Redrop: Corrin Robinson - Start before you feel ready

This is the No BS Travel Advisor Podcast. I'm Marcie Minsterman, and this show is for travel advisors who want to run profitable businesses, charge what they're worth, and stop following outdated bullshit advice just because someone in the industry told them that that is the way it has always been done. Each episode brings real talk, practical strategies, and real stories from fellow travel advisors, because sometimes the best way to learn is hearing how someone else figured their shit out. So let's get Hey everyone. Welcome to the very first No BS Travel Advisor podcast. I am diving deep today with Corinne Robinson with StayBooked Travel. She is a stay-at-home mama who lives in Germany and has just started her travel career a little over a year ago. I'm so pumped to have her today. Before I get started, I wanted to introduce myself. I am Your no BS travel advisor coach. I've been a travel advisor since 2006, and I am a recovering burnout. I burned completely out in the middle of my career, and I came back in 2018, and I have been so inspired by the relationships I have built in this industry with other travel advisors and have become an independent contractor. advocate, as well as started writing courses and coaching and mentoring other travel advisors. Not anything I ever thought I could ever do, by the way. I'm excited to be here on my very first episode with Corinne. She lives in Germany. I'm so excited about that and what that's like having clients in the U.S., as well as her passion for impact travel. Welcome, Corinne.

Thank you so much.

I want you guys to know we also had to start this over twice because we're kind of a hot mess, but we really just want you to feel comfortable and join us for this cup of coffee today. So starting, cheers to starting over, girl. I know that you had decided a year and a half ago to become a travel advisor. I want to talk to you about how you came to that decision, but also Can you share like what it's like living in Germany and being a mom in Germany? Share a day in your life.

The bakeries, by far one of the best things. The cleanliness of the roads are, is the second best thing. And the coffee is the third best thing, of course. Coffee everywhere. It is a lifestyle. Um, I wake up in the morning and I drive my child to the bakery that's just right on the corner so he can get his second breakfast for school. Drop him off, I race home, have my coffee, walk my dog, and I get about 3 hours of uninterrupted time to work before having to go pick him up again at 12:30.

Wow.

That's about my day.

12:30. 12:30. What is it like having a child in school on such a short day? And is that pretty standard for Germany?

It is actually very standard for Germany. Even through high school, they only will stay into school as late as 2:30.

Wow.

On some days. Fridays are early release days, no homework days, and they get out at a whopping 12:30.

Wow. That is amazing. Like, how does it work squeezing in 3 hours of free time away from your child? Because I know being a stay-at-home mom is the most important thing to you.

My full-time job is being a stay-at-home mom, and I started my business last December. I thought about it, and I started my business actually 2024 in March. I'm only 11 months in at this point, but the idea had come about about a year ago. My first and second passion kind of coincide. I live in Germany and my child does go to a German school. It's a Waldorf school. I wanted to become a Waldorf English teacher, but my German is not good enough to be able to go through the coursework in Germany. And that will—

Oh my God.

Yeah, that has to be on the back burner and I wanted to work, and I wanted to do something that had my heart. My other passion was traveling, and I had to figure out a way to make my passion become my livelihood. I decided to do that this time last year.

I love that. And I know that you originally kind of approached your sister with this idea. How did that conversation go?

Um, I was sitting on the bed last year with my sister. I had been so sick, and I was describing to her that everything that feels important is actually quite trivial when you're talking about health and not understanding what the next few weeks or months look like. And that I was tired of just sitting and thinking about making my passion my livelihood. And I decided to just go for it and do it. So I had told my sister, I have one year to start a business. That's my goal. And that's what I'm going to do. And she said, of Of course you are. Because, well, the fact that I even live in Germany and have for almost 10 years is a testament to how I do everything a little bit backwards and quick and crazy, I feel. She said if anybody would be able to make an entire business off their passion in one year, it would be you. And very supportive.

Ah, your sister's so sweet to, uh, support your crazy a little bit. Well, I'm so sorry to hear that you were struggling with your health. Do you wanna tell us a little bit more about balancing that journey alongside starting a new business? Because that's a big thing to tackle when you're not feeling well. And based on what we've discussed before, that you really didn't even know what was wrong.

Right. I didn't know what was wrong. I had, um, recurring pneumonia. I had contracted something very rare called Haemophilus influenzae B. And it was very, um, it was very difficult because the doctors didn't actually know what it was. For quite a few months. And so I had recurring pneumonia anytime I got sick. It was always very low level, but because of that, I had prednisone 60 milligrams a day for nearly 6 months. I was a night owl. And so I was— See, otherwise I don't think I would have been able to do it so fast. I truly was able to focus in on my 4 stages of business, my business plan, my business model, and how I would like to move forward. Um, I called my travel advisor that I use for myself.

I was about to ask, like, how did you decide on a travel advisor home? We all have to make that decision. So is it a—

That was really easy.

