Five Ways to Kick COVID's Buttocks!

Are you tired of having your butt kicked by the COVID virus and the havoc it has had on our lives and travel businesses?

Us too!

Great news! You have more control than you realize, and we wanted to share five ways you can take control back in your business and life!

PERCEPTION RULES YOUR FUTURE

How you perceive your situation and facts presented over the next 24 months (yep, that long!) will directly impact the outcome of your business and happiness in it.

Facts are facts, stats are stats, and numbers don't lie. With that being said, facts are communicated through the eye of the beholder. What they mean to you and what you do with them is the determining factor.

For reference, let's take a quick look at a sales fable based on a true story from the early 1900s.

The Tale of Two Shoe Salesmen.

Two salesmen from competing shoe companies are sent to the same foreign country to assess the opportunity of their respective companies to market and sell their shoes.

Salesman One spends a week visiting several towns and sends word back to headquarters that his research is complete. He writes, "Research complete. Unmitigated disaster. Nobody here wears shoes."

Salesman Two conducts the same research and writes back to his headquarters, "Research complete. Glorious opportunity! Nobody here wears shoes!"

Both observed the same thing, "Nobody here wears shoes!" So why such a difference in their analysis? One sees the opportunity while the other focuses on the facts.

Perception rules your future!

START FROM WHERE YOU ARE

There is nothing productive about focusing on what you've lost, what could have been, or what should be. Unlike starting over, starting from where you are brings a backpack of knowledge, hard-won lessons, and fierce momentum. You can control how you see the past disappointments in your business and in 2020. You'll find that with this restart comes the gift of a powerful sense of pride and strength.

Something to remember:

• We all started at one

• Then there was two

• Two became three.

• Three turned into four and five….and off you go.

Start from where you are!

MARKETING MINDSET

Marketing from your own sense of fear, or lack of fear, is the biggest mistake we see in our industry right now. This holds true for the future, as well.

Crafting your marketing based on a survey of one (which is you) not only limits your reach but, more importantly, your impact. We suggest you adjust your marketing mindset by focusing on being relevant.

Ask yourself what is relevant right now, and how can I move the message forward with my insight, knowledge, and expertise. No judging, no guessing, no one-sided commentary – just be relevant to those you serve.

Focus on being relevant in today's world!

CHANGE THE NARRATIVE

The world pays close attention to what is being reported by various sources; the mainstream media, CDC and WHO, our valued travel partners, etc.

You have more pull and influence to change the narrative than all of them combined. Why? Because when travel is thoughtfully planned, it can turn a family's week-long vacation into 40 years of inside jokes, "don't you remember when" moments, and fill the mental photo albums for a lifetime.

Pitch your local media outlets (details below), post informative articles on your social media pages, spread the word that people are excited about the future, that there are places ready to receive travelers, and that our world is opening up, slowly but surely.

Be the change we wish to seek!

COMMUNITY IS KEY

You're here reading this article because you understand no great story or business is crafted in a silo. Naturally, we seek input and insight from others to comfort and guide us as we determine the best course of action for each scenario. Are we doing it right? Is there an undiscovered secret or better way that will get me there? Am I the only one feeling this way?

Find a community (or multiple communities) that speaks your language and helps fill in those gaps of wonder.

We invite you to hang out with other Fiercely Forward mindset advisors from all over the world on the Fiercely Forward Formula Facebook group. No supplier talk, no venting, just good ol' motivation, positive vibes, sharing cool ideas, and cheering our industry on, together.

There is no medal of honor given for those that go it alone. Find a community.

For more insight and tons of resources to help you kick COVID's butt, CLICK HERE and download our 31-page Fiercely Forward Formula resource guide, which includes step-by-step instructions on how to Pitch the Media, craft a Post-COVID Profitability Plan, Launch a Facebook Group that Converts, and so much more!

BONUS TIP: MOVE FIERCELY FORWARD

You're either in, or you're out.

It's as simple as that.

It's a mindset that, when fully adopted, will serve you, your family, friends, and clients well.

Face forward, head to the wind, and GO!