Most people after listening to a skilled public speaker, leave feeling inspired. Minds abuzz with new ideas on how to put their own into action. It's a natural high, a feeling of excitement for what lies ahead, a feeling that they too can accomplish what they would like to. (*fist pump!)
But then they return home and sit at their laptops, perhaps feeling a bit overwhelmed wondering how to put all those great ideas into action, and business growth goes on the backburner.
Last week, record numbers of more than 300 travel agents and suppliers descended on the Majestic Elegance Costa Mujeres for The Travel Agent Next Door's annual conference. The week was filled with supplier presentations, training sessions, awards and guest speakers.
One of those speakers was Gary Gzik and there's a reason the motivational speaker has been a regular at The Travel Agent Next Door conferences the past few years - he's that good. The CEO of BixXcel and world class speaker gave two presentations to packed rooms last week.
In an interview with TravelPulse Canada at the conference, we asked Gzik to dive deeper into the advice he gave for agents in his presentation.
Gzik says that while change is important, it's equally important to not change all at once. Agents haven't gotten successful overnight, it's an accumulation of habits. Sometimes however, people need that "additional push" to move forward, which is where his insights are helpful.
"People aren't necessarily comfortable being vulnerable in front of other people and there's an accountability piece that goes with that," he explains.
"Change needs to be one thing at a time. We're in a world that was very difficult the last three years; now agents are overwhelmed with the amount of business they have. You have to work ON the business, not IN the business.
But to do that, you must carve out time."
Earlier in the day Gzik showed agents a simple template to achieve their goals. Take one thing, two maximum per week; something small to accomplish that when completed will help get the momentum started.
"Once agents see those accomplishments listed clearly in front of them and crossed off, you start to see positive change and can move to tackle the next thing on the list.
We all know, when we get back (from conference), you might have 10 things on your list but you're so busy, you won't do any of it, and then you'll fail, you then give up on it," he explains.
"Agents have so many great ideas from other agents, from workshops, from presenters; they need to write them all down but choose one each week. And then when that one's done, cross that off, go to the next one on the list and do it all again.
It doesn't take long - it's that old compounding interest philosophy."
TTAND President and Founder Flemming Friisdahl agrees, as we learned earlier during the week when we sat down to speak with him at the beginning of the conference.
"So many people stick to doing what they're comfortable with, because they're afraid to make a mistake and screw it up. That's the mistake - doing what you've always done just because you're scared to do something different."
Gzik says agents should focus on one very big component - and overall thread of the conference - relationships. The pandemic had a significant impact on everyone both professionally and personally and Gzik says it's important to maintain and grow those relationships to help generate new bookings.
"The easiest thing to do is to reconnect with what we've lost, to put our energy back into those relationships, which is why travel is booming right now," he explains. "Everybody wants to get back together and agents are enthusiastic because we see all that business coming."
"When you break it down you realize, success is in the little pieces that you do, just put one foot in front of the other."
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