Meet the Rep: Jason Dicks, Serenity Holidays

Describe your typical week

It varies dramatically. Sometimes I’m in the office all week, sometimes on the road. We don’t have regional reps so I travel all around the country. I represent our “Experience” brands including The Gambia, Senegal, Cape Verde Islands and Goa, plus our “Places” brands to Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily, so there’s a lot to talk about.

How big is your firm’s on-the-road sales team?
Gill Synnuck and I share the bulk of the visits but we have keen and experienced sales staff, so when it’s quiet they tend to be out and about as well. Our webinars work really well with agents too.

What would we find in your car?
Dog blankets – back seat and front – sat nav, notebook and pen.

What do you listen to?
Mainly podcasts, favourites being Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast; Rhod Gilbert; Frank Skinner; Kermode and Mayo’s film review – I love watching films – and a couple of magic-related podcasts.

What snack keeps you going on the road?
When I’m trying to be good, it’s grapes and nuts. And when I’m not, anything goes, especially Worcester sauce-flavour crisps.

What’s the silliest thing you’ve ever done as part of a sales visit?
I once turned up for a visit at a shop that had relocated a few miles away – but it turned out to be almost next door to the shop I had just been to. I’ve also performed many bar tricks at travel conferences around the country – and they’ve always gone down well (pictured, right).

What’s the best part of being on the road?
Apart from meeting some great agents, I love seeing different parts of the country. There are so many hidden gems.

What’s the worst part?
Missing my dog, Colin, a miniature Schnauzer. I take him on the road with me occasionally, and he’s proving very popular. He is usually well behaved as long as someone makes a fuss of him.

How do you think agents would describe you?
Friendly and approachable – oh, and probably not very tall.

Which agency gives you the best cup of tea?
I have to say I rarely take up the offer of a cuppa as it would mean more pit stops for the loo.

What key messages do you try to convey in an agent visit?
We want to reinforce Serenity Holidays’ six dedicated brochures, which include new products to Sicily and Goa. Sicily is a new addition to our summer 2016 Corsican and Sardinian Places programmes. We want to talk about the variety of accommodation there and that it’s easy to get to with daily flights. Goa boosts our winter sun collection, complementing our Experience brands to The Gambia and Cape Verde Islands. In Goa, we have unique hotels such as former Portuguese Heritage homes, which provide real insight into authentic Goa, and a choice of excursions to add further enriching experiences. We are also promoting some great late offers to The Gambia.

What’s your advice for agents who don’t currently sell your product but are keen?

Let us give you a personal webinar session on any or all of our products to see if they would suit your clients. We’ll even throw in a free pizza if you want an out-of-hours session.

If you didn’t work in travel, what would you like to do instead?
I already do it – I’m also a magician working at weddings and house parties, as well as the occasional travel events for Bright Consortia.

What’s your best magic trick?
One of my favourite tricks is turning paper into money – on the Serenity Holidays trade section of the website, you can watch me turning brochure pages into Gambian Dalasi.