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TRAVEL AGENT THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE FOR ICs, OSRs & HOME-BASED TRAVEL AGENTS
THE ART OF SELLING TRAVEL FROM HOME
DECEMBER 2014
4 EDITORIAL
Selling travel from home does
not have to be a puzzle when you read IC! Find the host agency
that best suits your needs.
Share your money making ideas in IC and help your IC colleagues.
CONTACT
Steve Crowhurst steve@ic-travelagent.com
250-738-0064 www.ic-travelagent.com
Publisher:
SMP Training Co. www.smptraining.com
Contributors
Steve Crowhurst IC TRAVEL AGENT is owned and published by Steve Crowhurst, SMP Training Co. All Rights Reserved. Protected by International Copyright Law. IC TRAVEL AGENT can be shared, forwarded, cut and pasted but not sold, resold or in any way monetized. Using any images or content from IC TRAVEL AGENT must be sourced as follows: “Copyright SMP Training Co. www.smptraining.com” SMP Training Co. 568 Country Club Drive, Qualicum Beach, BC, Canada, V9K-1G1 Note: Steve Crowhurst is not responsible for outcomes based on how you interpret or use the ideas in IC TRAVEL AGENT. T: 250-738-0064.
7 ARE YOU ON THE LIST?
8 1. JUST SAY IT
10 2. EMAIL YOUR THANKS
11 3. SEND A TREAT
12 4. GIFT CARDS
13 5. BALL CAPS & TOQUES
14 6. RECOGNITION
15 7. INQUIRING GIFTS
16 8. HAND WRITTEN NOTES
17 9. DISCOUNTS
18 10. A GOOD BOOK
20 11. CLIENT AWARDS
21 12. SEND A REFERRAL
22 13. APP FOR THAT
23 ENDANGERED SPECIES – Jill Wykes
TABLE OF CONTENTS – IC DECEMBER 2014
If it’s not yet 5pm where you live, you still have time to make one more
call, close one more sale or e-mail one more promotion!
Advertising in IC Travel Agent reaches the serious business-minded travel agent. Promote your products and services via video, audio or generic text and images. IC Travel Agent is marketed direct to over 4,000 travel agents plus thousands more via social media channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn, SlideShare, trade contacts, partners and educational institutions. Your ad includes a BONUS How-to-Sell article. Full page rates range from $300 to $425 based on number of insertions.
For more selling ideas, be sure to read
SELLING TRAVEL… click‘n’go!
TRUE SUPPORT FOR TRUE PROFESSIONALSAt Nexion Canada, we know that you are passionate about your travel business. So we provide you
with the professional support and industry relationships you need to be more profi table and effi cient,
giving you the freedom to run your travel business the best way: your way.
A full-service host agency combining decades of experience, Nexion Canada provides independent,
Canadian-based travel professionals of all experience levels with:
• Your choice of up to 80% of commissions
• Top commissions with leading air, cruise and land suppliers
• Technology tools to better manage your business
• Access to our exclusive point-and-click booking engine or through the Amadeus, Sabre or Galileo
GDS systems
• Training, coaching and networking opportunities
• Innovative marketing programs to grow your business
• Exclusive cruise block space and supplier offers
• Lead generation for qualifi ed agents
• Vacation.com membership included at no additional charge!
It’s time to join a family of professionals that truly supports your independent business dreams.
It’s time to join Nexion Canada.
• Your choice of up to 80% of commissions
• Top commissions with leading air, cruise and land suppliers
• Technology tools to better manage your business
• Access to our exclusive point-and-click booking engine or through the Amadeus, Sabre or Galileo
• Training, coaching and networking opportunities
• Innovative marketing programs to grow your business
• Exclusive cruise block space and supplier offers
• Lead generation for qualifi ed agents
• Vacation.com membership included at no additional charge!
Contact us today to learn more about our growing family of travel professionals. Visit www.Join.NexionCanada.com Email sales@nexioncanada.comCall 866-399-9989
MENTION THAT YOU SAW US IN IC AGENT MAGAZINE AND RECEIVE YOUR FIRST MONTH FREE!
