Travel Agent Professional Nov.2010

Travel AgentProfessional

4 The Graying of AMERICABy Mitchell J. Schlesinger

8 Much Ado AboutNothingBy Rusty Pickett

10 Social MediaMarketingBy Sherry Laskin

November 2010 Issue 1

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http://issuu.com/action/page?page=14





1

Travel Agent Professional TAP

2010

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64 The Graying of AmericaBy Mitchell J. Schlesinger

Vice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity

68 Much Ado About Nothing By Rusty Pickett, ECC

Shellback Cruises

10 Social Media Marketing —Real Simple StrategyBy Sherrie Laskin, ACC

NACTA Chapter Director, North & East Central Florida

12 Is Affiliating with a Host Agency the Right Choice for You?By Mary Brutscher

Former Host Agency Owner & Travel Educational Instructor

18 Hello Dolly, Hello Travel Agents!By Scott Koepf

Vice President of Sales America’s Vacation Center/Avoya Travel

November

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Travel AgentProfessional

November 2010 Issue 1

November 2010

Travel Agent Professional has itsroots in Home Based Trade, the first maga-zine of its kind, started by Joel Abels in2004. Joel and Lenore Abels ran TravelTrade for nearly half a century – it wasstarted by her grandfather, John S. Lewis,and her father, Sidney Lewis, in 1929, andthey took the publication over after hergrandfather’s passing.

Under Joel’s direction, the company grewto be one of the travel agent industry’sleading publications, reaching more than 45,000 agents throughout NorthAmerica. It spawned a famous series of trade shows and three monthly maga-zines – Cruise Trade, Tour Trade and Home Based Trade.

The Abels also garnered enormous respect – Joel received the Neal Award,called “the Pulitzer Prize of the business press,” for his hard-hitting editorials.

On a personal note, after working with Joel for over a decade and staying withhim until the end, I grew to truly care for and respect the man. He was like asecond father to me. Joel was old school, he stood by his word and believed inhis work. There will never be another.

While nobody can replace this industry legend, we’re hoping that this new pub-lication, which reunites the original Home Based Trade editorial board, will beable to carry on his passion for travel and those who sell it.

Ann M. Hoek

Travel Agent ProfessionalPO Box 120202

Staten Island, NY 10312E-mail:

mailto:[email protected]:

718.227.7541

Ann M. HoekPublisher/Creative Design

Bonnie WallingEditor

Meet Our Editorial BoardMitchell J. Schlesinger

Vice President, Sales & MarketingVoyages to Antiquity

www.voyagestoantiquity.com

Mary BrutscherFormer Host Agency Owner &Travel Educational Instructor

mailto:[email protected]

Rusty Pickett, ECCShellback Cruises

www.shellbackcruises.com

Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal

Scott KoepfVice President of Sales

America’s Vacation Center/Avoya Travel

www.americasvacationcenter.com

Sherry Laskin, ACCNACTA Chapter Director, North & East Central Florida

www.sherrylaskin.com

Sherrie FunkCo-owner & President of

Just Cruisin’ Pluswww.justcruisinplus.com

ContributionsLee Rosen, CEOLeisure Pops

www.leisurepops.com

This online magazine is dedicated tothe memory of Joel Abels, TravelTrade's editor and publisher. Joeland his life's work may be gone, butwith your help it can live on.

Joel was our champion, even when it meant taking a stand

opposite that of huge airlines and suppliers. He was our advo-

cate when others, including major agency membership organiza-

tions, were not. His unwavering suppor t of and for agents, prob-

ably more than any one single person, did more to emphasize

the impor tance of continuing education and learning for the

travel agent community. All of the “Joel-A-Thons”, as some

affectionately call them, are a past and future testimony to that

belief and suppor t, and will keep his memory alive for years to

come.

Charlie said he had often thought all the words above and wish

he had taken time to say them to Joel a week or a year ago,

even if only in an E-mail. We both know he would have had a

quick reply even if it had been sent at 1 a.m. because he was

that dedicated to what he did. He truly was the epitome of the

phrase, “If you love what you do, you’ll never have to work a

day in your life.” We will not soon see his likes again.

— Sherrie and Charlie FunkReprinted from Feb. 2007 Home Based Trade with writer permission

Joel M. Abels Legend In the Travel Industry

April 1927 to January 2007

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4

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November 2010

Mitchell J. SchlesingerVice President, Sales & Marketing

Voyages to Antiquitymailto:[email protected]

Extraordinary Selling Opportunities

The most impactful demographic trend in our societyis the “Graying of America” and the significant opportunity it rep-

resents to home based agents.