Is it a travel agency?

Yeah, it was my travel advisor and I asked them if I could, um, jump in and join their team and they said absolutely, knowing that I had—

I mean, no brainer.

Yeah.

Our European specialist here.

And, uh, I joined their team and that's how I got started.

I love that. So you didn't really do any additional research on hosts or travel agencies?

I did not. I trusted who I'd been using and their process, and I really felt comfortable. I did look up that it was Travel Planners International and that they had been with them for over 35 years. They're on a first name basis with so many people. And yeah, I felt really taken care of from the beginning because of that. I just did a quick Google search. their raving reviews and felt comfortable.

PPI does get excellent reviews for host companies. I'm so glad you landed somewhere in a positive environment right off the bat. Our entire podcast today is really gonna be about the transparency that you were super duper honest in your business from the start, whether it was with your family or your friends or your hosts, as well as then with your clients. I'd love to kind of talk about The decision to go into first impact travel, which I know I didn't ask you before, make a note. It's a little bit different than even immersive travel, but also about that decision to choose a host that has been around a long time and does something a very specific way and how you approached it with them when you decided to tackle training. And your decision to kind of go into more of an impact travel versus a more traditional route of like cruises or all-inclusives and things like that. So first, you were very transparent with your friends and family, like right off the bat. How did they respond when, besides your sister, we know she loves you, how does your friends and family respond when you decided to tell everyone, like instead of Doing the Waldorf school right now. I'm going to start a brand new business all while being sick and being a stay-at-home mom.

Everybody was very excited. Anytime—

Yeah, we love that.

Well, of course you are. Anytime friends or family were either visiting myself or just visiting Europe in general, they came to me and I would write them wonderful itineraries based on small businesses that I had come into contact with over the last 10 years. They got really unique. interesting itineraries that they had never dreamt of or thought of. And they were able to go on the trip that they had imagined for themselves while getting to experience the culture and the community that they were traveling within because of my process with Impact Travel. So to highlight—

That is incredible.

Yeah.

I, I love that you were doing kind of this job for them beforehand, but that you were also supporting You know, the local smaller business and tour operators. And I think that is, that is the beginning of a passionate career of success, honestly. As far as like balancing that with being a mom and being sick, how did that look at the very beginning? I know you said you were on some medications that kept you up at night. What kind of trainings were you taking and what kind of conversations were you having with your host as you were navigating those first few clients?

I started training January 1st, 2024. It was New Year's Day. I begin. That was the plan. So December 25th, I decided I'm opening a business and January 1st, I began.

You're a doer. We, we go straight for it.

I love it. I said, this is what I was going to do. Yeah.

Like 5 days later, I have a business.

Here we go. I created a plan with my sister. I really started watching a lot of luxury travel advisors on YouTube and copying their plan of action. And then thinking about how I could make that mine. It had to be mine. I couldn't just copy and paste. I had to develop that. And then I started training with all of the companies about 2 weeks later after I signed up underneath my host agency. Um, and I had my LLC, my IATA, and all of, all of the good stuff. I started running through and taking all of the trainings that were associated with the various companies that I had contact with. And I added myself to every single YouTube or Facebook group that I could possibly find that geared towards European travel. And that's where I found your name. You had actually commented. Oh, I loved it. It was, um, one of the only comments in that particular thread that I resonated with. And so I deep dived into Facebook.

I'm so curious, like, what that particular thread was about that I, of course, commented something polar opposite of everyone.

It was a training.

Oh, it was about training. Okay.

Yeah, it was about training. I asked the question and everybody had various answers, but yours was the only one that gave your opinion and then an action associated with. I have so many opinions, right? That you could just, okay. But you came with an opinion and an action, and I felt like, ooh, I love that. And so I went and I looked for Your name in every, every single group that I had so that I can find what your opinion and what your action would be.

Sometimes that gets me kicked out of groups.

Yes.

So I'm not in all of them anymore.

It was such good advice and I started following all of your advice and all of your advice pieces. And then I found your group. And once I found your group, everything started clicking for me.

What about the advice besides the action? Because a lot of people are like, Whoa, when they first get close to me or around me. I'm always a little bit interested how you crew everything I say and funnel it into a place because it is different.

It is.

Is that the difference that resonated?

It was the tone. It was, it was the, um, assurity I felt and truly where I had scarcity mindset and nerves to begin, right? I have to imagine I was very new. I mean, she thinks new. Um, you say often don't have scarcity mindset and I had scarcity mindset, obviously, because I didn't know what else I was going into. I told my travel advisor, my first 3 months I'm focusing on growth. And they said, well, not money. And I was like, no, growth, personal development, business development. I want to know what my model looks like. I couldn't afford the propose to close straight away. In your Facebook group, I took as much of the content that you supplied for free and I created, um, Propose to Close, you know, 0.5.

