Nexion's Friedman says advisors are 'great busy': Travel Weekly

The frenetic pace of bookings many advisors reported this summer seemed to have calmed a bit.

Advisors are still busy even though it's a good time. Friedman said to have a system where you can keep track of a lot of things around a booking.

Friedman said that if the system is electronic or paper, keep organized and stay aware of key milestones. Weather and flight disruptions are things that clients should pay attention to when on their trip.

"These are things that advisors are doing today that they may not have done in the past, but it's also something that adds to their value and helps them to justify their fees," she said.

Friedman was fresh off her host agency's annual CoNexion conference at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, Calif., when I spoke with her.

The supplier and advisor sides of the board had a positive mood.

She said that most of the year is shaping up to be their best one.

140 advisors were honored for meeting high sales goals withNexion preferred suppliers, which was a record for the Circle of excellence.

Tips on securing suppliers

The engagement between advisors and suppliers was high.

She gave some advice to advisers. She said to identify what you want to sell, then find the right suppliers. An advisor who is looking for suppliers in Europe might choose an escorted tour partner, a partner that allows for more personalization, a river cruise line and a few ocean cruise lines.

It starts from what and then goes to who. Who can I work with that is a good fit for my demographic of my clients?

She told advisors to meet different suppliers because they don't know what they don't know.

Nexion grows membership

Between 5,200 and 5,100 travel advisers are currently hosted byNexion. Around 4,700 was the number before the Pandemic. Friedman said that growth is coming from both experienced and new-to-the- industry advisers.

Fees are the biggest hurdle for some in the travel advisor community. She said that there is a lot of doubt that a fee-based model will work because of the way they talk.

Customers are more than happy to pay for an advisor's services.

There are a lot of consumers who want to work with travel advisors for the first time.

"Marketing yourself online and offline for the type of customers and products that you want to sell is really important," she said, " because there are more and more people looking for an advisor."