Atlas Travel International Vendor Breakfast a Huge Success!

Two Presentations Offered Information and Inspiration for Travel Company Representatives

With two inspiring presentations by Atlas Meetings & Incentives Creative Director Roy Podell and Brian Butler, author of Find 'Em, Get 'Em, Keep 'Em, an audience of more than 25 travel company representatives were treated to messages that included "Be Prepared to Win!" and "Success is a Matter of Choice, not Chance," at Atlas Travel International's second Vendor Breakfast. Last week's event, held at Hopkinton Country Club in Hopkinton, MA, was designed to bring industry professionals together to share information and learn new perspectives to foster better travel industry practices.

"I want our vendors to know that we are very dedicated to true partnerships," said Atlas CEO Elaine Osgood. "We received great feedback from our first Vendor Breakfast in 2006, and the response last week was even more positive."

Nina Marcello, a member of the Atlas sales team, met Brian Butler, vice president of sales and marketing for The Allied Group, on a recent sales call, where Marcello was working to get his business. "This was a great lesson for me," said Marcello, who organizes the Vendor Breakfast events. "I didn't get the business I originally called on Brian for, but by continuing the conversation I found out that he had just written this great sales book and that there was meetings and incentives business that Atlas might be able to help him with. I reminded myself once again that all business is about relationships. It soon became clear that Brian would make a perfect speaker for our upcoming Vendor Breakfast and that, while my division couldn't benefit from immediate business, another part of Atlas could help Brian with a need."

The Vendor Breakfast kicked off with a short presentation by Elaine Osgood to update the audience on Atlas' progress in 2007, including bringing on 72 new corporate accounts, winning Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year and the positive results of an anonymous internal employee survey.

Roy Podell then took the floor to share his thoughts on how to improve personal performance in sales...and life. He spoke about ability plus motivation equaling performance and illustrated his point through delightful biographical anecdotes about prominent people including Mohammed Ali, Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, Napoleon, Manny Ramirez and Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice of the Spice Girls). The audience embraced his message that "it's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be."

Then Brian Butler shared the 10 Sales Fundamentals from his new book. Each of the ten points was brought to life through personal and professional stories from which Butler has taken lessons and messages to shape his successful sales and marketing career. Butler closed the event by signing a complimentary copy of his book for the guests and several enjoyed continuing the thoughts from his presentation in a personal conversation.