Jamie Biesiada
What makes a great agent?
There are countless ways to answer that question, but according to Andavo Travel CEO Mike Cameron, it boils down to three qualities.
"It's listening to what people want, translating what they're listening intently to into advising proactively and then executing flawlessly," Cameron said. "It's listening, advising and executing."
It also helps when an agent has experience and has traveled extensively themselves, he said, but it comes down to those three key metrics.
"In other words, it's moved from transactional to consultative — that's really what's happened," Cameron said.
That applies to agents selling all kinds of travel, he said, from leisure to corporate to meetings and incentives and beyond.
"Really put on that empathetic, consultative mind, listen intently to what your customer is saying, then translate that into what they need and what's going to make them happy by giving them the right advice, and then take care of the details," he said. "Cross the t's, dot the i's."
Great agents also have another trait in common: They are available.
It's no surprise to anyone that things change when traveling. But the best agents Cameron knows are ready to assist their clients 24/7. It's not uncommon for them to excuse themselves from meetings to deal with any issues.
In short, he said, they're available and committed.
"It's really about empathy and really listening and understanding," Cameron said.
As an example, he referenced author Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." Specifically, Cameron pointed to habit No. 5.
"[It] is seek first to understand, as opposed to the transactional method, which was seek first to sell," he said. "We're not selling now. We're really listening and advising, where in the old world we were booking."