The Era of the Customer

In an emphatic presentation addressed to Ensemble agents and owners at the Ensemble Travel Group conference in Dallas, audience members were encouraged to step outside of their comfort zone and embrace the new ways their customers are choosing to travel.

In this day and age, customers are changing their travel behaviour and agents need to adapt in order to continue to thrive.

Guest speaker Ryan Estis spoke to the crowd about unleashing their inner superhero by following the four keys to a breakthrough performance:

  • Initiate Continuous Reinvention:

A single idea can transform a life, family, business, a nation and the world. Today is a great day to raise the ceiling and invite an exciting new goal or idea into your world. Do daily self-assessment – ask the question of your business: Did we get better today? If not that means we got worse, seek continuous reinvention.

  • Brand the Client Experience:

Customers do not buy on price, they default to price in the absence of value. We are competing in experience economy. Put people first and performance and profitability will follow. Consumers [are] looking for connections. Always give a little bit more, be remarkable and consistently worthy of being remarked upon. Focus on being helpful. Decide how you show up, be the best version of yourself.

  • Prepare to Win:

Forty per cent of millennials plan to work with a travel agent during the next two years. Schedule time to think about your business… think about the place where we do our best thinking, my first thought was running, others said in nature, in the shower, in nature etc., the common thread was that none of us said sitting at my desk. Use the five-hour rule, schedule five hours of learning a week away from your office/desk.

  • Take Action Now:

Be aggressive in your action, three ideas for impact in the next 30 days, have a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal).

Outlined in the lively presentation were the three types of customers agents deal with on a regular basis – satisfied, loyal and evangelist.

Audience members were also told that while 83% of customers say they are willing to give referrals, only 30% actually do. Agents who choose to adapt to their customer’s changing ways can help to close that gap.

Once he reached the energetic end of his call to action, Estis had the entire audience stand up and pose like superheroes with their arms raised victoriously in the air until their heads were in the game. Many exclaimed that they left this presentation feeling ready to take on the world.