Jamie Biesiada
What do you do when you're working with a supplier and your contact is responding in a lackluster manner?
It's an awkward situation for advisors, especially if it's a contact they've worked with successfully before.
This was a topic of discussion on a recent episode of the "Trade Secrets" podcast. An advisor had worked with a destination management company (DMC) several times in the past. The DMC's suggestions were good, and clients were happy.
But upon opening a new line of inquiry with the same representative, they weren't experiencing the same level of communication, and mistakes were being made. What to do?
"Trade Secrets" guest Andrea Grisdale, CEO and founder of IC Bellagio -- a DMC that operates in Italy -- fielded the question.
"We're all human at the end of the day," Grisdale said. "It could also be a nice idea to reach out to the owner of the company and say, 'Listen, I've been working with this person. This is not what I've seen in the past. Is everything OK, and would you be able to help me get the responses that I need?'"
Grisdale also made an important point. The relationship between advisors and suppliers, she said, is "a two-way street."
Indeed, she often hears travel advisors asking their peers, "Who do you use?"
"You don't use -- you partner," she said. "We are in this together."
She encouraged advisors to think about their DMCs and other suppliers as partners. That enables a new level of openness and transparency.
"If we do see that things are not going the way that they usually do, just open up and have that conversation and see if you can get back on track again," Grisdale said.
For more advice from Grisdale on a range of DMC-related topics, including her tips on how to maximize a relationship with a DMC, give the episode a listen.