Travel Agent - March 31, 2008 - (Page 146) BUSINESS OPER ATIONS AGENT PROFILE Kathy M. Bedell A good listener is a good agent BY JOE PIKE IF YOU ASK SUCCESSFUL TRAVEL INDUSTRY VETERAN KATHY M. BEDELL WHAT AN AGENT’S MOST IMPORTANT tools are, she won’t point to a BlackBerry, an iPhone, a sleek Dell notebook or an office with a skyline view. Rather, the 25-year veteran and senior vice president of BCD Travel in Atlanta will point to either side of an agent’s head. Yes, the ears. It makes sense, right? After all, a man or woman who doesn’t listen in a relationship will eventually get the “we can still be friends” line. Why should it be any different for your clients? If you don’t listen to them, they will walk. Judging by Bedell’s success and her agency’s recent recognition as one of Classic Vacations’ top producers, she’s been putting those eardrums to good use. “In today’s environment, the good agent is one who listens to the customer, understands what he or she wants and makes the appropriate recommendations accordingly,” she told Kathy Bedell and her husband Tom Neeme at a recent Classic Vacations top-producers event in Honolulu Travel Agent. “Listen. Do what you say you are going to do. It is all about service. Listen to what your customer is saying. It will go a long way for a continued relationship. Follow up with a note, and keep in touch after the sale.” Bedell began her travel career in a senior management role with a strong focus on developing corporate sales. Currently, as a senior vice president with BCD Travel and previous agency owner, she has more than two decades of experience. “I joined the industry to establish a career where my business skills set could be utilized to the fullest,” she says. “What happened as a result was that I acquired a passion for the business, and this has been a driving force in my personal success.” Bedell often reflects on how advanced the industry has become since she first got 146 | TravelAgent March 31, 2008 her feet wet. “We used to have to look up tariffs in the OAG [Official Airline Guide], and SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF the only tickets we issued BCD TRAVEL were handwritten,” she recalls. Headquarters: 2500 Cumberland “The introduction of automaParkway, Atlanta, GA 30339 tion, technology and continuPhone: 770-431-2450 ous training has enabled us to Fax: 440-846-3926 improve our skills set to become E-mail: kathy.bedell@bcdtravel.com more consultative and focus Affiliation: Signature Travel Network on exceeding our customWebsite: http://leisure.bcdtravel.com ers’ expectations. The way we manage our business today from an operational standpoint is different from the way we did things promise what you cannot deliver. Read travel 25 years ago, but the same philosophy brochures, and know the different products remains: service, service and service.” that are available for each destination and What exactly does that “service” entail? your customer’s budget. Each agent needs to We know Bedell is a big fan of listening, but be thorough and explain the particulars of what else does she recommend agents do in the travel. Highlight all the features of the order to provide quality service? trip you are trying to close.” “Qualify the call,” she advises. “Don’t CONTINUED ON PAGE 148 Kathy M. Bedell http://leisure.bcdtravel.com
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