FRONTLINE
Q. Can you remember your first booking? My first booking was from a woman who is now one of my best clients. It was a trip to New York and then on to Barbados, but sadly it was cancelled because of Covid. The client has since gone to Mykonos with her daughter, who I think is a bit of an Instagram star, and they absolutely loved it. She also booked a surprise birthday trip to Italy for her daughter and her boyfriend, as well as a family trip to Antigua where the couple renewed their wedding vows.
Q. Where are you based and what kind of customers do you attract? I’m based in Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District and work from an office in the village. I have lovely customers, many of whom have high incomes or want to travel after retiring. One of the things I like most about my job is getting in touch with people who I’ve not spoken to for years. Some of my customers come from word of mouth. I would say my customer base is made up of 20% people I’ve never met before and 80% people I knew previously.
Q. Do you employ any staff? suzy blyth
The homeworker left her wine shipping wholesale job to join Not Just Travel full-time in December last year. She tells Harry Kemble how her new role is going so far
Q. Why did you decide to become a travel agent in 2021? I spent 20 years in the hospitality industry but had wanted to become a travel agent for some time as I adore travel and love talking to people. I was weighing up my options and noticed that Not Just Travel was growing quickly. I waited for the right time to join and signed up to the agency in November 2020 while I was on furlough, but I left my job in December 2021. I’m so glad I made the transition.
Q. Aside from its growth, what else attracted you to Not Just Travel? I thought there would be loads of hurdles to overcome, but Not Just Travel made it so easy. They also offered a huge safety net. It’s a big move changing from one sector to another, so you need to make sure you’re joining a company that cares about you. When I joined Not Just Travel, they told me: “We’re holding your hand every step of the way, whatever your bookings are like.” This to me showed it’s a company that really does care.
travelweekly.co.uk
I had a girl working for me but sadly had to let her go in the pandemic. I hope to bring my sister across and maybe hire another three people in the next six months, providing we aren’t hit by another wave of Covid this winter. I also have a telephone answering service called Face For Business whereby someone outside my business takes a call when I am not working. It means I can still deal with enquiries when I’m busy doing something else.
Q. Which holidays and operators do you sell most of?
I sell a lot of luxury holidays and cruise, working with If Only, Classic Collection and Gold Medal. I’ve currently got people away on Scenic, which I would love to sell more of, as well as Celebrity. I do a bit of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines and Princess Cruises too and I’m really trying to promote Seabourn and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. I think everybody should get a bit of a VIP experience every now and then and that’s why I lean towards cruise, because you really do get that VIP treatment; the crew make you feel amazing.
Q. How is business going for you now? I had a 10-day period at the end of September when I couldn’t seem to close any enquiries, but then suddenly it was like everybody went “sod it” and wanted quotes for this and that. I’ve just had my best month, finishing with around £120,000 worth of bookings, so I’m not worried. It seems the entire population wants to go abroad right now. Since joining Not Just Travel I’ve completed £870,000 worth of sales so the £1 million mark is in sight. I wanted to achieve that figure in one year so to reach it in eight months was great. I like to set myself targets because I come from a sales background.
HOW DID THE DEATH OF
YOUR HUSBAND INSPIRE YOU TO BECOME AN AGENT?
I was looking to become a
travel agent while Gavin was alive, and when he died it made me realise how precious time is; it’s all about seizing the moment.
I always used to play second fiddle to Gavin’s career.
Gavin was the producer for Emmerdale and Coronation
Street, which gave us loads of opportunities to travel – we even went to Africa with the cast one year. Then, one day, that was all taken away.
When I got on a plane for the first time without him I just fell to pieces. I couldn’t do it.
I recently had a customer who was widowed. She was really nervous about travelling, as I had been, so I took her to the airport myself and held
her hand in the security line at Manchester airport.
After being widowed it's so daunting; you need a holiday, but it’s not easy without your partner, especially on that first trip, so I did all I could to help. The customer really
appreciated what I did to make her feel more at ease and has already booked her
next trip with me. It’s all about going the extra mile.
Suzy with her husband Gavin
17 NOVEMBER 2022 35
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