10131503-Nexion_Ad.indd 1 10/29/13 2:18 PM
It’s time to thank your clients for their business. Yes, your hard work has paid off and your reputation has attracted your clients to do business
with you and finally it is your client’s hard earned money that has paid for your business, house,
car, food etc. It’s coming up to the time when you just have to say “thank you” – and you’ll want
to do this in a way that is meaningful to your clients and long lasting, too.
The art of the thank you is not to buy your client’s business with expensive gifts or huge discounts
but to simply acknowledge their support with a small but meaningful gift that can range from a
well-chosen thank-you card, to a small discount, or mention of an up-coming trip you know they
have been dreaming of for years. Then there’s the invitation to dinner, passing on a supplier’s
special offer and perhaps asking them to speak at a function.
Finally and possibly a strange phenomenon in the present day, try a telephone call to thank them
personally, and if you want to go one better, you might want to do that live and in person on
their doorstep. Let’s head inside and see what else we can suggest as an end-of-2014 thanks for
the business activity.
Here’s to your continued success!
Best regards.
Steve Crowhurst, CTC
steve@ic-travelagent.com
www.ic-travelagent.com
PS: Don’t forget to check out the new titles at the Selling Travel Store
Steve Crowhurst, CTC, Publisher
Click me if you
would like to
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store mailing list.
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1. Just Say It Now there’s a concept. I wonder if it will ever take off. Saying, as in delivering those very words,
“thank you” in a verbal format to your clients. Sounds easy, but still some travel agents who
have grown up on not dealing face-to-face so much, might just shy away from the one-on-one
interaction. But not you. No. You are a reader of IC Travel Agent and you know you can do this.
Working from your home office you are more likely to be meeting your clients somewhere other
than your home, either at their house or in a local coffee shop or online via Skype. It is at the live
and in-person meeting that you want to plan your verbal and in –person thank-you.
The words and the matching eye contact and matching handshake are usually the best and most
sincere form of thanking your clients for their business and each person receiving your personal
thanks will appreciate it and remember it. It is also the cheapest thank-you you can deliver.
The handshake component of this meeting is very important. It takes practice to get it right.
The usual grip would be firm, you would “pump” the client’s hand twice and then release – and
the release is also very important. How you release can insult the client. Never zap your hand
back to your side, and never rub or stroke or caress your client’s hand as you withdraw from the
grip. Just simply let go.
Shaking hands with someone of the opposite sex can be a challenge unless practiced. Use the
same generic handshake as mentioned above for everyone regardless of them being male or
female. The only difference would be shaking hands with a senior person who may suffer from
arthritis and therefore your handshake should be firm but not gripping too hard.
Your hands should
touch tightly here…
The grip should be firm,
not loose or limp.
Keep in mind the cultural aspects of shaking hands, looking into someone’s eyes and also how
close you can, could and should stand next to your client without making your client feel
uncomfortable. As a travel trade professional you can apply your knowledge of cross cultural
communication to any customer interaction as you say, “Thanks!”
Proxemics (Prox-ee-micks) is the study of culturally defined uses of space and preferred
interaction distances. There is too close, too distant and just right – and it is not only related to
cultural differences but also personal. A North American to North American interaction will be
dictated by the person least comfortable with a close encounter. The concept of personal space
is not reserved for women as is often thought - many men do not like to be standing too close to
others, male or female. That person feeling uncomfortable might even be you.
So be sure to stick to a minimum of a 24 inch gap between you and your client, move in to shake
hands and then back out again. If you see your client step back further, you’ll know that they
prefer a boundary outside the established 24 inch zone.
To be sure your “Thank You” is received as
intended stick to the rule of a good quality
handshake, stepping in and out of your
client’s personal space and keep your eyes
soft and friendly and stable – meaning look
directly into your client’s eyes – but only for
a few seconds.
Eye contact is another very important
element of your thank you for your business
greeting. Some cultures do not like direct eye
contact, others do, the average person gets a
little jittery if someone is “eye-balling” them,
staring through them etc., and never scan a
person’s body.
All it takes is practice and reading up on
cultural preferences and from then on, it is a matter of being observant as to how your client
reacts in this type of situation.