I'm so glad you were able to piece— piecemeal the course together because I do try to give away the whole course, you guys.

But with the, the Propose to Close 0.5, I was able to go to my host agency and say, look, this is what this advisor And what, what this advisor coach says, and I love them so much. They've been in business for 35 years, but they said, well, I guess there's a different way to do everything.

Always a different way. I know that your host is wonderful.

So wonderful.

But sometimes it does not work the exact same for everybody. What were they saying to you?

They were supportive, but also very skeptical because I told them from the start, I'm going to only do Calendly. I'm only going to do Zoom calls. If they don't do a Zoom call with me, Then they don't get me as their advisor, that kind of thing. And they, scarcity mindset, remember?

Scarcity mindset.

Scarcity mindset was on my fear radar. They had said to me, which, you know, this has worked for them for 35 years, that people probably wouldn't want to get on a call. Um, they probably wouldn't want to get on Zoom and they like to work through email and go ahead and try it and see if it works for me. But there was an underlying tone of skepticism.

Well, there always has to be some skepticism as I have skepticism with So many things in our industry, but I love that you were honest with your host and you came to them and you felt comfortable telling them like, this is something that I want to try my way and that they were very supportive of that. And that is the baseline definition. So we give them a round of applause for being so supportive of something that they don't necessarily agree with. And the beauty of being an independent contractor is that you get to make these decisions for yourself. And there is a misconception that I don't like host companies or travel agencies, but that's actually not true. I actually do think a host is a great starting point for a new advisor because there should be mentorship. There should be training available, someone to call if you have questions, as well as we don't want to walk the path of starting from scratch with an IATA number and building out something completely new when we can have those Accessible things in a host. The misconception that I don't like hosts at all is absolutely not true. And your hosts are a testament to what it actually means to be a mentor to an independent contractor. I'm happy right out of the gate that you have had that support and that you were also able to just tell them the truth and they were like, yeah, we'll just, we'll see what happens. So what has happened since you chose this path? The scarcity mindset is real for us. What if someone doesn't wanna get on the phone? Well, then they just don't, is my opinion. Then that, that's not your aligned client. I can understand as a new agent you being, what if they don't wanna work with me? How did you navigate your scarcity mindset while implementing something you've never done before with a host in the background saying that's probably not gonna work?

Right. I did it anyway.

Yeah. Yes.

We do it anyway. I honestly, I looked at how many people have commitment or had committed to you and they had really led with the commitment with the process. And I was looking at tone of voice and those, those testaments. And I said, okay, well, this resonates with me. This feels good. This is a little weird. She's kind of crazy, but you know what? 2024, and this is the way that it's going after everything's automated, after everything's become online. People are wanting to connect again.

They are.

And I'm a talker.

I mean, I'm just talking to you right now. This is so much better than if we were like trying to navigate this with just a survey.

The survey, that was hard for me not to do because, well, I was sent 5 of them to give to my clients. I just didn't. I printed them out and I had them in front of me and I started Zoom even from the very first client that I, I, um, had. And that was in late February. So, okay, 3 weeks after I opened my doors, um, I had a 17-person group. 17 people. Okay.

That's a big one to take on as your first, like, client. So. We're gonna take a little pause here cuz I want you to walk me through without having invested in Propose to Close. Did you tell them this is the first time I've ever done this officially since I started?

I did not. I went with everything that I had got from my host agency and it took about 3 emails before I said, we connected on the Zoom and before I said, okay, I'm, I'm beginning. This is like new. I'm an avid traveler. You're coming from, uh, somebody that is very close to me as a result of me starting my business and I I led the board that I was going to be very slow, new, and contacting the people who knew the answers prior to giving them the answer. It took me about 3 emails before I decided, okay, transparency will win here because it didn't feel good to feel like I had to be perfect.

I mean, there's no possible way to know everything even 10 years in. Why would we think you would know everything the first day?

Yeah.

I also want to ask, this is not somebody you knew personally. So this was—

I did not know them personally.

A friend.

It was.

And then you were like, oh my gosh, I'm a little bit overwhelmed.

Yes.

I just need to tell them the truth.

Right. We, and it was mostly getting them onto the Zoom. So this was prior to Zoom. I hadn't told them anything yet. On the Zoom call, that's when I introduced myself and I was very transparent. But the beginning of getting them to the Zoom was everything copied and pasted from your Marcie Munsterman's, um, group, your free group. And I had really just created the template of, you know, the first step is connecting with me, XYZ, everything that I had seen. I had already set up my Calendly. And so that back and forth beginning, I just needed to get them on the Zoom. And then once they were on the Zoom, then I was very transparent. And everybody until, well, what month is it? Until October. Um, I told I'm new and then now I don't feel as if I need to, and now I charge fees. Now I'm tall.

How does your host feel about charging fees?

