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Biting Questions – Cheryl Gregory Of Trafalgar Tours
Cheryl Gregory
21MAR07
Open Jaw recently spent a few minutes with Cheryl Gregory, the vivacious president of Trafalgar’s Canadian operation.
How long have you been in the business? Twenty years – 10 with Trafalgar.
How many people report to you? Nine sales reps plus seven inside staff. No two days are the same – it’s lots of fun and hard work. I’m in charge of inspiration, motivation and increasing sales.
How often do you travel? About 12 trips a year. Last year I went to Ireland, Morocco and Britain – but there’s a lot of domestic travel too.
What’s the most boring part of your job? Budgets. Yuck.
What’s your favourite city? It would have to be a tie between Dublin and Paris.
Complete this sentence…People don’t realize that I.... do stand up comedy. Seriously.
What is your pet peeve? Uncommitted people. People who don’t care, who come to work to put in time but don’t get involved. People without passion.
What was the best piece of advice you ever received? Be grateful. I do “gratitude journals” when I’m feeling stressed or dissatisfied with life.They’re just little notebooks in which I write down what I do have. You quickly realize your life is pretty damn good. It completely turns you around.
Have you ever had a brush with fame? Yes! Tom Selleck in Hawaii. I was out running and encountered him. It wasn’t the way I’d ever imagined meeting as I’d always hoped it would be the evening gown thing. (laughs) I’m sure he remembers me to this day.
Who do you most admire in the industry? Vanessa Lee. She’s an amazing businesswoman.
What’s the biggest misconception about coach tours? Probably that you just sit on a coach all day when in fact you are often walking, touring, participating.
If you could do one thing to change how travel agents sell your product, what would it be? I wish I could get them all on one of our tours. Once you’ve experienced it, you’ll sell it like crazy.
What do you hope to be doing in 10 years? Can it be whimsical? Horseback riding on a beach! I do western riding and have recently tried barrel racing. It’s great!
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