Here’s three books that you might enjoy.
You can use the information when you are
travelling, you can advise your clients when
they are travelling and you can use the
information to guide you when thanking
your clients who hail from other parts of
the world.
2. Email Your Thanks Never ever send out a group “thank you” email. You know, the kind that arrives addressed to
‘undisclosed recipients” – the outcome of using the Bcc line. No one wants to be lumped in
with everyone else. Your email should be personalized and have some meaning to the recipient
and even a mention of their last trip if your notes are up to date. You can go with text only or
you can add a small graphic to support your words of thanks.
If it feels right, you can also mention their up-coming trip if they have one booked with you and
if they do, then you can close out with a statement similar to this one: “… and I look forward to
seeing you soon to finalize the arrangements for your up-coming trip to…”
Very important these days, is your compliance with the anti-spam rulings that govern where you
live. In essence you must have your client’s permission to send them emails. Even if you wish to
thank them for their business. Chances are you have this done and dusted – but make sure you
do. But then, not too many clients would complain about being thanked for their business.
Insert a graphic.
Mention their last trip.
Attach or insert a
photo with some
meaning to it.
3. Send a Treat How well do you actually know your clients? Do you know them well enough to know their
preferred brand of candy, or coffee, or munchies? Attach a tag to whatever it is you know they
will like and pop it in the mail, or if you are meeting with your clients in the short term you can
present them with their ‘thanks for the business’ treat at that time.
It’s important to know a few more details of course and chances are you have certain medical
conditions listed on each of your client’s profile. Someone who is diabetic probably wouldn’t
appreciate a sugary delight for instance.
The type of treat you select is the surprise and the clincher for a continuation of business into
2015. Some companies package their treats in gift wrapping and gift boxes, too. Whether it’s
coffee, cake or candy… there’s a company that’s packaging it and just waiting for you to present
it as a thank-you gift to your top clients.
The question is: do you send the gift in the mail or do you hand it over personally? There is always
that surprise element when someone receives something in the mail. It’s a “Wow, I wonder who
is sending me a package?” response and when they open it and find out it’s from YOU their travel
agent, that you have taken the time to select this treat, package it and mail it as a thanks-for-the-
business treat – well now… YOU are the BEST travel agent a client could have and it’s at this
moment that your client starts to tell their friends about their gift. Shortly after that, referrals are
generated.
Keep the viral concept top of mind at all times. Your thank you treat should generate at least one
decent referral, hopefully a lot more. So that means you might want to add a card that suggests:
“Share your travels with your friends… and these treats too! Look forward to helping you //
working with you // arranging your next trip… in 2015.” You can work your magic on the slogan
as you decide your message that your clients might forward to their friends.
YUM! Well… they’re from
Steve our travel agent… with
a thank you note…
Isn’t that a nice gesture!
I must tell our friends…
4. Gift Cards There is, as you well know, a gift card for everything anyone could want, within a certain price
range that is. You can select from well-known companies or create your own gift card. The
value of the gift card should be not be high or you’ll be putting yourself out of business. On the
other hand it cannot be too low for fear of insulting your clients. Other factors come into play
too such as choosing a gift card that the recipient will be pleased to receive.
Look at that image on the right, “snapped” off Google
Images after entering a search term of “gift cards” –
WOW! Hundreds of them.
You might judge the card values against the level of
business your clients have given you. Big spenders might
warrant a $50 card whereas the low spenders would
receive a $10 card. The $10 card seems to be the average
‘call to action’ amount.
The value of the card regardless of the dollar figure on the
front of it increases based on how useful the card is to the
recipient, which brings us once again to the question of
how well you know your clients.
An iTunes gift card is pretty much universal now, but not
perhaps for seniors or late Baby Boomers. But then you
would know more about the habits of your clients to
make that call.
The DIY Gift Card can be created by you and the dollar
value is redeemable only at your agency. So although you
are gifting a said amount to your client, they must spend
it and pay the balance with your agency. It’s a nice treat
and it keeps your client tied to you for their next trip.