Um, they said everybody does what they feel most comfortable. They gave me a different amount. Um, if you feel the need to, they gave me a separate amount that was about $180 cheaper than what I do charge.

Okay.

Every client up until this point, I did tell them I will be charging a fee, but because I am new and I'm still learning, I'm going to waive the fee for this time so that we can do the process together. And in the future, I will be charging fees. So again, I just took what you had said on the Facebook and I prefaced everything ahead of time. Again, transparency. So that they feel comfortable in the future when they came to me, knowing I'm comfortable now. And this is, this is the standard.

I just want to say how proud of you I am. It is a really tough business to roll up out on the first try and just tell it like it is. Like, this is how I'm running my business and you're on my train, so to speak, which is something I say all the time. I'm the conductor. And if you want to be on, then here's the different places where you can get on, but you can also Easily escape me. There's always a way out. I'm really excited for you that from the very first minute of being a travel advisor, you had made these very specific decisions and really haven't wavered.

And no, I haven't.

You told me something and I didn't even write this down, but it has stuck with me. It was like a core memory from our consult was that you said that you have closed 100% Of the leads you have received and done a Zoom with.

Yes.

Holy shit. And how many is it? Am I allowed to ask?

Yes. 12. 12 trips.

12 vacations, 12 leads, first year out, not even a whole year out.

And less.

You are killing it using the Propose to Close strategy, which you, you said you got so much of it free and then What made you decide I've gotta buy it even though I have all the information I need?

Well, I needed it to be in an order that I could fine-tune what I had already implemented. Now, I felt very comfortable saying, well, do I actually need it? I, I didn't think that. Other people do say that. I felt very comfortable where you could say, do you actually need it? Let me reframe that. But when I really got to thinking about my Yes. Because I've implemented everything, but I wanted to have it in an order and in a format that I can go through and look at my process and say, okay, now it's time to repeat and to smooth out and actually possibly add more, which I actually did. I implemented more calendar control by taking the course. Now it was repeated over and over throughout the Facebook group, but once I saw it in action and was able to look at that particular module and said, I could do more here. And I did. I smoothed out that process so smooth that now I work less and I feel comfortable saying that doesn't fit in my schedule.

I think that it is really important here to talk about calendar control because again, it is a form of transparency to share your working hours and it should be everywhere. I believe it needs to be. Right up front, everywhere. There needs to be a conversation from the jump of the expectations because this is the very first step in boundaries. And a lot of travel advisors have this like 24/7 mindset where they feel like they have to jump through, you know, raging hoops of fire to serve a client. And I just, I believe in high levels of service with boundaries. Obviously, we're always going to serve a client if they absolutely need us, if they're in a panic, if they're having a crisis. But that is such a rare piece of what we do that it should not define how we spend our days. I'm really excited that you took that calendar piece so seriously. And this is something, guys, that you can do without Propose to Close. And it's just break out your calendar over the next 3 to 5 months, 6 months, 7 months, however long you know the schedule. A lot of us as moms have a schedule out. I'm excited because ours is releasing in March and I'm like, give me all the schedule for next year because I need to know what is going on. That idea that if you know what's happening in your life, then your business will be more seamless because then you can communicate appropriately, transparently, and honestly with your clients, your hosts, your friends, your family, everybody. This isn't just how do I run my business? Calendar control means you have control over your life. And so I am super passionate about that. I mean, 12 closed leads on your time in a process, that means you're making money, Corinne. That means you're working the hours you have to work and maximizing your time. I'm stoked about this.

I am really excited, honestly, because, um, I did get the opportunity to work through the night for 4 months, right?

Not all of us are gonna have that. So, no. How long did it take you to complete Propose to Close? Like once you had it?

3 weeks. I repeated modules quite a bit if I felt like I didn't resonate with it as much as I would like to. And really, I, not because I couldn't understand it, but because I couldn't wrap my head around implementing it. I just told myself, well, obviously it's working, so go watch it again. And so I would rewatch some of the modules and I would go really slow so that I could pause and go straight to my computer and implement. It did take me longer. I didn't binge watch it at all. It took me longer than I think a lot of people watch it, but I was using it as if you were sitting with me in sessions. That's how I thought. Like, she's my coach. We're having session 1. Okay, session 1's over. We're moving to session 2. Oh, you didn't get session 2? That's cool. We'll do that again tomorrow.

I love that. You have trouble. Do you remember like what you were struggling with to kind of wrap your mind around it?

Well, one, it was the calendar really, because even though I was so productive, I felt like, well, I'm productive because they have access to me. And then I go to my husband and I say, this is what Marcie says. Marcie is a name in the house. Everyone knows it. I don't even say it's Lady Marcie. No, it's just Marcie. That is hilarious. He's like, honestly, I haven't seen you 3 nights of, um, this week. So maybe she's onto something. But I could hear the undertone of like a little neglect. She's onto something. And I went immediately and I changed my calendar the very next work morning, even though I was sitting there itching on the couch, like I have to touch my computer. No, I waited till the morning and then I implemented my new schedule.

