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How can advisors find fam, or familiarization, trip opportunities?<\/p>\n
Fam trips are an integral part to most advisors’ businesses. They enable them to explore a destination and get a feel for the place and for what their clients might like. And it’s always easier to sell a destination you’ve visited.<\/p>\n
There are a number of ways to find fam trips that might be right for any agent, according to Theresa Chu-Bermudez, owner of Get Out! Custom Travels in Tampa. Chu-Bermudez was a guest on the most recent episode of the “Trade Secrets” podcast, where she talked about all things fam trips.<\/p>\n
Chu-Bermudez is also a co-host of the “TIN Lounge” podcast and the creator of Fam with Intention, a course on maximizing fam trips for advisors.<\/p>\n
To identify fam opportunities, Chu-Bermudez first advises agents to check with their agency, especially if they are hosted. Often, she said, suppliers reach out to host agencies with opportunities.<\/p>\n
“But if an advisor knows in general what kind of niche they want to go into, or if there’s a particular destination or experience that they want to learn more about, I would encourage them to reach out directly to their [business development managers] and just express that interest,” she said.<\/p>\n
It does require a proactive approach, she said, but can result in a good opportunity.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Chu-Bermudez encouraged advisors to keep up to date on trade publications that write about different travel experiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Being in the know with different resources available to you in the industry will be very helpful,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It’s also important to network and build relationships with business development managers and other supplier representatives in the industry, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chu-Bermudez said a fam trip isn’t just a benefit for agents.<\/p>\n
“You have to understand that this is supposed to be a mutually beneficial relationship, and even if you find that this experience is not for you or your clients, that’s also a benefit for the supplier,” she said. “Because you are not booking this and then having unhappy clients — you already know that this is not going to be a good fit.”<\/p>\n
For more on fam trips, including how to best prepare, what to expect on a trip and how to make the most out of what you’ve learned once you’re back home, give the episode of the podcast a listen.<\/p>\n