There are small run printers you can purchase for around
$200 and up depending on the number of cards to be
printed. You control the graphics, text and value and then
you can print on demand when you feel like it. Or, you can
visit your local print shop and order paper or plastic and
the costs may even be cheaper than DIY. Your suppliers might even have their own gift cards that
you can order and re-gift as in pass on the savings to your clients. Ask your BDMs about this.
5. Ball Caps & Toques This ‘thank-you’ item is a great way to say to your clients that they are on your team (of clients)
and everyone likes to receive a decent ball cap. To be worn, it has to be a good looking cap.
When purchased in quantities, they are not expensive. The “look” and the colour and the
graphics are what makes a ball cap acceptable to wear. This is very important. Bright pink and
mauve may not be sported on too many heads. Make sure your logo is on the ball cap, plus
your website address – additional graphics could suggest the wearer is a world traveller.
LOCATIONS FOR YOUR LOGO
Do you happen to operate a travel club? Are you planning a special departure or cruise? Are you
known for a specific niche type of travel or destination? All of these activities can be turned into
an image or a word that you can show off on your ball caps and toques.
You might want to create a design that becomes known as YOU and your travel agency. This
design could be a letter, a shape, something resembling the world, the planet… or whatever you
and your clients decide you like. If you can engage your clients in designing your branded head
gear so much the better. Now you also have something to sell too. A gift to your long term clients
for their business and also available from your online store for others.
If your design is very catching and trendy then you can start asking for selfies featuring your client
wearing their cap, taken on location. This idea is not new, but it can work very nicely for you as
your clients send their selfies, featuring their trip and your cap, to their pals.
6. Recognition There’s no better connection between you and your clients then when you praise them in front
of the world, in front of their fellow travellers and in front of your entire client base. To be
recognized can boost the power of certain people however you must be careful in doing this as
some of your clients would be too shy to accept the fame and not wanting to be showcased.
For the clients who are outgoing and have given you so much business here’s how you can
recognise them and thank them at the same time.
First things first, you thank them privately for
their business, this you can do by employing
any of the ideas mentioned in this issue of IC
TA. Next however is the action that will
cement your client’s business to your agency
in the future. It’s all about showcasing your
client’s travels and recognising them for the
number of trips booked and the number of
places visited, miles flown and nautical miles
cruised.
Showcasing in this case means to use some
of their photographs, to feature anything
they might write about their travels and if
you put on a presentation for your clients,
having them speak about their favorite
destination.
It’s in this way you can also thank them
publically on your website, blog and other
social media sites.
Introducing our #1 cruiser…
7. Inquiring Gifts This idea is rather unique because the client, actually prospect would be the best word to use
here, the prospect has not purchased anything, yet. The idea here is to offer a small thank-you
gift as an inducement to return and book with you. The gift can be and usually is a pen and that
would be costing you anywhere from .75 cents to one-dollar. Depending on the discussion you
had with your client and the level of trip they discussed, you might offer them something of a
higher in value such as a gift card for $10, if their prospective trip was $3,000 (?) or more.
There is no attempt to hide the fact that you are buying their business and trying to encourage
them to become a customer of your agency. Right now they are purely a prospect.
Here’s how you might deliver your thank-
you message before the prospect is off
the call. You can offer them a choice as
shown here, or you can as mentioned
relate the value of the thank-you gift to
the value of the trip discussed.
I’d like to extend a small token of our
thanks for calling us and if you can drop by
our agency I have a nice company pen // a
Starbucks gift card // an agency gift coupon
valued at $35 that you can redeem with us
as and when you book your trip…
WOW! Thank
you so much…
8. Hand Written Notes Here’s one for you. A throwback you might say, but no, this is current and one of the top
methods of thanking someone for their patronage. Mind you, there is an art to it and an
etiquette that you can study should you wish to pursue the concept. If you are of the early Baby
Boomer generation you would be familiar with all things hand-written. Generation Y perhaps
not so much given the keyboard era versus the pen era. Many of you reading this will have a
love of the pen regardless of era and generation and you might even be calligraphers. So much
the better if you are. Here’s how this idea works:
To do this right, you’ll need real ink (hey!)
and a quality fountain pen, excellent note
paper that is made for this purpose and if
available, deckle edged.
