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The travel advisor-supplier relationship can be key for higher sales on both sides of the coin. It’s truly a win-win (when done correctly), but really solid relationships between advisors and their supplier representatives can sometimes be elusive.
This week, we get deep into the topic with Kate Thomas and Heather Christopher, a supplier and advisor who have a great, long-standing relationship.
This episode is sponsored by Windstar Cruises.
Theme song:
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod(License)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In This Episode
- 1:17 - Meet our guests, Heather Christopher and Kate Thomas — an advisor and supplier, respectively, and longtime friends and colleagues who co-founded Travel Pro Theory together.
- 5:29 - Here's our 30,000-foot-view on travel advisor-supplier relationships.
- 8:19 - Is a good supplier-advisor relationship possible? Or is Christopher and Thomas' dynamic an exception?
- 11:25 - Mary Therese Dinga of Addicted to Travel, a newer advisor, shares a positive story about working with a business development manager.
- 16:35 - Why are suppliers frustrated with travel agents right now?
- 21:45 - Lena Sutton of Go Wander Travel asks: What kind of qualifying questions should she ask to determine if a supplier is a proponent of sustainable travel?
- 23:35 - Are many advisors asking suppliers about sustainability?
- 28:22 - Curated Greece’s Seetha Ramanathan asks about commission invoicing, and final documents.
- 36:53 - Lindsay Deevy, and advisor with Houlahan Travel, asks about qualifying questions outside of the basics.
Heather Christopher of Heather Christopher Consulting and Be the Travel, and Kate Thomas of North + Leisure and Travel Pro Theory
Credit: 2022 Jenn MartinsResources Mentioned in This Episode and Related Reading
Travel Pro Theory: Advice and resources for travel pros
Travel Pro Theory’s The Digest
Tourism Cares
Follow Thomas and Christopher on Social Media
Thomas on Instagram
Christopher on Instagram
Christopher’s BE The Travel
From TravelAge West
This Is Why Advisors, Suppliers and Clients Are Frustrated Right Now
Need Our Advice?
If you're a travel advisor with a question about the latest travel news, trends, best business practices or more, please call our hotline and leave a message at 201-902-2098 or send an email to tradesecrets@travelweekly.com.
About Your Hosts
Emma Weissmann is the Digital Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives — the highs and lows that make them human.
Jamie Biesiada is a Senior Editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors’ 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.
About the Show
Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, is where travel advisors ask — and answer — questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel industry insider to join them and field listeners’ questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more — as long as it’s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at www.travelagewest.com/podcasts/trade-secrets.
