing you just say let me know. I think that that is something that is natural language for an advisor because we've delivered all of this amazing stuff and information and we've spent hours working on it or the different suggestions and ideas are there. The only times that I feel as though there's this sense of urgency and this can be completely honest is that when it's a flight ticket that's going to expire and that is the urgency that's delivered from the supplier, to us as an advisor that we have to get that commitment. So looking at it, the timeframe can obviously extend depending on what it is that you're booking for somebody or you can go and hold stuff and all the rest of it. But in that follow up setting that commitment and the expectation also find that advisors get scared to follow up with people.

Nicole: Yeah, of course. It's that natural fear of rejection. Right. What if they say no? Well you know what, I just say to myself, what's the worst that could happen if they say no? Then they say no. Okay, great, you know what, move on. If they don't value who you are and what you bring, then that's the customer's loss at the end of the day. And if know I think you've gotta look at it as don't take it so personally. Just remember that you don't get paid on the amount of quotes you type. Right. You get paid on what converts. And so you've got to give it every chance that you can to make sure that it converts. And when you're in the control seat, remember they called you. You didn't stand on a corner with a sign and say hey, heard that you're thinking about a vacation, give me a call. Like that didn't happen.

Ros: Right.

Nicole: So they're interested and they want, they're shopping for who's going to make them feel like they really care. That's honestly what's happening.

Ros: The consumers buy based on feelings.

Nicole: Yeah. 100% do. It's a proven fact. Left brain, right brain selling. 80% of decisions made in a buying situation is made by emotion fact. Right. They back it up with logic later. Oh shit. Could I have afforded that? That's what it is. It's that emotional tug, of war. But what we'buy is emotions, not facts. So they need to know facts to make the decision. So it's an equal balance. When you're presenting left brain, right brain, left brain, right brain, pictures, images, all the things they will based on how you make them feel and how they can imagine themselves in that situation or how they can picture where they're going and how they're gonna feel when they're there.

Ros: That's what sells and that's also in the details. I think if you're delivering information about a destination, you've got three different hotel options actually appealing into their emotion as well as practical with. Here's some pretty pictures. This is why I recommend it and why I believe this would'be a good fit because you said this, this and this ha. On this would work really, really well for you. But being able to present the three options and what I see time and time again is advisors that will just go, here's three different hotels. It'sar 500, 400, $300 a night and that's it. And I think there is no emotion in that. And how is the consumer then expected to purchase based on really, you know, very minimal information. And I hear there, I think there are some great companies out there that do it well. And I'm thinking of a cruise line in my head who their sales team member said to me, roz, we always sell from the top down. Why do you sell from the top down? I was really fascinated by it. And it was around the emotion and the experience.

Nicole: Yeah, totally.

Ros: Of those top tiered sweets and categories and all the enticing inclusions and appealing to that brain right of the consumer. Sure you, there might have been other hurdles for me to go, oh my God, it's a $250,000 cabin. I may not do that, but there are certain things in there that I think really appeal to the consumer and it's up to the advisor to understand these sorts of things. So that's a left brain right Behindind, there's a lot of psychology behind sales. And then I think it's also in the wording. Do you think that there are particular words that we use, like let me know that we just need to drop from our vocabulary.

Nicole: The easiest one to give you an example of is when you say to someone, what do you think that's left brain, right. You're going straight to logic what do they think about it? Versus if you just say, how does that sound? Or how does that feel? Right brain. So it's just the change of words. Same thing, different word, different side of the brain that you're engaging. So it's think left, right is feel right. So say, how does that feel? How is that feeling to you? Is that feeling good? And bang on with what you said. When you said, When you told me at the start about how you and the kids. What was it? Johnny and Emma. So imagine when Johnny and Emma are at this point that you've got to use what they've said at the beginning in your pitch because that is what gets them. Ye, absolutely. Because they are, all in the right brain there, all in the imagining someone who they value absolutely out of this world. That's where the sweet spot is. And again, if you don't hear that at the beginning, you miss that opportunity at the end. And that's why they might not connect by.

Ros: Oh, there is so much, so much when it comes to sales. You know, we are. And right back to what we were talking about at the beginning. Product versus people as an advisor, our expectations on our sel, that we need to know so much about so many different things. We are bombarded by product every single day. But if we don't work on ourselves as the seller, but as the human and the person, then you're not going to actually get very far because you cannot connect with the clients that are out there that are looking for the experts like you as the travel professional.