Americans are living longer than at any time in our history. They are

seeking fulfilling, educational and enriching travel opportunities at

home and abroad like never before and in larger numbers. The sig-

nificance to this demographic trend is reflected in the following:

Baby boomers and retires over 65 represent the fastest growing

demographic segment of the population. We have talked about

Demographics & Psychographics...

10,000 Americans turning 50 every day for years. Combined with a decline in the

birth rate, 40% of the overall US population is over 50;

In 1900, just 3.5 million Americans were 65 years of age or older. By 1998, that

number grew to 35 million and projections are that by 2025 that number will be in

excess of 70 million;

It has been further projected that by the year 2030, there could be more Americans

alive over 80 than there are under the age of 8!!

This is an enormous opportunity for travel agents who can take advantage of senior

populations in their communities. There are keys to the demographic and psycho-

graphic characteristics that make this opportunity so valuable:

They are at a point in their lives where they want experiences that are meaningful,

enriching and fulfilling. Many have traveled to core destinations and now want to

travel to new and far flung lands across the globe;

They have more time and disposable income, so their trips are longer and more international;

They are most concerned with the value of their purchase. And since they can and will travel much

longer, they are willing to spend up to $15,000, or even more, on long itineraries at home and abroad -

as long as the they perceive the trip is worth the price;

Unlike families and working consumers, they are not restricted to any seasonality. The timeframe of

their trip is insignificant, but many like to avoid traditionally busy travel timeframes.

Remembering the attention to the psychographics of this target audience, there are a number of steps

to follow to capture their loyalty:

5

Travel Agent Professional

The Graying ofAMERICA

6

November 2010

MARKETING AND PROMOTION

If you are going to sell them worldwide destination trav-

el, you must enhance your own knowledge. CLIA has

excellent destination training and resources and the

Internet has a vast array of sites;

Remember, seniors are older, looking for assurances

about the trip and will read materials thoroughly. Use

direct mail to communicate, provide extensive details

about the trip and answer as many of their questions in

the materials you send. Use a larger typeface, so that it is

easier for them to read;

Make sure the messages connect to their psycho-graphic profile:• Value, not price• Discovery, wonder and exploration, not the familiar• Education and fulfillment, not status or hype• Action, not passivityUse other mediums with the same intent. For instance,

instead of just a newspaper ad, write an advertorial in

the form of a travelogue. If there is an applicable local

radio program, come on as a travel expert to describe

the trip in detail.

PLANNINGDue to the purchase cycle, benefiting

from the senior market requires strict

planning. Remember:

This audience books far in advance, so

you need to set up departures far into

the future, as much as 9-15 months

beforehand;

Focus many of these trips during time-

frames away from over popular travel

periods. For instance, the Mediterranean

is cooler in the fall and it is summer

“Down Under” in January and February;

Another plus is that many senior popu-

lations are concentrated in communities

where it is easier to deliver your mar-

keting messages to them. Use the

resources available in the community

and schedule personal presentations to

describe trips;

Seniors love to travel in groups and pre-

fer an escort, which adds the sense of

nurturing and safety.

Cultivating the senior market is the

road to dramatically higher purchase

prices, significantly greater commissions

and very loyal clientele. You may not like

getting older, but you certainly will like

your clients who do!

CUSTOMER LOYALTYOlder clients are highly “brand centric.” They will

remain loyal to a brand, product or service provider as

long as they feel satisfied. There is significantly more

commission at stake with this older target audience. As

your clients get older, you want them to purchase this

longer, more expensive travel through you.

By continuing to recommend and arrange travel that ful-

fills their psychographic needs and wants and providing

them with very personalize service, they will remain very

loyal to you…and tell others.


Iguess today’s hot topic is the new Cunard/Princess policy,under which reservations will be automatically cancelled if final payments

are not made on time. Some agents seem to think this is an intrusion on

their business principles. I just don’t see this as an issue — it’s really much

ado about nothing. Virtually all of us put cabins on hold that cancel auto-

matically without deposit — it’s a good sales practice. It would seem

equally reasonable to cancel a reservation that is not paid on time. After

all, most often we have months to prepare for the final payment deadline.

From the cruise line’s standpoint, they need to manage inventory.

