‘Be like Bev and Trev and build your businesses on stone, not sticks and straw’
Richard DixonOnce upon a time, Bev and Trev ran a travel agency. They worked hard building up their shop and had a loyal customer base that brought in enough sales for them to turn a tidy profit.
There were sometimes bumps in the road that set them back, but they pushed on – driven by their great passion for looking after customers and making dreams come true.
Then, from nowhere, came a global pandemic. Travel was shut down and within a few weeks, Bev and Trev were faced with the real possibility of losing the business they loved and their livelihood.
Despite the turmoil, uncertainty and stress, Bev and Trev rolled up their sleeves and worked all hours to look after their customers and found a way through the next couple of years.
Which they did. And, as travel reawakened, Bev and Trev suddenly found themselves busier than ever. Their old customers came rushing back, desperate to travel again, placing holidays among their top priorities.
Even better, Bev and Trev found plenty of new customers flocking to them having been reminded by the pandemic of the invaluable security, service and expertise a travel agent can provide.
Riding a wave of record sales and profits, Bev and Trev decided to expand. They opened a second shop, began to search for a third and planned to bring some home-based agents onboard.
At last, Bev and Trev had a golden pathway to prosperity ahead, which would lead to a life lived happily ever after.
Ahem. Not all fairy tales have happy endings, and to assume this of theirs would be naive or even foolhardy.
Thankfully, Bev and Trev were neither. They knew the current good times would not last for ever. Soon, customers would start to become more price sensitive again. New technology would emerge to challenge the status quo, and economic and geopolitical uncertainties would always be on the horizon.
Bev and Trev recognised that simply opening new shops and adding team members would never be enough to secure their happy ever after. Much more would be needed. So, they embraced and invested in tech like never before to deliver a slick and highly personalised pre- and post-sale service that customers would appreciate and value.
They made their marketing messages truly meaningful to each customer. They built their story, then delivered it across all their social media and marketing channels with panache and authenticity.
They contributed to and became more ingrained in their local community by showcasing the positive impact travel has on the lives of people around the world, talking about the meaningful steps travel is taking to help counter climate change and highlighting the many sustainability initiatives being undertaken by the industry.
Bev and Trev also kept a watchful eye on emerging trends, taking the growth in experiential travel as their inspiration to creatively ensure every visit to their shops was an experience in itself – one that really stood out from the cold click-and-book routine.
And that was just for starters. Our hardworking pair continues to put in the necessary thought, energy and investment to keep building their house from stone rather than sticks and straw, so they’ll be more than ready when the next big, bad wolf comes knocking. It seems they may just go on to live happily ever after, after all!
Richard Dixon is the co-founder of homeworking agency Holidaysplease.
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Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
