January - The month all flighties prepare for was finally here. In January we finished with a TTV of $8.73M , commission of $942,000 and margin of 10.8%. All three categories were up on last year. We ended January with a 9% TAC increase and 14% CAC increase over last year. Our PNL improved by $63K. We had 52 consultants hit over COS, 15 PB's and 45 consultants over 10 AFP's. In January we had our first team qualify for global ball - FCBT Summerhill! Overall, January was a fantastic month for The 6ix!

February - After a long January we kept the momentum moving into February. We finished February with 7.8M in TTV, $845K in commission, and 10.7% margin. Our TAC was 62K which was a 6% increase over last year. Our CAC was $6671 which was an 8% increase. We improved our PNL by $45K in February. The big win for the area this month was our 27% NAC improvement. Our superstar newies rocked it out! The AFP strategy continued as we had 41 consultants hit over 10AFP's.

March - In March we finished with a TTV of $8.7M, commission of $918K and margin of 10.5%. Our TAC was $72K (16%up ) and CAC $7612 (13% up). Our NAC was in another month of improvment with a solid 20% increase over last year. In the PNL space we improved by $68K. We had 12 shops improve in PNL and 9 shops hit profit. The AFP's kept coming. We had an AFP PB with 48 consultants selling more than 10. March was our most productive month of the year. Well done to you all!

Year to date - After a strong Q3 here is where the area is at YTD. We are flat on commission, Up 3.9% on margin, up 3.1% in CAC, up 13% in NAC and $368K improved on our PNL. Our biggest challenge continues to be TTV. We are down 4.2% in TTV and 0.8% in TAC. The AFP has been instrumental in increasing our CAC. You are all getting behind the product and as a result earning more commission - WINNING! We need to keep that up and now also have a huge push for TTV. The message is simple. Get in the culture of saying YES to every booking. Q4 will not be as fast paced as Q3. You will have more time to work on enquiry. Say YES and discover ways to maximize your files! Before we chat about Q4 let's make some noise for the following teams!!

The final quarter is here. As many of us will know the last 3 months of the year can be challenging. There will be a shift. A shift in enquiry levels, in destinations being enquired on, and in personal mentality. The key is knowing that it is here, and finding a way to look at these challenges as opportunities. I can promise you if you sit back and wait for the enquiries to come to you, and not change you will do the same as you have always done or worst. If you get creative, try new things and drive your own business you will come out on top.

Here are some of my personal recommendations as to how to do things differently and produce a COS result or more:

- Develop and follow through on a clear customer engagement strategy

- Engage with your customers differently - VIP referral programs, VIP partnerships, orphan clients and new business

- Maximize the time you spend with each client - really give them a hook to book with you!!

- Work with your community on projects and initiatives where you can brand yourself

- NETWORK!! Everywhere in your local area there are opportunities to be someone's go to travel consultant

- Use your social media to reach out to family and friends about travel

- EXPERTS - you may find a bit more time now that you can devote to working on the expert series

- Convert those clients - every single enquiry is so valuable so ensure your sales process is spot on and you are closing those sales

- Product selection - AFP, ranges and manulife have never been more important. PPP is here and it is the best Insurance policy we have ever had. Get behind this product because it will protect your customer and earn you extra commission.

- Get creative - local companies pay comm!! Wine tours, houseboating, whale watching and more.. Know what you can sell

- Know what destinations are being enquired on and have your go to products to suggest

Finally, the biggest thing is coming to work every single day with a can do attitude. It can be easy to slip into a negative attitude or low motivation. That won't attract a positive experience for anyone including our customers, or your teams. If you rise above this, I guarantee you will come out on top!

A Flightie is to be someone who lives and breathes the true qualities of our company’s culture and its way of life. Irreverence, egalitarianism and ownership are at the heart of our culture. We take our business seriously but not ourselves. Everyone has equal opportunity as there is no them and us. We run our business as if it were our own. To me it is about so much more than just a career, it is a lifestyle that I am proud of. What does being a Flightie Mean to you? If you are not across all of the exciting initiatives, get familiar! Full details at - https://fctg.facebook.com/search/top/?q=flightie4life

Let's chat about E-business cards shall we. If you have not already done so, set up an E-business card in your smart phone. As things slow down in Q4 you will have more time to get out and network yourself. Having an E-business card set up will make it so easy to flick over your contact details. Business cards will soon be a thing of the past. Plan for the future and get an E-business card set up. For the people in the area that are on board with our P2P strategy, have your cell phone number added. For those that are still on the fence about providing your cell phone start by making an E-business card with your shop phone number. I have my E-business card set up and often send them to uber drivers, friends, and even my dentist! I tell them that I have a sales force 100+ strong and when they are ready to plan their next trip I will connect them with one of the many experts in the 6ix. Since I have set up my E-card, I have had the opportunity to send multiple new customers to our shops. This concept of having a conversation in order to get the next booking is a huge opportunity for us. Are you doing welcome home calls for your clients to see what their next travel plans are? Are you asking what they do for work, and if they have to travel? Have you formed a relationship your clients that keeps them coming back to you for everything? Do you try to secure all travel for each of your clients? If not, there is leakage that could be the difference between you hitting target/profit and not!

New teams - There will be two new speciality businesses in The 6ix next year. We will have a new FCBT team at Yonge & King and a new Groups team, location TBA. FCBT Yonge & King will open in the fall and Groups will open very soon. Travel Centre will open in June with one retail team but has the potential for additional teams as productivity grows . The future has never been brighter. Next year will be a very exciting time for The 6ix.. Get pumped!!

That's it from me everyone. Thank you for all your hard work. Only a few months left before we wrap up 2016/17. Make everyday count. Work smart. Work hard. Be kind to each other and your customers. Last but not least, have so much fun!!