Confidence and Success

How do you define a confident person? Is it someone who seems comfortable standing up in front of a room full of people without showing any nervousness? What about the person who can hold their own in a debate on a controversial topic without faltering or losing their cool? Or is it the person who gains immediate attention just by walking into the room?

Confidence is “the state of feeling certain about the truth of something.” It can also be described as “the feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities and qualities.” If a person is knowledgeable about a topic or situation, they will naturally appear more confident. But they can still appear timid or shy because they just don’t feel comfortable in the situation. For example, some of us have social anxiety disorders that can be misinterpreted as being unconfident. That same person might shine in a smaller setting.

Often, I have new agents who think they cannot be successful as travel advisors because they are introverts. They consider themselves reserved, shy around others and averse to getting photographed or speaking in front of people. However, they are confident in selling a particular destination or product. In my many years of experience, I have found that introverts can make some of the best travel advisors! Some of my top agents are introverts.

How can you build self-confidence as a travel advisor? The simple answer is knowledge. The more you know about your craft, the more confident you’ll be helping clients get the results they want. To gain more knowledge, you need to experience the destinations in which you specialize. There’s no better way to know the intricacies and special features of destinations than to personally experience them.

Travel advisors also gain knowledge by learning about the different suppliers and what they have to offer. Taking advantage of webinars, seminars, conventions and online learning courses can also develop and hone skills in customer service and sales techniques.

Passion is another way to exude confidence. If you are passionate about a topic, like a destination or supplier, you will be more confident in discussing it with clients. Don’t try to be passionate and thoroughly knowledgeable about everything, though. That’s an impossible task. It’s better to know more about a few destinations and types of vacations than just a little about many. Why do you think doctors specialize? So that they can give their patients (clients) the best results based on their detailed knowledge and experience.

At Dugan’s Travels, we ask new agents what their favorite trip was and why. Their answers allow us to see where their passions lie, then to guide them to more specialized areas of travel. The worst thing a travel advisor can do for a client is try to sell them something without taking any of the training. Your client will have a miserable time and you will not get good referrals.

If you’re not sure at first where your passions lie, you might want to try out a few different types of destinations. For example, if you don’t really enjoy Disney products and destinations, but would like to sell them, you should become more knowledgeable about them. Attend some training events that Disney offers in person or online. You cannot fake confidence in selling products when you know little or nothing about them.

We offer many opportunities for our agents to gain knowledge and experience to increase their confidence levels. We encourage agents to attend familiarization trips, educational events in the travel industry and travel to destinations that fit their specializations.

If you think your lack of gregariousness hurts your success as a travel advisor, history disputes that. Very successful and confident world leaders who were introverts include Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks and Mahatma Gandhi. That’s quite an honorable group to be a part of.

Experience, learn and be passionate about what you offer to your clients. Your confidence will grow the more you know, and your clients will benefit from it!

About the Author

Jennifer Dugan is an experienced travel professional and owner of Dugan’s Travels. She has over 25 years of experience in the travel industry and when not busy running her business, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.