Welcome back to the “Travel Hi Five!”. We introduced this series back in November 2021 for what is an ongoing regular series here on The Compass. Travel Hi Five is a celebration of the good news, hard work, lessons learned and of all the successes happening around our industry. As a business coach in this industry I am often referred to simply as “Coach Martin”. As your “coach” and travel friend I look forward to being your guide on this journey as I chat with someone new each edition. My hope is that the insights gained from their answers to FIVE key questions may help serve or inspire you. These questions will consistently be the same for a period as I believe there is benefit in getting different perspectives on the same topics. So now that I have set this up let’s meet my first interviewee, shall we?
Meet Joseph Fehlen, owner of Small Town Wanderer Travel out of Rhinelander, Wisconsin; a town of 7,798 people (per 2010 Census) in northern Wisconsin 4 hours north of Milwaukee and East of Minneapolis. Joseph has been in business for 3 years now with a mission to help people in his small town get out and “wander” while getting over the obstacles they have by sheer geography from major airports. With a background as a former pastor in his local church, amongst other things, he had roots in the community to help others learn that “wandering” is not out of reach for them. They just need someone in the know who they can trust to help them, enter Joseph Fehlen. Because Joseph has these community ties, during the pandemic he took some inexpensive office space in downtown Rhinelander that was too large for just him so he turned it into a co working space where local business owners or visitors could stop in for meeting space, good Wi-Fi, a cup of coffee or a beer and some good conversation (but not too long because it is a family town so shop closes up at 5 p.m. to get back to the families). Now that you know a little about Joseph, let’s get some insights from this producer of $600,000+ in 2021 sales for his small town agency. Joseph was kind enough to join me for this interview on a Saturday while he was in Cabos San Lucas touring properties for his clients, while also enjoying some down time with his wife:
- What travel destination is on your “must do” list for you or your clients?
I personally long to be on the rivers of Europe, either the Danube or Rhine. I love the idea of exploring the history and culture of a destination. It is on my personal bucket list and something I hope to do every year. I have lots of clients starting to talk about Australia as a some day destination, so that is on the horizon for sure. For the most part though, my travel planning for clients is about getting out of the cold to warmer weather south (side note: all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean are one of his specialties. Knowledge gained through ALGV familiarization trips is not lost on Joseph). - What keeps you up at night?
Will money come in? That is the main thing that keeps me up. There are a lot of positive reasons to have reasons to have your own business. As an entrepreneur there is a potential to make lots of money or no money. So that’s the kind of stuff that keeps me up. I think; will I be able to provide for my family with this small business that gives us a ton of flexibility and amazing opportunities, but the downside is that it could be low return. People with “jobs” get a paycheck and may be living in the middle their whole life and that is fine. They know what’s coming in so choosing this is what keeps me up at night. - What motivates you every day to get up and do the work? What is your “Why”?
First, my family does. My wife is very supportive, so I want to work hard for her and my kids. So that gets me up every day. After that it is honestly just helping people get out and explore the world. Getting them to place they’ve never been before so that they can have those “Aha” moments. I love quoting and giving people options of places and resorts. I “geek out” on that, I love that! So, learning more about those things so that I can help people get out and do that. Then the third things is sharing my knowledge with other travel agents. I truly do love sharing what I know to help other entrepreneurs make sales. - What have you done to keep your business afloat during these times?
I do not get involved in the controversies on either side and I just sell travel, selling a break for somebody, selling a retreat, or a getaway without mentioning COVID. People have latched onto that on both sides of the spectrum because I have not shared my opinions. They know this is someone we can trust to make sure we have a great vacation. The other thing is that I talk far out, 11 months from now, because it feels safer than right now. Getting people on the hook for that. I think it was Jackie Friedman, president of Nexion Travel Group at our conference said, “put hope on the calendar”. So I have. That’s my hashtag now. If you don’t put hope on the calendar for people to have a lifeline to get through these times. So honestly that is how I have been selling and I think I have done decent for a one-man shop. I will also have to say I never stopped doing social media and traveling myself. If you want to grow your business you have to get out there and show people you took a COVID test taken at the hotel, you’re wandering around these resorts safely. Since COVID in 2020 I have been out of the country seven or eight times. - What tricks or tips do you have for social media marketing?
Instagram is not going to sell travel. It is you out there doing the thing. I have gotten business from it and it is a powerful tool, but I look at what everyone is doing, knowing that marketers are making sure it looks this way or that way. I look at it and I need to be almost opposite. Everyone will be a little different so obviously be yourself on social media. But just showing pictures of pools or beaches will not attract people to your business. I am religious with how much I post at 1 – 2 times a day. Then I make sure that myself, my wife or kids are in the shot every once and a while. I think that people need to see the link; to know that this is small business owner that has a family and I am supporting them. So, don’t ever miss out of that on social media. Sell yourself and not the beach. You’re selling yourself to help that person understand you are the product. That was a big shift on how much people started to interact with me on social media. The other key is to respond. I hear it from random people when asked, “why did you work with me?” after they booked and without fail, they say that I am the only one that replied. Almost 100% of the time that is the reason why, I just showed up. I have picked up the phone and said, yeah, I am in Cabo can we talk on Monday? Someone may say that they are sorry to bother me on vacation but no, I am in Cabo researching hotels right now for you. I am working.
I hope there were some nuggets in there for you as you navigate your travel business in whatever role you have. Be sure to check out Joseph’s podcast called Fellow Wanderers on Spotify. If you have an interview candidate that you think I should talk with or just want to learn from then share their name with me; no matter if you know them personally or not. Have a question or think that you should be considered for future editions of Travel Hi Five? Get in touch with me at mmussey@travelleaders.com. Until next time – Here is to Your Success!
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