You could purchase a generic pack of thank-
you cards from your local to big box
stationary store or you could create and
order your own custom designed stationery
that you would feel proud to send. At the top
of your letterhead / stationery you might
have your logo embossed in gold, copper or
silver – giving it a “posh” look. Or, to keep
your personalized thank-you note in line
with your client’s level of booking you could
have two or three sets of stationary printed.
It has to be said that black ink on off-white
paper looks excellent, too.
Penmanship is important here. A hard to
read chicken scratch will not receive much
attention. A nicely flowing calligraphic work
will. Always write by hand and learn to write
in both upper and lower case – versus
printing the message in all capitals.
A quality fountain pen with a wedged, italic,
sloping nib will deliver a wonderful script
that upon receipt, your clients will marvel at.
Your handiwork and the elegance of this
simple but now very effective note being the
main attraction. Yes, they will show their
friends and that means you have gone viral!
Be sure to keep your note short and crafted to deliver just the right amount of thanks. You can mention how much you enjoy / enjoyed working with your client and how they have impacted you and your agency. Thank them again at the close out.
Calligraphic ideas here.
Deckled Edge here
9. Discounts… This is an excellent way to thank your clients. Having the inside track as you do, you can explore
your supplier’s special rates and 2-for-1s, and for the right customer offer them these discounts
in advance of their release as a thanks for their past business. The key point here is to know
and have access to the discounts coming from your preferred suppliers. In some cases you will
have to wait until the special offer is announced, however you could secure an agreement with
your supplier of choice and be authorized to extend the discount in advance, privately and not
promote it openly.
Having the right connections helps and of
course your suppliers will need to know your
intentions for their discount.
The fact that you are using their discount to
reward a client is good because it means
more business for your supplier. You would
have pre-sold and pre-closed your client to
book with the supplier you have chosen.
Based on the travel profile of your top clients
you could make notes as to which of your
supplier’s products suit which client profile
and then go seek the discount. In some cases
the discount program may be created just
for you.
It’s a matter of being creative and keeping
your suppliers tuned into your ideas to grow
their business and yours.
At other times there will be standard
giveaways, freebies, value adds and
upgrades that your suppliers will introduce
to the general marketplace and it is here too
that you can make good use of each offer.
Although it is your supplier who is offering
the discount, you must deliver the discount
to your clients as if it was yours. You cannot
say it is, but you can let them know you went
hunting on their behalf to land them this
offer. Place the emphasis on your hard work
to win your clients a special rate.
This has to be a “Look what I’ve done for
you… as a thank-you for your business this
last year…” and make sure the discount is
delivered in a custom envelope or ticket
jacket or note card.
10. A Good Book Every traveller needs a good book to read – either a novel or a guide book based on the journey
they are taking and including their end destination, too. Today you have so many options in
how you get that book into the hands of your clients. Books and book gift cards or coupons
can become expensive so this might be a thank you that’s graded by the level of business you
intend to reward. Some clients will receive a book and others an eBook and others a coupon
they can put towards a book of their choice.
You want to add to your client profiles
whether or not they own an e-Book reader
and which brand. Let’s say it’s a Kindle,
which would mean Amazon, then you could
set up a gift card or a coupon or simply
purchase and email them a gifted amount
that they can then accept and open in their
Kindle / Amazon account. The same idea is
repeated depending on the reader, tablet
your client prefers.
Going forward this type of information is
becoming even more key to servicing your
clients through and via their digital
preferences. There are literally hundreds of
eBook readers and almost as many
platforms. The common format to all or
most is PDF. So, if you happen to have
written a travel book, and it is in PDF format,
you could perhaps use your own publication
as the book gift.
Moving from digital to hard or soft copy, this
type of publication offers more potential in
that you can now sign the inside page and
also write your Thank You message inside
the book. It will be there forever. The choice
of book is always the key to success and
means you’ll want to know your client’s
reading preferences. Is it mystery, murder,
mayhem or cooking? One more question to
add to the client profile as each new client
becomes a customer.
We’re combining a couple of the thank-you
ideas here – the gift card, a coupon, an
email, the calligraphy – they all factor into a
book being the main component of this
thank you.
