We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mallory Duncan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mallory below.
Hi Mallory, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Being in front of the camera and talking with people I don’t know didn’t always come easy. I am actually very introverted and need time to recharge by myself. But over the past three years, I have been working on myself in multiple ways. During quarantine, I decided to prioritize myself and became a committed Peloton rider. The physical activity helped me to lose weight, but more importantly, feel better mentally and physically. When I lost 50 lbs, I rewarded myself with my first solo trip to the Walt Disney World, and my independence was unleashed. Since that trip, I have been more confident in myself and felt like I could do anything. The next year I applied to become a travel advisor and never looked back. This journey has been so rewarding. The person I was 3 years ago would never post pictures of themselves, talk on camera, and put themselves out there for the world to see. Today I am consistently posting myself on social media and just started a YouTube channel. I keep up my confidence and self-esteem by staying consistent in my workouts, dressing in ways that make me feel powerful and comfortable, and meeting new people!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
As a travel advisor, I struggled with what I was doing to make an impact on people’s lives. Planning family trips to theme parks and cruises seemed so frivolous and unimportant. Then the reviews started coming in. Families sent me emails on how I made their trip stress free, magical, and unforgettable. They sent me photos with the biggest smiles you’ve ever seen and that’s when I realized what I was doing. In planning trips, I’m doing so much more than booking a trip. I’m curating a memory that will live in the heart of this family forever. I am consistently thinking on how I can make my relationship stronger with clients and serve them even better. In 2024, am adding new services including more planning calls, PDF printables, sending magic mail and more. Each year gets better and better and 2024 will definitely be more magical than any before!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
In my previous job, I was in charge of setting goals, creating strategies to achieve them, and encouraging other team members in their own goals. These qualities transferred over into working for myself because I knew I had to set goals and strategies to be a successful travel advisor. I started with sales goals and was able to double my sales within the first 6 months of my 2nd year. These qualities transferred over to my agency when I was offered the Goal Achievement Coach position to support other agents in their goals. Setting achievable goals is always my number one piece of advice when starting on any journey. Achieving goals give us a sense of pride and motivation to continue in our journey for an even bigger goal.
How would you describe your ideal client?
It is important to understand that not all families want to work with a travel advisor and that is okay. When I am meeting with potential clients, I like to ask them questions to get to know them and what they value in their trips. Clients who value experiences, good food, and last memories before thinking of the cost are clients who work best with me. Family vacations are not cheap. I understand some families may save for years to take this vacation and I keep that in mind when I create the perfect trip for them. I don’t do cookie-cutter trips. Instead, I plan the trip around the family to create the most memorable experience for the price they are paying.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.friendlikeduncan.com
- Instagram: @friendlikeduncan
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/friendlikeduncan
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@friendlikeduncan