Yes.

And yeah, so now I've had 3 bookings. Since then, and they fit themselves into that schedule, even though it's quite narrow. I don't work nights anymore.

Love that. Exclusivity leads to more success.

Yes, I think so too.

When there is a higher demand on your time, they will make it work. And we're not saying never be flexible, or I think there is a misconception where I'm like, oh, you can only do this at certain times, certain ways. You get to make those decisions. If you're like, no, I really do want to take on this client and these times don't work for This particular prospect, then make it work for them, but make sure you're looking at your calendar while you do it so you don't double book yourself or take away time in another important area of your life. And communicating that honestly with them. I'm happy to be flexible as long as it works for my calendar. You're not gonna bend over backwards or take a call at 11:00 PM. It has to match up with you. I do think it sets a tone of we're professionals. This is your vacation. You should want to have an appointment with me. You should want to make sure that you even like me, where yours is more like, oh, I don't want to lose this client, but I really want to have control of my calendar. There's all kinds of things that we bring into our businesses that create negative mindset and that tone of voice, that little person in the back of your head telling you, oh, this isn't going to work like this. They're not going to follow your process. Okay, y'all, let's pause for a quick Break. I need you to know you have never been trained in sales. Yeah, you might know how to use your CRM and book a preferred vendor or post on Instagram, but none of that teaches you how to close the damn sale. And if you're tired of hearing that travel sells itself while you watch prospects take your hard work and book elsewhere, it's time to fucking change that. I am introducing you to the Propose to Close sales course, a no BS step-by-step program designed to help travel advisors like you weed out tire kickers, stop quoting in the DMs, and finally close sales without feeling pushy or salesy. This intensive 10-hour, 9-module course will teach you how to qualify prospects, send one fabulous proposal instead of 5, 10, 15, build Build real connections very quickly and close the sale in under a week. Whether you're brand new or a veteran stuck in burnout, this course will give you the skills and confidence to transform your travel business and your fucking life. So if you're ready to stop spinning those wheels and start running a business that works for you, head to my website to grab the Propose to Close Sales Course. And don't forget to check out the show notes for an Okay. Now back to the pod. What was the next thing that was, I'm not sure this is gonna work?

Um, being okay with charging a fee for my time. I was new and I hadn't told everybody I'm charging a fee. I will, but I'm waiving it until I feel comfortable with this particular, uh, process. I almost felt like the first time that I did charge a fee that it was gonna be balked at, and instead it was said, oh my gosh, thank you. That's it. And it was not a small amount. It was, it was—

How much was it? How much was it?

Like, it was $250 for 6 days. I love it. It's only 6 days.

What was their trip like? What was going on with their trip?

Oh, their trip is, is not very complex because I sell this one or this particular, um, everybody wants to do it. They want to fly into Rome or Venice and then they want to end in Venice or Rome. And I—

We need you to know that that's not easy for some of us to plan. So going across the Atlantic Ocean.

Okay. That's right. But because I travel there, I know Roberto. He's my man. He's gonna go pick them up, but I know them by name because I—

Friend is on a first name basis.

I send them Christmas gifts.

Oh my God. I love that. How long have you known Roberto?

2 years.

Wow.

Yeah. And it honestly, because my small— they're not small anymore. They're, they're growing, right? A lot of people use their name.

That's awesome.

But I have their, their emails and I just, pop in and quite a few vendors in Rome at this point that didn't give commission have dropped their prices and dropped their portion of the commission and given it to me and they don't offer commission.

That's some really good relationship building right there, girl. Oh my gosh.

It is an exclusive, but I really love them.

You offering a service that no one else can have, you know, it's harder to find, but also your relationship with them is so Good that if something happens or if there's a confusion, you have Roberto to contact, which is such a testament to also being in this business is relationships matter and the way we treat other people matters. I'd love to dive into your Impact Travel because this is something I'd actually never heard of before meeting you. And it's those relationships with those smaller growing businesses, but they're local, sustainable, but the only way they sustain.

Mm-hmm.

Is through our support. How did you navigate this, especially if they were not paying commission?

Right. I make enough, right? I could go and give my client the exact trip, excluding the small business, and it's not going to impact me in any way. But instead what I do is I create the same trip as I would anybody else, and I tell them my love and my joy. For Miguel in Lisbon or for Irina in Mykonos. And I tell them like their story, just a little bit of their story because they have to go and meet them themselves. And I ask them if they would also like to do this. Obviously they paid for it. It's in their itinerary already as an option. 100% of it is always yes.

100%. Who doesn't want to? Does it cost more for them as a client?

Or, you know, they're only paying the price of either the tour or the experience. And truly, um, the price point of these small businesses, it's quite small in comparison to what they're already paying. I'm encouraging currently to raise by 20%, like all of you.

