In an increasingly competitive market, agents are taking their professional development to the next level with some impressive extra-curricular training.

TTG caught up with three TTG Luxury Travel Awards finalists who have future-proofed their businesses in a variety of unique ways, resulting in branding boosts, extended market reach and improved self-image.

Fresh from mindset coaching, fintech tutorials and digital marketing masterclasses, here they share their tips with TTG.

Hypnotherapy may sound 'woo-woo', but it works

For Cartology Travel's Davina Biggins, "understanding yourself" is the key to a successful business. She took part in one-off manifestation and cognitive hypnotherapy sessions organised by The Travel Sisterhood, with the aim of "retraining" her mindset.

"You’ll close your eyes, and the coach asks you these probing questions," she explains. "Sometimes, it takes an external person to ask you, 'how are you feeling?', or, 'what do you want to let go of?' for you to answer honestly."

The sessions encouraged participants to visualise physically moving away from unhelpful habits and actively reach out towards their goals. "I left the sessions generally feeling more confident about where I’m going with my business, and in myself," she says.

(Credit: Davina Biggins)

One technique Biggins has stuck with is writing a letter to herself each year, outlining what she hopes to achieve – and then not opening it for 12 months.

"You have to use pen and paper," she says. "The physical act of writing it helps you find clarity in your business and goals. It's easy to get bogged down in the busy, daily work and forget to take a step back and think about the big picture."

When she reopens the letters, the results can be "powerful", she says. "It’s really nice to see how far you’ve come, and what’s left to do. I’ve written myself a letter for the past two years, and I’m definitely going to continue."

Biggins acknowledges manifestation can be misunderstood. "People think it’s a bit ‘woo-woo’, but it’s not like I’m sitting here going, 'I’m going to do a million pounds in sales'.

"If you work to truly understand yourself, your capabilities and what you want to be doing, it’s easier for your business to progress. That’s what manifestation is all about."

'Crypto has put me 10 years ahead of the competition'

Olivia Ponniah, managing director of Liv & Travel, began exploring cryptocurrency payments after attending a luxury event where Dubai-based buyers were discussing crypto gateways.

"I’d already been educating myself on cryptocurrency at this point for personal reasons," she says. "I was inspired by something Jeff Bezos said, which was to 'always think 10 years ahead'. I’m always looking to future-proof my business by anticipating new trends."

After researching providers, Ponniah found a gateway tailored to smaller businesses. "It was quite a gruelling verification process – there were lots of identity and credit checks," she explains. "But now my clients can pay for their holidays in crypto if they’d prefer to."

(Credit: Olivia Ponniah)

The move also has financial advantages. "A lot of agents will get stung with credit card fees, especially on Amex or international corporate cards. That can be as high as 5%. Crypto doesn’t have that fee structure, so it’s actually a financially beneficial solution too."

Ponniah is now marketing more intentionally to crypto users, even if her current client base is not heavily invested. "In five or 10 years, a lot more people will be," she says. "I’m also trying to attract a new audience."

Her advice to other agents is to take advantage of anything that might give your business an edge, including cryptocurrency. "The great thing about the travel industry is you have so many opportunities to innovate and build success for yourself," Ponniah says. "Cryptocurrency is a great way to do that."

'With Canva, half the work's done for you'

Former IT professional Jenny Stephens of Tiger Eye Travel belongs to a networking group that held an "enlightening" class on SEO (search engine optimisation) and Canva training. "I'm naturally quite a logical, practical person," she says. "So the class just clicked with my brain.”

The course covered organic web growth, including maintaining a consistent presence and aesthetic, as well paid advertising strategies, keywords and target audiences. But it was a discussion about branded content templates that made the biggest difference for Stephens.

"It’s made things so much more efficient," Stephens says. "There’s a little bit of trial and error, but the basic structure stays the same, half the work’s done for you, and you can spend your energy on perfecting the content rather than the look."

(Credit: Jenny Stephens)

With a "very specific" demographic of adventurous over-50s, brand recognition is key for Stephens. She now describes her business as more "recognisable", helped by consistent design and messaging.

Running her own agency means "wearing all the hats", she adds. Even small efficiencies, like keyboard shortcuts, have saved "so much time".

Stephens now aims to complete one or two courses each month. "Whenever I see something and think, 'that looks really interesting', I’ll go and see what online courses are available," she says. "It’s good for agents to keep on top of changing technology."

Do any of these examples resonate with you? What lengths have you gone to to expand your knowledge and boost your business? Let us know in the comments section below.