Nicole: Yeah, they know the product guys. The end of the day, they've researched the shit out of it. They know m what they want. The end of the day, it's not what sell the product is only a part of the equation. Right. They can book it online themselves, they can do it all themselves, but they don't. They're coming to you because they need help, they need validation and they need celebration. And that is what AI cannot do. so that's where you've got to lean into your expertise around that. And even if you don't know, just sound confident that it's a great bloody question and you're going to find the answer. And you've got a network that's so deep that you can absolutely find out any place in the world. That's unbelievable. Right? Like no one else can offer that. No. Yeah. Just value. You guys. You bloody rock stars.

Ros: I love that travel agents are rockstars. The whole industry, I think we go through so much and we're very resilient and we know a lot of different things about all the sorts of different things. But sales is so incredibly important. So Nick, I know that you have your sales academy up and you're launching and from your years of experience in the industry and also in sales, I mean what is, what are you preparing, what are you doing for us?

Nicole: Well it's very exciting. I've been working on this for a long time and I feel like I've got a Mary Poppins bag full of tips and tricks. So I've done two things. First thing I've done is a self paced course which will launch later on in the year which will be for any salesperson. It's not specifically designed for travel but it's anybody in sales. So it's really robust, quiet in the weeds and you can really get some goodness out of it which is really exciting. It's basically 20 years worth of stuff in a modules and then I've got my group coaching that I'm trialling starting the 1st of April which is really exciting. It's very frame based so there's lots of goodness in there. We go through, there's a good community around you, we talk about sales, sales, sales, sales and just really good tips on how you can increase your trips, increase more of your bookings and feeling more confident and it does a lot of mindset stuff. I really dive into psychology and really help you to know yourself so that you can really navigate the customer really, really well. So yeah, I'm super pumped about it. I think it's gonna be really fun. And then once I've tried that I'm going to start my private coaching, concepts as well. So yeah, lots coming, lots in the pipeline coming.

Ros: So understanding these things that we've spoken about today for the advisors and those, I think everybody needs to check it out. It's going to be sales academy Travel is the website or we will link to everything in our show notes as well. Have a look for Nicole O. Sullivan who is on all the social media platforms as well. She's in all of those great places. Follow along. She gives tips and tools and resources and those sorts of things on all of her social media as well. And I know that Nick, you want to really get into the weeds with people, help them with you know, who they are, how they can connect but in particular getting over some of the hurdles that we might struggle with as advisors from a human element because it is down to the people and Then presenting your offers. It's a psychological. It's the written word. It's coming up with what to say and how to say it and get over yourself. I often say it's the shit talker that's sitting on your shoulder that will hold you back from certain things. but getting rid of that fear and taking the leap. And I really want to encourage everybody to spend some time on sales because if you don't have sales, you do not have a Andurbe.

Nicole: Without customers, what do you do? Yeah, need customers and to read them really well and to get them to. For you to be more in the control seat instead of vice versa. It just makes. Oh my God, your life is just going to feel so free and so great and yeah, you'll just smash it. So even more than what you already are. So it's just sharpening tools, right? Like if we don't keep getting a tune up, we just start running flat. It's just constantly learning and constantly evolving. And if you're not investing in yourself, like I have a coach, you have a coach, we have mentors, we have all the things around us. And I think it's just surround yourself with people that are really going to boost you and not bring you down. Don't validate your bullshit excuses because we do have them and I have them and you have them probably Ros. And it's like. But when you have someone to call you out on it and help support you and not just call you out on it, but actually go, let's try this instead. It just really puts you in such a powerful position. So it's very exciting.

Ros: It is exciting. Well, thank you, Nicole.

Nicole: Thank you.

Ros: Today on the Travel Agent Achievers podcast, there is so much more to come. I know that you and I are gonna be travelling the world together. I've already said that to you. Let's go to this event together. Let's do that together. There is so much more greatness that is gonna come from know you and I working together, but also being able to help the industry and the travel advisors globally. There is just so much that we wanna do to ensure that we have a robust industry and the right people moving forward. We wanna grow everybody from the ground up.

Nicole: Absolutely.

Ros: The last thing that I just want to say to everybody here is—remember what Nick has said. You get paid on what converts. So sales, sales, sales. It's your number one thing that you need to be focused on right now. Get those bookings in, get them converting, find out who you are, your values, and make sure that you keep an eye out for all the great things that are happening in the future. And thanks so much, Nicole, for being here.

Nicole: Thank you for having me. It's been really great. And thanks to all the listeners. You're doing amazing things yourself, mate. I love it. I love this industry so much. It's the best.

Ros: It is the best. We've got such great humans. All right, well, thank you, everybody, for listening in today. We will speak to you very, very soon. Keep an eye out, check the show notes for all the details, and we'll talk soon. Bye for now.

Nicole: Bye.