Oh, really?

They're not comfortable with it.

I love promoting a raise of prices. I'm here for that. And also you should probably raise your fee, just saying.

Okay. We can talk about that later.

Okay.

We will.

But I love this impact travel piece of your business because I think it is really, it creates this very unique branding for you that not a lot of people can compete with. And we're not in competition. I always say that, but there are certain attractive qualities. And I love that that has been at the very forefront, which also weeds out certain people, right? Because. It's not for everybody and charging a fee isn't for everybody, but at the same time, you have this incredible way of connecting your traveler with a local that a lot of people just don't have that fabulousness in their back pocket. That is amazing. And while I'm thinking about it, cuz of course the ADHD is coming on strong right now, what is it like living in Germany and having your clients be in, I think you're from San Antonio?

I am.

Okay. What is that like? Like that's a 6 or 7 hour time difference?

Yeah. I had a client meet with me at 4:30 AM her time because my schedule was too busy and her schedule was incredibly busy. And so she—

Are you kidding me right now? Wait a minute. Wait. 4:30 AM Texas time?

Yeah.

Texas time. Central. Okay. She got out of bed to meet with you.

She did. Oh, and she was at the—

I guess it would've been, gosh, I can't do this math, y'all. I cannot do the math. What time was it in Germany?

For me, it was about 12:30.

Like the perfect time of day for you. And she's barely out of bed.

It was.

How'd that go? Obviously you closed it because you have closed 100%.

Yes. She really wanted to meet, but her business life right now is quite overwhelming. She was not able to fit in any of the other openings, which are either even Saturdays and Sundays. She was working. And I couldn't open up my schedule anymore. And so she's like, you know what? After 2 weeks of kind of back and forth of how we are going to finish it, um, and, and get us onto the Zoom, she booked the 4:30 AM her time. And yeah, we had the call. She just crawled outta bed, but she was still so excited and she really was just pouring out all of her wants and her dreams. And she said that she held back. She wanted to say more cuz she's been researching for 5 years. For this trip. And now—

Oh my.

So she held back a lot of her, her wants and her dreams. And she said, I just want to see what you come up with because you're the expert and you're too, um, people have said to her that beyond their wildest dreams, things were happening and proposed and that she couldn't self-plan if she wanted some of the interesting, unique things too. I told her that's probably not. All the way true, but what they were really thinking about is the small businesses because that particular client, they got to make gnocchi at the base of a volcano and go out into the farm and pick their own stuff and very unique experience. She, at first, that client had said maybe she didn't want to do that, but that's kind of the story that drew the other client to wake up at 4:30 AM and say, but what can you imagine for me that I can't?

That is incredible. That is a testament to the calendar. I mean, if someone really wants to work with you, they will find a spot on your calendar. If that is the experience they want to have, they want to have the Corinne experience. And that is the reason Propose to Close is so powerful because the right client, the aligned client is going to get up at 4:30 in the morning if they have to, to work with you. Mm-hmm.

Wow.

Like, I'm just, I had not heard this before. I love it for you because you deserve it. You have done everything right, honestly, from the very first day as a travel advisor, which so many of us made a lot of mistakes because we just weren't told the way to do it was this way. And it, that way doesn't work for every single person. And I think finding alternative routes. Doing more research, slowing down, and not just like jumping in expecting to be super successful overnight. I know that you have been very patient as far as in your mind knowing this could take some time, and if you went to calendar, it meant that certain people would not book with you, and being okay with those decisions. Everything you've done is just a testament to pausing really and looking at everything you were doing and saying this is what's right. for me and my business. And that is, that is what I want for every single travel advisor. I want to make sure we have kind of talked about everything you want to share. I have a couple more things I want to ask. We're not done, guys. No going anywhere. Is there anything else on your list that you want to cover?

I do want to go back to the impact travel that I haven't been just making connections while being an advisor. This is a 10-year rep list. Of people I've come into contact with. And truly, if anybody wants to know any of those, um, small businesses, they can tune in very soon, um, to any of my socials because I am sharing those stories and those small businesses to the public.

We love the no gatekeeping, girl. We love it. I'm so excited about this because listeners listening are like, okay, maybe I can sell some Europe and do some cool things. So Corinne's Instagram and all her things are going to be dropped in the show notes.

I only support and rise up the people who I've traveled with, and they didn't know that I was an advisor prior. They didn't know. It was just like to tears when I left Miguel in Lisbon. I was like, I have to come back. And he's like, yeah, come back. And I was like, no, like you don't understand. I feel like you made me wanna go home and learn about Lisbon's history because, oh my gosh. And he was like the best in the art scene. He drove by a, an old building in Lisbon that the door happened to be open and he pulled over in his tuk-tuk. He's like, I'll be right back. And he runs over and he's like, can my clients come in? Can they come in and they see your establishment? And he's like, okay, come.