You may reserve the book giving for your top
/ best clients as these days, unless the book
is found on the remainder table, they cost
$20 - $45. However, there are a few and
absolutely wonderful coffee table sized
books from Taschen that are huge and
glorious for a small price. A Taschen book,
signed over to your clients, will be shown to
all their friends without a doubt and the
book may not be travel related at all. I leave
it to you to review the choices at your local
book store or go online to the Taschen
website.
Don’t forget, in our current world it is so easy
to publish you own book and print them as
you need them, fully bound and ready to
sign. If you have the talent, get to it, write it,
publish it and use it as your year-end Thank
You gift and revenue generator.
One of my favourites…
(Click to View)
More Dalton Books here: http://www.anthonydalton.net/
Be warned! Once you open this book you’ll be transported to
a world of escapes and escapades through the nib of
Anthony Dalton’s adventurous pen. Laugh with him. Escape
with him. It’s all here along with more than a few characters,
chills and thrills that you’ll never forget.
11. Client Awards We hit close to this idea when discussing the recognition of your clients travels and so now we
move on to an Awards Event where you actually feature your most travelled, most cruised and
even the Customer of The Month based on the uniqueness of their trip. The idea continues and
helps to make your clients proud to be a customer of yours as you go above and beyond to
recognise your clients for their business and their travels. They should receive something for
this and giving them a well-designed plaque, scroll, or ornament they can display will make
them feel as special as they truly are.
So there you are. Your very own GLOBE
AWARDS SHOW. Tadaaaaaaaaaaaa! As and
when you arrange this event, you’ll invite the
local press, your suppliers and ALL of your
clients. You use the stage to thank everyone
for their business, hope to see them again
next year and now… let’s celebrate the 100th
cruise taken by Mr & Mrs…. and then the
hikers award, the beach award.
You can come up with any and all awards
covered by the GLOBE AWARD event. The
awards can be anything we’ve mentioned in
this issue… a book, a gift card, a discount and
so on and we cannot forget the recognition
factor where you have your #1 traveller talk
about their travels. Fifteen minutes of fame
for them and more bookings for you.
12. Send a Referral Here’s a great way to say thank you to your clients who own and run a business. If some of your customers are in business for themselves, just like you, then work out how you can send each of these customers a referral.
To do this you’ll need to know about your
customer’s business and the products and
services they sell and offer. Once you know
that you can focus on how you might
generate a business referral for them. Such
referrals are probably right there in your
agency mailing list and from that moment
on, it’s all about you promoting your
customer’s business to the rest of your
clients.
Best not to focus on just one or two clients
with a business. Consider them all in need of
referrals and then set about promoting all
your clients with a business to the entire
agency list.
If you wish however, you can also focus on
the clients who are big spenders with you
and also own and run a business. You may
not promote their business publicly but stick
to letting your inner circle of friends and
contacts know about this persons business
and make a referral when it seems right.
Perhaps you arrange an evening out with
yourself, your client and your business
referral.
“Hi Joanna… as a thanks for your travel
business this year I want to invite you to a
lunch with a contact of mine who I feel
could become a good client of yours…
interested?”
That’s about all it takes. Pretty cut and dried
and usually well accepted by both parties. If
this idea appeals to you then run a list of
clients who spend $10,000 or more with you,
check for their business and then decide who
amongst your contacts would benefit from
an introduction.
This concept also works for a good client
with a hobby. You could refer someone to
them who might enhance their skills, talents,
share something with them on a topic they
both enjoy.
13. App For That The world of apps is with us and never to leave us and that means you could
bf factoring in an App as your thank you gesture to certain or all clients.
Some of the apps I would suggest you give to your clients are FREE… others
cost a buck ninety-nine. You’ll need to surround what you send or offer with
words and phrases to suit.
My suggestion for the app you send off is
one that can help your clients in a moment
of distress. Given the world as it is today,
travelling can become a moment in time
when you need to call for help. So, my
suggestion is to send your clients an SOS app.
