My Association with roomsXML began through collaboration with WebSource technologies  in Pune, India. My initial primary contact, and now close fried and business mentor, was Prakash Bang. He is about to release a book called “Your enterprise isn't dead. YET!”

Over the next few weeks we will be giving copies away to Australian travel agents and working through some of the key ideas relevant to the industry.

This week's comment is idea 1of 101 which includes:

“Nothing stays forever. Keep your eyes and ears open. One opportunity will lead to another. 

I started off as a door to door salesman selling bed sheets….opened up opportunity to sell fabrics to textile showrooms….scouting for a contractor to put up their billboards…began Quiksel Advertisers. …. opportunities in main stream advertising…. Direct marketing….Prakash Bang's Personal Mart…Online Marketing under the banner Prakash Bang & Sons. ….opened avenues to tap the growing online opportunities in travel & tourism.

Thus began roomsXML.com. “

It's obvious Prakash is an extremely entrepreneurial and gifted person, one of those unique and untouchable characters for whom everything goes well….

…..rubbish.

“A black belt is just a dirty white belt.”

Prakash’s white belt is alarmingly dirty with grit, hard work, determination, the pain of rejection and  positive attitude. Prakash knows I have the greatest respect for him ; but there's no reason that anyone cannot turn adversity into opportunity like Prakash.

So how does this relate to agents?

At roomsXML we see a lot of websites, we get asked supply to different websites,  collaborate with  websites…. and the one thing a travel agent will always have over these websites?

A personal touch. Personal accountability. Personal reputation. Characters, personality, wisdom, identities that exist in the real world. Someone who can help. Find me a customer worth having that doesn’t value these traits. Tell me a “website” you can find this in. 

The key message to take home?

No online site can ever capture this. Embrace the concept of driving business messages around people and relationships, get customers to sit down and get to know you. Connect. Do business with those that support you in your retail shop front and in achieving your vision.

Before you know it, you will have crafted a competitive advantage that no website can topple.

Get to it.