Oh my gosh. Wow.

Art scene, art from decades, the original stones on the ground, original tables that the regime had sat at to make decisions. And it was just like, I could feel the energy just like pulsing in this building. Like the walls and the stones were speaking. And that was just one part. He knew everybody. His connections were everywhere.

Wow.

Yeah, I could have cried. And it wasn't like the most sexy restaurant that he dropped us off at to end. He says, go enjoy. And he introduces you to the restaurant owner. And it wasn't like the most grandiose restaurant, but the food, you could feel the love. And that truly comes with connecting over years. This is connection of years. So back to circling around, these names will be coming out. I've sent everybody a sheet to fill out that they would really like to highlight their small businesses, and those will be highlighted. And then I wanted to also touch base on very quickly, when you control your peace, your client's still taken care of and safe. They feel your energy and your excitement come through the Zoom, right? And if you are running ragged, they're not going to feel comfortable. They're going to feel your stress and you can't fake not being stressed, you know?

Can't fake not being stressed.

Right.

Which really goes back to that transparency piece. And if you are stressed, it is okay to say, yes, I'm having a little bit of stress right now. I wanna take a beat. I wanna take care of you and focus. I say this all the time, like the more authentic we are, the more we admit that we're messing up. That imperfection piece is so much more relatable than telling somebody that you are so important that you were on another call that you, you know, couldn't get to them in this way. That's not going to create a really accessible experience for your guests. I love protecting your peace, but I know that's one of your points. So at the end of each of these, uh, episodes, I am asking the travel advisor, my guest, to share with you 3 things that you can take away today. Right now you're listening to this and you're like, I'm so inspired. What can I do right now? But like maybe doesn't have the investment to put into Propose to Close. Like what are the 3 pieces of advice that you would give them?

I would say to go to calendar only.

You know, that makes everyone uncomfortable, but we love it.

Make yourself go to calendar only, even if that calendar is more open than what was exemplified or shown as an example. If you want to have 4 days or 5 days, then have 4 or 5 days, but make sure that your calendar is what is running the business and not the client running the business. And that really does segue into control your peace, right? If they, if you feel a client is controlling your time, then you're going to feel at the will of somebody else. And you have to feel in control of yourself. Control your peace, control your calendar, and truly just heighten the energy that you are in control of the train, that they have the opportunity to get on or to get off. Because you want people to feel as if it feels more weird to not get on the train than it does to get on.

I love this. I love this. And these are things, these are things that someone could take away right now and implement. Today, I think those things could have a huge impact on their business in even a week. Wouldn't you agree? Like if—

I think so.

Your mindset and you're like, I am doing this.

Yeah.

And as we kind of come into a place of understanding what it is we want for our businesses, I think even if you are full-time at this and you're in the office every day from 9 to 6, knowing when you have appointments and understanding what's next in your life in that day makes it easier for you to have time to do other things like go get a facial or take a nap or make sure you're at your kids' school on time to pick them up and never miss a softball game. You know, that was what was really important to me for calendar control. I don't know about you, but there was a time when I was missing so much or I was overworking myself thinking it's more important for me to be in my office because what if someone calls? Or what if someone emails and needs me? Then what if my husband would like to have dinner with me? You know, and I wasn't asking that question, right? But I knew he did wanna have dinner with me. It's like figuring out what's really important to you and prioritizing that is really what calendar control is all about. Okay, so I wanna ask, I wanna know an unpopular travel advisor opinion that you have. And this kind of is tied back into your impact travel. Do you remember your answer? I love it. You're like, I really don't. Because I have a lot of opinions. You wrote, you literally wrote on the survey, perhaps this shouldn't be in the podcast. It's very much at your discretion. Okay. I want you to tell us, because we are here to talk the real talk and we are here to talk about the unpopular shit because that's what really makes us who we are as advisors, but also We don't have to follow all these same rules, and this is not beating anyone up who has chosen this path, right? So it's just, okay, that's the preface. I'm gonna give those disclaimers like once or twice. What is it for you that you really struggle with in our industry?

Impact traveling isn't just about supporting the businesses, it's supporting the entire community. I have a really hard time selling anything that cuts out the community from The area, the country, the beach that they grew up on, and I can't anywhere in my heart sell any resort that monetizes any beach that used to be local or that takes away from the community that used to or would like to go and visit that within their own country. I think that was probably the hardest thing wrapping my head around is well, I could make a lot of money selling sandals or any other resort, but I can't. Emotionally or ethically on my own stance, some sell those. And so I will just bless and release those very, very quickly, um, to another advisor that they don't mind selling that kind of trip.

