Agent Diary: There's still plenty to keep us busy in these quieter times

Many agencies may be quieter than would have been expected at this time of year because of the current world situation. 

It’s the kind of time when you could sit back and say, ‘It’s so quiet and there’s not much to do’. Or, you can embrace it and get ahead for when we get busy again.

I recall the Gulf war in 1990‑91, the ash cloud flight disruption in 2010, Covid, the impact of elections and so on, when we felt as if someone had turned off the tap for new business.   

In those situations, my team and I always pulled together and had motivational, inspirational meetings about what to do with the time.

Write ideas

We write a lot, including top tips about destinations we enjoyed visiting; we write about our careers, who we are and what we love about travel; we write a little about ourselves outside work and where we want to visit next.   

Having time to do this is always impossible when we’re busy, but such content can prove invaluable for future social media posts, website material and client emails when relevant.

We engage with clients. We ask how they are and say that we’re just checking in – nothing more needed.

We think about upcoming events and plan shows or client-facing events, either in-store or at local venues. Once that’s decided, we start planning and inviting clients, even if it’s quite a way off.

We think about our office – is it time for a good clean, tidy and refresh? That job is often at the bottom of the list, but well worth it once it’s done. Fresh windows and a declutter are good for the soul!

If we have any leftover flyers or brochures that are still in date, we do a local door-drop.

We enrol for extra operator training and use the time to be more knowledgeable and up to date.

We think about group opportunities and explore which clubs are worth pitching to, and ensure that our ideas are relevant and will appeal to them.

We focus some marketing on future dates and work on getting more bookings a long way ahead.

We encourage staff members to have time off now, while it’s quiet. We also ensure that all staff have had one-to-one catch-ups and make sure they are OK.

And we can spend more time with our lovely suppliers when they call to visit us.

Keeping in touch

You could write a heartfelt newsletter to your database, show empathy about the current situation and say you understand some travel plans may be on hold, but that you simply wanted to keep in touch and share some idea for travels in the future.

Don’t be afraid to consider new ideas – our escorted departures continue to be a huge success and this could work for you too. 

Speak to suppliers and consider what might work well.

In summary, it may be quieter at the moment but if you use this time proactively, you will feel more motivated – and I can guarantee your hard work will achieve some great results.