Collette - Big Win! · Travel Trainers

Collette - Big Win!

Is this the correct category to post this? Nonetheless, I attended Collette's shindig this past Thursday, 5/15/25, in Tampa, Florida. They hosted an amazing event at Malio's Steakhouse downtown Tampa, with valet parking, etc. Upon arrival (5:30), we were greeted by the local BDM, Connor. After meeting him, I mingled with my 2 drink coupons (Johnny Walker Black was mine) and I began networking with the other agents present. I've only ever sold one Collette tour (in Italy, of course, the only destination that I sell). I met about 20 agents, with various companies or host firms. I moved quickly from table to table, because I wanted to glean as much "local" vibe info as possible before the start of the presentation... after all, my experience is that most people head out immediately after a vendor's presentation. I met 2 different people. agents that were selling travel for a long time (think 20 years), most were newbies, with less than 24 months.

I exchanged cards with 4 agents that seemed to have somewhat narrowed a niche, or not quite, but at least selling experience, of which they had previously traveled for themselves. I met one lady who professed that she really didn't know what she was doing, but had only sold NCL, a handful of cruises in different places. She felt confident only with NCL so far because of her past voyages, plus she took all the training and did 2 ship tours, here in Florida. Even though I'm a "newbie" for a year, I had a referral for her, because I just met a couple that want another NCL, and I told them I'd get them someone who really knows NCL. Why did I do this? 3 main reasons:

A. I'm a marketing expert, former owner of a multi-award-winning NYC agency, and the one thing I know best is consumer shopping behavior and loyalty; my PhD from Columbia proves this. Unlike everything we've ever been taught, I always put all of my eggs in one basket. For ad/marketing, my client base was limited to the Fortune 50 Food & Beverage companies. (I retired at the age of 34) Now, in my newest life as a travel consultant, all my eggs are in one basket. If you don't put at least one foot in Italy, I refer you to another agent. (My host prefers it to be someone on her team) - which has happened already.

B. Why Italy? My mom is from Rome. I've spent summers there as a kid. I've written short travel guides and was an early published contributor to Google Maps, with walking tours around Rome, Florence, and other cities, including Munich and Alsace! In college, I did the Eurail/hostel experience in Europe. As an adult, I self-drive, and trust me when I tell you that I've driven every roadway throughout Italy, yes, including a handful of Islands reachable only by ferries.

C. Ins and Outs of Travel, or a Risk Steve's says, see places via the back door... Well, I cover more than primary and secondary cities and big towns. I've driven all the roads myself, made numerous friends, whom I see again and again (even hosted several here in the USA), and know firsthand, cooking schools, tour guides, hoteliers, restaurateurs, travel providers (btw caught several mistakes from Rick Steves - ((not bashing - only pointing out))) so when it comes to traveling in Italy, I'm an expert.

Getting back to the lady, her name is Sharon, that has only sold NCL (so far)... the reason I referred a client to her is because she lit up when she spoke about NCL (which happens to be a line that I couldn't care less about - I personally do not like the "anytime" dining options, etc). Sharon lit up, the same way I light up when anyone wants to chat about experiencing Italy. So, I knew right away I could trust her with my (neighbor) referral.

What I'm really talking about here is niche down, show, and sell what you truly love. Back in November, I attended a business expo (in Tampa Bay) and I met a couple who sell ONLY DISNEY, in Florida - not even Paris or Cali! Talk about niching down. We exchanged cards. They also are not part of my host, they're completely on their own. They live in Orlando and refer out anything that is not Disney MCO! I'm hoping to get their Italy requests.

Now back to Collette... The presentation began around 7 pm, after enjoying generous portions of passed hors d'oeuvres, and while sipping my 2nd JWB... (Thanks again, Collette), The presentation was about 20 minutes of introductions and thanking the people who have sold tours in all of their destinations. Plus, they told us the "secret" advantage they have over the plethora of competitors. That was it. One MAIN message! Brilliant. We looked at our raffle coupon, and many people in attendance, including me, took home a door prize. Collette is world-class.

For me, since not everyone wants to self-drive in Italy, even after watching the self-driving videos on my YouTube channel: https://link.travelhappy2.com/vids - I've been able to sell Collette - they are different, they include "off-the-beaten-path" super cool things to see and do in Italy. The tour that I sold included PULIA (or in English "Apulia"), which is yet to be discovered by the masses - (It's the heel, folks) and super, SUPER amazing... I'm presently working with Collette on 4 customized tours for 2026 and 2027.

Just recently, I've earned two wildly amazing testimonials from clients who completed their travels. I'll share one below, since I finally learned how to attach something here on Skool, haha. This client landed in Rome for 3 days, then joined a cruise around Italy for 14 days, then we added RailBookers, from Trieste through Venice and 4 more Italian stays, plus the easy-to-sell Bernina and Glacier Express routes through Switzerland to the Matterhorn. I worked with them, because it was mostly about Italy, and when they wanted to hike the Dolomites a bit, I showed them the holy grail in that area - Switzerland by rail.

Bottom Line - Thanks to Collette for everything I mentioned, the bonus was networking and sharing leads with the smart agents who focus on a niche.

What's your niche?

12 comments