Yeah. And as a sandal specialist, I can totally appreciate. No, but seriously, I appreciate you sharing that because it goes to brand and one of the big things that is so important as a travel advisor and really any small business is knowing your brand and standing up against everything else, even if you're on a hill alone, because I'm often on that hill alone. It makes me rethink how I want to pursue the rest of my business. And I've been doing this for so much longer, but it's like every time you learn something new that you can take into your next decision in your business is going to have a positive impact because you're making it based on new information. And I don't even think I realized or knew that that was a thing happening. So I just, I know that it sounds kind of naive, especially being in this business so long. So I appreciate you sharing your unpopular opinion because it really, it really could impact the way I sell travel moving forward. And it's really important that we think of the world as a whole.

Right. I know there was a, my best friend, of course, wants me to book her cruise. And of course they're going to certain islands that I haven't even looked into on the, the grand scheme of what do people do there. And I said, you will get off the ship. I've never been there, but I know 100% there will be 10, 15 drivers standing there. You go and introduce yourself and you Find the one that you feel the most connection to, whether it be a smile, eye contact, grace, silence, or energy. And you get in their car and you go and you tell them, make us a day that truly highlights who you are and something that you would be excited to do. Her husband, not very happy with me. Best friend, she did it.

Ooh.

And they had the best day. He said, anything? She's like, anything. He brought them to their grandma's house who had their watermelon garden.

Oh my God, I love this so much.

And they, they cracked the watermelon and he said, this is how we eat it. And then, and—

Oh my God.

Watermelon, eating watermelon in the car. He brought them to his favorite park, his favorite restaurant, and then his favorite little cove to go swimming. And then they were dropped off back at the ship.

Long time.

Long time. And she said that she felt so full because they connected on a level that she wasn't expecting, nor was he. And that's the kind of like, I have a disdain for where you're going. I will book your cruise on one promise. Now I still book a few cruises.

I was gonna say, so obviously you're not like, it's, this is not like a black and white, hard and fast, like never book these companies. It's. Have experiences that go beyond the immediate thing right in front of you.

Yeah.

Yeah. That's, that's powerful. That's powerful. 'Cause I really don't wanna stop selling sandals.

You don't have to stop selling them.

I got married there, so I am intimately emotionally attached. But I really am excited about this. I love this idea and I love too that we never stop learning. I mean, we can be doing this forever and there's always gonna be Something to do, something new to learn, and the world, cuz the world changes all the time and experiences change. If there was anything that you would tell yourself, you know, I feel like you did tell yourself all these things, but like, was there anything that you wish you could go back in time and tell yourself if it was the first day?

Not to be scared or nervous about scarcity because I haven't had a day to rest yet. And to allow yourself to be comfortable from the very beginning, it took 2 months, only 2 months, but—

Girl, that is the beginning. You are an anomaly and we love it.

I know it's only been 10 months, 11 almost, but to feel so sure in the story that you're helping them create that it's not scary anymore. Just be excited because that really is what they're looking for.

Um, I'll be your authentic, transparent self. If I swear, the more honest I become. I mean, because everybody's always holding back, you know, we don't want to say the wrong thing. I really do think that people are, if we give them the benefit of the doubt and we allow them to get close to our experiences, that we're going to have even better relationships with our clients, with our vendors, with our BDMs, all of them, because, you know, what you did from the jump, like I said, I think I've said this, but you really took it by the horn, but you also Made very CEO era decisions from the beginning. Anyone can choose to do starting today too, is just make that next decision that you make without, I guess, the worry of failure. Because what happens if you fail? You just change course, pivot, right? You decide, well, that didn't work out the way I wanted it to. I now get to make another decision because I have more information. So instead of being afraid of that. You just went for it. I just, I'm obsessed with you, Corinne. Thank you so much for, um, starting over with me since we were both kind of having a time and really telling your story. And I can't wait for the other travel advisors to hear it. So yay. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Okay, you guys, the No BS Travel Advisor Podcast first episode is over, but we hope that you will check out the show notes for Corinne's contact information and how to follow her on the socials as she navigates her new journey of introducing us to some really exciting people in the world. And then also, we hope that you will check us out on YouTube, my Instagram, and all the different places where you can find your favorite podcasts. That's a wrap on today's episode, friend. Thanks for hanging out with me again on the No BS Travel Advisor Podcast. I hope you're leaving this episode. Feeling fired up, inspired, and ready to take back control of your business. And let's be honest, your fucking life. If today's episode hit home, do me a favor and share it with your fellow travel advisors who need to hear this. And don't forget to leave a review. Your support means the world and helps me reach more badass advisors like you. And hey, if you've got a story to share or some no BS advice of your own, you've taken a course or two of mine. Maybe you've been a coaching client. I want to hear from you. Head to my website to apply to be a guest. I'd love to feature you on an upcoming episode. Until then, you fucking got this. Keep being bold, keep being unapologetic, and keep building the business you fucking deserve. This is Marcie Munsterman signing off with zero fluff and a whole lot of heart.