Is Every Client Your Client?

You’ve done all the training and you’ve just launched your new Disney Travel Planning business, you’re excited and you are looking to bring in your first few guests. WOW! What a feeling… so much opportunity awaits and you cannot wait to get started.


Bringing in new clients is a major first step for many Disney Travel Planners and we all tap into our networks to entice friends, family, acquaintances and even strangers to choose us for our knowledge and expertise. By this time, you’ve probably heard murmurs of some of the downsides to being a Disney Travel Planner, including potential clients who ask for tons of quotes and ghost you or even clients who cannot be satisfied with your services, no matter how hard you try. It turns out, nobody wants to work with clients who are not respectful of their time and talents, and that is OK! It is reasonable to want to protect yourself from the disappointment of being ghosted or worse. One of the best ways to set yourself up for success with your clients and business is to realize that not every client is your client. Once you’ve got an understanding that it is best to have a small group of quality clients who are aligned with your business goals, you can begin to identify exactly who your clients are.

IDENTIFYING YOUR CLIENT

In order to know which clients are best for you and your business, you have to first know yourself. Who your clients are and how you work with them is a deeply personal choice for you and your business. Nobody can make the choice for you, but I can give you some things to think about.

WHAT IS YOUR SPECIALTY?

There is something that you absolutely love about planning a Disney Vacation for your clients. That passion is what makes you great at what you do and what makes you stand out from the crowd. When you truly enjoy the work you are doing, it shines out in both quality of service and excellence in your work. Identify your specialty and then create a profile of the type of client who would most appreciate your services. For example, are you a parent of young children who loves to give advice on touring with littles and how to make a parent’s job easier at Disney? Maybe you are a Certified Disney Adult®️™️ who takes VIP tours with their squad on the regular, you know what adults want at Disney and can show them a whole new world of the parks and resorts. Identify your specialty and use that as a springboard for looking for potential leads. If you want to expand your client base, you can also work to expand your knowledge and comfort level in different specialties by spending time in the parks, learning about tips and tricks for different clients’ needs and using fellow travel agents as resources for knowledge.

WHAT ARE YOUR LIMITATIONS?

The phrase “jack of all trades and master of none” is incredibly applicable as you begin to understand your limitations as an agent. We cannot be all things to all people and if we try, we will end up alienating the clients that might work best with us. Your limitations can be things that you are not yet knowledgable enough about to feel confident offering, services that are not worth your time because the income is not sufficient or even tasks that you just do not enjoy. You are in the drivers seat of your business. You can decide what works for you and what doesn’t


🗒 A Note About Friends and Family - Working for friends and family can be such a rewarding experience. The joy of sending people you love out to have a great time is an amazing feeling. I suggest using discernment when working with friends, family or close acquaintances. Vet them how you would vet a client and make sure that your services are the right fit for their needs. When you do work with family, be up front and honest with them about what you can provide and set boundaries around discounts and contacting you while on their trip, that way everyone comes out having had a positive experience.


KNOWING WHEN TO SAY “NO”

Once you know your specialty and limitations, you can begin to screen your potential clients for whether or not they will be a good fit for your business. This is when having a network of other Disney Vacation Planners comes in handy, you might not be the best person for the job, but you can refer them to someone who is!

In order to protect your business, is very important that you ensure that your qualifications for your clients do not exclude anyone based on a protected class, such as religion, marital status, sexual orientation or any other protected class. Basically - don’t discriminate, it’s not cool.

MAKING EXCEPTIONS

There are always exceptions to any rule. If you do choose to make an exception, make sure to note it for yourself (either in writing or mentally). When you’ve completed your work for that client, revisit the exception and think about how the experience worked out for you and for your client. Then you can make a choice to revise your idea of “who your client is” or to not make that exception again.


Launching and growing your own business is a learning experience, you are not going to knock it out of the park every time. You can protect your time and your joy for your work by identifying who is and who is not your client and choosing to work with the people who are most likely to follow through and enjoy your services.

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