From the agent’s standpoint, we need to see inventory that is avail-

able in real time so that we can book it — especially for the popular

cruises and tours. If a vacation is important enough to someone to

book, pay good deposit money and plan the adventure, it should be

good enough to pay for in a timely manner with a hard due date.

I have to question the agents who think this is a problem. How do

you manage your back office? What is your system for sending out

invoices and making payments? Do you have a “tickler” file to remind

you when upcoming payments are due? Do you send out invoices

with payment due dates that lead the absolute final payment date?

I think most professionals anticipate the final payment due date and

ask for the money early. Even if the client wants to defer the final pay-

ment a few days to jump into the next credit card billing cycle, with a

requested early payment date, this becomes a non-issue. You tickle

yourself to make the payment.

If you are traveling, where phone payments may be difficult, ask for

the payment early — or make the payment online while onboard the

ship. I haven’t had an objection yet. Folks want their travel agent to

travel and gain experience that will help them advise clients. They are

still protected since the full refund date hasn’t changed. They also

want their travel agent to operate their business professionally and

with the client interest in mind.

I can’t get excited about the policy. I would rather talk to clients about

travel and take care of the administration professionally and neatly.

It’s wonderful to

have the old

Home Based Trade

crew back

together. I am

sure Joel is looking

down on us ready

to spring into

action as the

Energizer Buddy.

Rusty Pickett, ECCShellback Cruises www.shellbackcruises.com

8

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November 2010

Much Ado About

Nothing

Auto Europe Appoints Eric Ledroux As President of the America’s

Portland, Maine – As Auto Europe continues to expand interna-tionally, the company has appointed Eric Ledroux as President of theAmerica’s. In his position as President, Ledroux will oversee alloperations of the Portland, ME office.

Ledroux brings with him an extensive knowledge of car rentalindustry with over 21 years of experience including prior executivepositions with Renault, Avis Europe and Europcar.

“I am extremely pleased to have Eric as our new President ofNorth America. He will bring a fresh perspective that will enableus to continue our growth and support of the industry, “states ImadKhalidi, CEO.

Khalidi, CEO will now be able to better focus on the company’sinternational growth including their current offices in The UK,Europe, China, Australia and New Zealand.

Auto Europe offers worldwide car rental services, hotel servicesworldwide at 3, 4 & 5 star European properties and scheduled airdepartures including business class, from all major U.S. cities toEurope. For more information, contact (800) 223-5555.

Auto Europe Expands Their Global Presence To 130 Countries

Auto Europe, a leader in European car rental services for over 56years, has now added their 130th country to their growing roster oflocations. In addition to Europe, Auto Europe also offers car rental ser-vices within North America, South and Central America, South Africa,Australia, New Zealand, Central Asia and the Near East. We offer carrental services from Abu Dhabi, United Emirates, Suva, Fiji toZacatecas, Mexico.

“Auto Europe is not just Europe and as we add more countries and ser-vices to our portfolio, it is imperative that agents realize that we are herefor their every need”, states Eric Ledroux, President.

The goal of Auto Europe is to continuously expand not only our ser-vices globally, but to also add incremental new products such as our cur-rent expansion with chauffeur drive services, new domestic car rentaland hotel packages, and portable GPS rentals with full country mapping.

Auto Europe services over 8,000 car rental locations in 130 countriesworldwide. In addition, through their tour division,www.FlyInternational.com they offer scheduled airfare to Europe withover thirty carriers and service 3, 4 & 5 star worldwide hotels. For addi-tional information contact your local sales representative or AutoEurope at (800) 223-5555. Visit their web site at www.autoeurope.com.

Celebrate With AutoEurope and You May

Win an iPad® and YourClient a Free Car

Rental!Auto Europe , a leader in

European car rental services forover 56 years, is expecting toreach their 1 millionth car rentalbooking this year.

We could not have reachedthis goal without the support ofyou, our valued travel partnersand we’ll like to invite you to cel-ebrate this milestone.

To celebrate this success, wewould like to award the travelagent who books the 1 millionthcar rental a free iPad® and yourclient will be awarded with us bywaiving the fees for the car rental.

If the agency’s policy is not toal low indiv idual ly awardedincent ives , i t i s up to theagency owner /manager toexclude the agent or agency.Agency owners and managersmay also participate in our cel-ebration only if they have madeprior reservations. This offer issubject to change wi thoutnotice and may be discontin-ued without notice. Additionalrestrictions apply. Offer validfor US travel agents only.

