Independent advisors a few years in: what happens in the 30 minutes after a client says “yes, book it”?
I’ve spent the last 7 years working on the vacation-rental side of travel, so I know how hosts and properties operate. But I’ve only ever seen travel advisors from across the fence. What I keep wondering about is where your hours actually go, because from the supply side it always looked like the selling was the small part of the job and the admin was the big one.
I’m especially hoping to hear from independent agents who’ve been at this a few years, the ones running your own book, with a workflow that’s evolved through actual pain rather than what a course told you to do.
If that’s you, I’d genuinely love to know:
Where does a booking “live” once it’s confirmed?What do you actually type where, and has that changed since your first year?
What’s the most annoying chasing you do
Suppliers who don’t send confirmations or invoices, clients who don’t send passports, commission that arrives short or never. What eats the most hours?
If the honest answer is “it’s all in my inbox and my head”, that’s just as useful to hear. I suspect it’s more common than people admit.
And if any of you would be up for a proper chat sometime about where the time goes and what would free some of it up for actually selling trips, comment or DM me. I’d genuinely enjoy comparing notes from the two sides of the fence.