You Don't Have To Justify Every Business Decision

One of the things I think every travel advisor should do at least once a year is stop and really look at their business. Not just their sales. Their business.

What are you spending? Where is your time going? Which clients are profitable? Which clients take more time than they are worth? What are you paying for that you aren't using? What’s working? What isn't? What needs to change?

And maybe most importantly, ask yourself if you’re making decisions based on what is best for your business or based on how other people might react to those decisions. That's a lesson I continue to learn myself.

Dugan’s Travels is a business, and I have to make decisions based on what is best for our team, our resources and the advisors we serve. Sometimes that means changing something we've done for years. Sometimes that means increasing a fee. Sometimes that means deciding not to continue working with an advisor. Sometimes that means deciding an applicant isn't the right fit for us. Sometimes it even means looking at a supplier relationship and deciding it no longer makes business sense.

Those decisions aren't always going to make everyone happy and that's okay.

The same is true for your travel business. Maybe you've decided it's time to start charging a professional fee, you don't have to create a lengthy defense of why you're suddenly "worth" $100 or $200. Maybe you've decided you aren't going to spend hours researching trips for someone who isn't ready to book. You don't have to apologize for that. Maybe a client expects you to be available at all hours because that's how you've always done things. You're allowed to change that. Maybe you've had a client for 10 years, but the relationship has become so demanding that it no longer makes sense for your business. 10 years doesn't obligate you to make it 11.

History matters. Loyalty matters. Relationships matter. But they don't eliminate the need to make good business decisions.

Of course, communicate changes professionally. Treat people fairly. Give people the information they need to decide what they want to do. But don't confuse explaining a change with needing someone's permission to make it. There's a difference.

Your clients get to decide whether what you offer still works for them, you get to decide whether they are still the clients you want to serve. That's something I've had to become much more comfortable with.

When I look at whether we should renew an advisor, accept a new advisor, invest in a particular program, hold an event or continue working with a supplier, I have to ask, “Does this make sense for Dugan's as a business?” Not, “Will everyone like my decision?” Not, “Is someone going to be disappointed?” Not, “Have we always done it this way?”

Does it make sense for the business? I want our advisors asking themselves that same question.

If you believe professional fees are necessary to build the kind of business you want, charge them. If you need boundaries, establish them. If something you're paying for isn't producing results, stop paying for it. If a client doesn't value the way you choose to operate your business, they may simply not be your client anymore.

That doesn't automatically make your decision wrong.

We sometimes spend far too much time trying to convince people to see our value when we could be spending that time serving the people who already do. You won't be the right advisor for every traveler. Every traveler won't be the right client for you. Every advisor won't be the right fit for Dugan's. Dugan's won't be the right host agency for every advisor. And every supplier relationship won't make sense forever. That's business.

So, as you look toward another year in your travel business, don't just ask yourself how you're going to sell more. Ask yourself what you need to change.

And when you know a change is the right decision for your business, communicate it professionally, stand behind it and give the people you work with the opportunity to decide whether you're still the right fit for each other.

You don't have to build a business that works for everyone. You need to build a business that works.