Luxury Travel Advisor - February 2008 - (Page 6) EDITOR'S LETTER What is Your Time Worth? H Most of you love to do what you do and may not necessarily be watching the clock as you're doing it. as all this talk of the sputtering economy got your head spinning? Whether we enter a recession this year or not, it’s dire that you make 2008 the year that you clearly assess how much your time is worth. I’m not just speaking of charging fees, but of actually clarifying how much time you are spending on each client. I heard this brilliant concept from Anne Morgan Scully, president of McCabe World Travel, while we were at Virtuoso’s Northeast Regional meeting in January (see page 77). Anne told me she is advising her agents to jot down how much time they spend on the phone with clients and how much time they spend researching their trips, just to keep a clear image in their minds of how much they were investing in each request. Companies, who graces our cover (with his pup, Nora) in this issue, points out that it’s important to determine why a client wants to travel. Bob says that there are times when a person will come up with a destination they want to visit because they don’t really know of a better alternative. As I’ve said before, good luxury travel advisors have to be good therapists, as well (another reason to charge for your consultation!). Is the client simply seeking R&R or is he trying to recover from some serious career burnout? Is he seeking to impress a new love or to repair his marriage? In each of these instances, the journey you prepare for your client should be quite different, with different obstacles cleared and various “wow” amenities offered. For more on Bob Malmberg, see page 48. Not a bad idea! Lawyers not only employ this practice, they also charge for every minute they’ve recorded. The reason I think this is a good practice for luxury travel advisors is that most of you love to do what you do and may not necessarily be watching the clock as you’re doing it. What you do with the information after you’ve recorded it is really your business. At the very least, it will help you weed out those clients, those “lookers not bookers” who really don’t come to the table with business of any substance. I learned something new this week, and that is that the Martin Luther King Day weekend is proving to be a popular time for girlfriend getaways. I heard it straight from Mark Grenoble, president of Enchantment Groups Spas and Resorts, which operates Mii Amo in Sedona, AZ. Mark, who visited us recently to let us know that Mii Amo is building a new destination resort in Punta Mita, Mexico (see page 54), surmises that it’s simply a good and simple time to break away from family and work obligations. So next year, when you’re planning holiday travel for your clients, be sure to tell them they need to reserve that third weekend in January for a luxury retreat! RUTHANNE TERRERO, CTC Editorial Director rterrero@questex.com Speaking of brilliant concepts, Bob Malmberg, president of Malmberg Travel 6 LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | February 2008
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