These apps allow your clients to tap the
screen of their device and request assistance
from the police, fire department and within
some of these SOS apps there is a first
responder program that tracks the GPS
location of the user and then puts the plans
in motion to extract them.
Another app for your cruising clients is Deck
Director and in its everyday use this app can
guide your client around most of the cruise
ships on the ocean today. Now, in an
emergency where they might become
disoriented on the ship, they can tap into
their app, select a location as to where they
are and where they want to get to and the
app will display the route. Excellent in times
of distress once again.
There are apps to locate washrooms,
medical assistance and more. So think hard
about what app your clients might make
excellent use of and plan your thank you
promotion.
The text above also mentions songs and if
you know the genre your clients enjoy and
you feel that there is a great travelling song
they might like, well now you can gift that
song to them.
As you know there are thousands of apps
and for sure there will be one to suit your
client’s hobbies and travel interests. Look for
the app that suits the occasion and gift that
one.
If unsure, try sending an art app – one that a
client can “play” with during their journey.
Sketching as they go. e-Books are also a
good thing to use as a thank you.
Be appy and secure your clients travel
business for 2015.
IS THE SMALLER TRAVEL AGENCY AN
ENDANGERED SPECIES? Much has been written about the survival of the smaller, independent travel agency in today’s
environment. The industry has seen lots of consolidation over the past decade or two. First
the tour operators started buying travel agencies, followed by larger travel agencies buying
lots of smaller ones. Yet there are still plenty of small to mid-sized agencies out there. So how
do they survive?
There are a few strategies for survival in an industry populated with vertically integrated giants, OTAs and huge retail conglomerates. One of them is to get out from under the crippling costs and workload of operating your own business.
These hard working independent agencies are subject to most of the hard costs that the much larger agencies face. So it is no wonder that many agency owners have just given up and sold when they got the chance.
Selling is not your only option…
But there is an alternative to selling out. Much in the same way that home based agents rely on their host agency to take care of the many costs associated with running a business, now smaller agencies are realizing that they too can take advantage of a similar program supporting small to mid-size agencies.
Imagine no longer having to pay your own registration fees & association fees, your own errors & omissions insurance costs, your telephone system costs, your accounting costs, your website. Add this up in dollars and you’ll find it is a substantial amount annually.
And imagine the time you’d save if you didn’t have to attend to all the administration time devoted to all of those activities. And think of all the time you’d then have to focus on selling travel. And meanwhile you can retain your agency’s identity if you choose to.
As well, you become part of a community of agents so that when you need support, advice or information, you’ve got it.
Most of us work in travel because we love it. There are solutions for staying in this industry we love and escaping some of the onerous costs and tasks that come with running your own business. Be sure to look at all options for survival.
By Jill Wykes
Brought to you by The Travel Agent Next Door
Go ahead and reward yourself this holiday by enrolling now in the CTA Certification
Program from The Travel Institute. It’s the perfect gift because of the numerous
professional benefits you’ll receive after earning the well-respected credentials, plus
you’ll save some money by locking in (before the end of the year) at the 2014 rate.
Goodbye guilt, hello savings!
But your gift gets even better! The Travel Institute is here to help you earn your CTA
certification without any stress. We've designed a plan for 2015 to help lead you to
success.
1. Enroll in the CTA program and take advantage
of our 12-month interest-free payment plan for
only $24.58* a month. Members save an
additional 10 percent.
2. Register for our next CTA Online Study Group
facilitated by Mark McMullen, CTC, starting
February 5, 2015 for $99. Space is limited so
reserve your spot early!
3. After passing the CTA test set yourself apart
from the competition by displaying and
promoting your well-deserved professional
certification.
4. After graduation, take the next step and
continue your professional education with our
$100 credit toward CTC or CTIE.
5. See what some of our CTA graduates have to
say:
"Earning my CTA certification has opened the
door to a myriad of professional opportunities.
Being certified by The Travel Institute makes me
more credible to my clients." Elizabeth Brown,
CTA
"My CTA certification gave me the foundation to
strive and advance in my travel career. Without
the educational background provided by The
Travel Institute, I would not be the consultant or
agency owner I am today." Lori Washington, CTA
*based on the ebook version - print materials are
also available.
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