Travel Advisor Success Story: Susan Shure, Susan Shure Travel

Susan Shure. (Source: Susan Shure)

Travel Advisor Success Stories focus on exceptional travel advisors and how they achieved success. Here’s a look at Susan Shure, owner of Susan Shure Travel.

How did you get your start as a travel advisor?

I developed a love for travel as a child. I traveled to Israel, Europe, the U.S. and the Caribbean with my parents and nurtured that love of travel as an adult, putting trips together for my friends and family, mostly my immediate family. We had taken eight road trips as a family before I even started as an advisor. After years of friends telling me I should pursue this for a career, I took the plunge in 2019.

How did you build your business over the years?

I started with a host and went out on my own in 2020. I got a few leads from friends and some leads from my consortium, but business really picked up by word of mouth. By 2021, I was adding independent contractors (ICs), and in 2022, my agency really took off. I have added 13 ICs in my agency and have gotten my CTA, ACC, VTA and CTC from The Travel Institute and my TAE from CLIA, taking every course and doing every training I could possibly take. Those trainings have helped me develop my business and be able to serve my clients in ways I couldn’t ever imagine.

What characteristics make you a successful advisor?

I have an innate ability to really listen to my clients. I love talking to people and I am an excellent communicator. It makes me really happy when my clients tell me that I am giving them exactly what they want. My love of researching has also served me well, enabling me to find the best choices for my clients.

What have been your greatest challenges been?

COVID. I had just gotten started in this industry when COVID happened, but I pivoted and started selling U.S. travel, creating itineraries and charging fees. Selling the US was an easy niche since I have been to all 50 states. Luxury is my other niche. One of the other ways I met the challenge of COVID head on was to use that time to complete trainings and learn as much as I could about this business.

What have your greatest accomplishment been?

My greatest accomplishment has been putting a trip together for a celebrity client in two days. We had a spring break trip arranged to a location that required vaccinations. It turned out that one of the client’s kids wasn’t fully vaccinated and we had to pivot and I was able to get her destination fully changed from flights to resort.

What tips can you provide advisors new to the industry?

Training is key. Start with The Travel Institute’s trip kit and then take every supplier training you can that falls into your niche. The more training you complete, the better advisor you will be.

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