供应商副总裁加入了旅行顾问队伍,这是一个长期以来的梦想
经过Marilee Crocker/
For 15 years, former AIG Travel executive Lisa Bourget harbored a persistent entrepreneurial itch. Then in the midst of a global pandemic, Bourget made the leap, launching Quiet Meadow Travel in June 2021 from her home in Blair, WI.
“Some would say last summer was a crazy time to start, but it aligned with everything I had going,” Bourget toldTravel Market Report.一切都包括一个即将退休的丈夫,完成了新建的“永远的家”,以及对更灵活的渴望。
当Bourget开始安静的草地旅行时,她带来了供应商对零售旅行的熟悉,强大的可转让技巧,对旅行的热情和健康的谦卑。“我知道许多小型企业没有成功。我对坚硬的一面表示赞赏和尊重。”
Bourget认为将帮助她取得成功的工具中,是“拥有资本P”,对财务的勤奋,学习的意愿以及牢固的关系和客户服务技能。
行业背景
Bourget has worked in travel since 2004, starting out in hospitality. In 2008, she left a job as a hotel general manager to join AIG Travel, where she worked her way up to regional VP of field sales for AIG Travel–Travel Guard, a position she held from 2017 to 2020.
In her VP role, Bourget represented the insurance provider at major retail travel conferences and worked with travel agency partners up and down the East Coast. That experience fueled her entrepreneurial dream. “The itch to have my own business became stronger when I was out there visiting agency partners,” she said.
It takes grit
One asset she knew would serve her well was her customer service know-how.
“I have a passion and a skill set for always delivering a high level of customer service – not just a passion, but respect for the grit you have to have to deliver that every day, to dig in and do what it takes. It’s kind of ingrained in me, from being in the hospitality industry, working with call centers and then with agency partners.”
Her years working with travel advisors also taught Bourget another critical lesson – the need for flexibility and resilience. “You have to embrace change – whether it’s a different direction in the industry, different marketing tools, social media, shrinking commissions.
“我不会轻易地说:您必须能够迅速旋转 - 首先是埃博拉病毒,然后是其他经济,共同。现在我们有俄罗斯 - 乌克兰。”
A lot to learn
对于她的所有行业背景和对零售旅行的熟悉程度,Bourget预计会有陡峭的学习曲线。“你不知道你不知道的。我曾与很多代理合作伙伴一起工作,但我不知道幕后的一切。”
即使有了这一远见,她也没有为要学习多少学习做好充分的准备,尤其是在产品知识方面。她发现,那里有大量供应商,这使得学习产品非常耗时。“一些产品和一些供应商非常复杂。”
One aspect of the supply side that Bourget knows well is the intricacy of overlapping supplier relationships. “It’s such a web,” said Bourget, who is affiliated with Travel Planners International. “There are thousands of agents within TPI. TPI is part of a consortium, and TPI has hundreds and hundreds of suppliers, and those suppliers are in different consortiums.
“了解网络和该网络中的所有不同关系都帮助我领先了一些。仅仅因为我问这个人X并不意味着他们可以交付。您必须考虑所有这些。”
Helping one another
作为一名新的旅行顾问,Bourget在她的主人机构内外找到了旅行顾问的支持,这是一个巨大的帮助。“我有这个专业旅行顾问网络 - 我可以在他们身上说,'告诉我冰岛。’”
The willingness of travel advisors to share their knowledge is one of the things Bourget loves about the industry. “There’s those little nuances that you’re not going to find on the Internet that you get from colleagues – that nugget somebody shares that you put into the product you’re selling, and it knocks it out of the park.”
'现在我懂了'
当她是供应商时,Bourget经常听到旅行顾问谈论他们的挣扎。“我知道他们花了很多时间进行研究。我知道拥有高效的业务模型是一项挑战。我收取服务费吗?我现在吗?收缩委员会结构。
“您必须照顾客户并出售对他们有用的东西。但是也有业务方面。他们可能会要求一个不受欢迎的供应商。
“这些都是我们会听到很多的挑战。但是现在我明白了。我真的很明白,现在我在业务的另一端。”