Auto Europe services over8,000 car rental locations in over130 countries worldwide. Inaddition, through their tour divi-sion, FlyInternational.com theyoffer scheduled airfare to Europewith over thirty carriers and ser-vice 3, 4 & 5 star worldwidehotels. For additional informationcontact your local sales represen-tative or Auto Europe at (800)223-5555. Visit their web site atwww.autoeurope.com

Showcase

1.800.223.5555 • www.autoeurope.com39 Commercial St., P.O. Box 7006, Portland, ME 04112


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November 2010

You can’t turn a corner without hearing it. From social network-

ing gurus to your neighbor’s geeky kid, everyone is talking about

the impact and potential of social media. The two most talked

about and familiar services for marketing and promoting your

business are of course, Twitter and Facebook.

If you are one of those travel agents who proudly proclaims, “I

don’t need to learn this” or “I would rather use a telephone,” don’t

skip out on me just yet. This article might help explain the world

according to technology. Along the way, you might become inspired.

Social Media: It’s not just for kids anymore

Confused?Before you even tackle your first tweet, it’s more important to know what these twophenomenal platforms are able to accomplish for you. This will help you better understand their far-

reaching potential to not only grow your business, but to engage and maintain relationships with new

and repeat clients.

Think of using Twitter as if you were standing on a soapbox. In only 140 characters, you have an oppor-

tunity to broadcast your message to thousands of people. For example, you could broadcast informa-

tion about where to get the best Chinese food in Paris — something unique and interesting.

A Facebook page, on the other hand, is where clients regularly go because they are dedicated to your

brand. They can interact with you, other clients and anyone else who “likes” your page.

Facebook is more like a balanced one-on-one conversation (symmetrical) whereas Twitter is much

more lopsided in its reach to people (asymmetrical).

Social Media Marketing –

Real SimpleStrategy

10

By Sherry Laskin, ACCNACTA Chapter Director, North & East Central Florida www.sherrylaskin.com

11


TheDifferenceWe’ve all seen the “Followme on Twitter and Facebook”

reques t s . Once someone

clicks the follow or like but-

ton, then what?

Most people actively promoting

their business/brand on Twitter

and Facebook don’t have a clue as

to the “then what.”

What happens is the most com-

mon mistake in a social marketing

strategy: posting duplicate mes-

sages on Twitter and Facebook.

There needs to be a user-driven

differentiation between the two

most popular social platforms in

the world. And there is.

Twitter is what you useto send people to your

Facebook page. If Twitter captures the possible

client who is intrigued by your

knowledge, i.e. your “brand,” then

your Facebook page should be

where that same client develops,

maintains and enjoys a relation-

ship with your company.

This is the direction you should

take when creating a social mar-

keting strategy. It is important to

differentiate the real purpose of

Twitter and Facebook.

Excuses, ExcusesWhen I give social networking presentations toagents, their most common reason for not using social media isthat they don’t need to market on the internet. Why? Becausetheir clients are older or don’t use Twitter or Facebook or they“just don’t have the time.”

My comments to this are:

1. What happens when your older clients get too old totravel? Where will your next revenue stream come from?

2. How many parents and grandparents have been “forced”to sign up for a Facebook account just to keep in touchwith their family?

3. Unless you want to retire, you need to also target ayounger, upwardly mobile demographic. The destinationwedding segment fits that description. Who doesn’t wantto sell a wedding group to an all-inclusive resort?

4. We all have to spend time marketing our business. Howelse would anyone know about us? Whether your busi-ness is entirely repeat and referral or you are new andlooking to build your business, at some point you havehad to market your brand/business.

The successful use of Twitter and Facebook will convert casualparticipants into core clients. There’s no cost, takes only min-utes a day and yields measurable results.

Do you have a social marketing strategy in place? If not, youshould start planning it today.

In my next articles, I will begin with the very basics of developingyour brand through the social media giants, Twitter and Facebook.My goal is to get you up and running by taking small steps towardsa successful and well-balanced social marketing presence.

Confused about getting started on social media? E-mail your questions to:

mailto:[email protected]


12

By

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November 2010

Seeing a venue that

Joel so lovingly started

and nurtured,

resurrected again is

like finding a long lost

friend and it is another

way to keep him and

Lenore’s memory alive

and well.

Not many folks are in business just for thefun of it. While it’s nice to have fun in any workyou do, finding the most profitable way to do busi-

ness is extremely important. If you are new to the

travel industry, finding a good host to affiliate with

can be an excellent decision. While you are focusing

on growing your business and serving your cus-

tomers, you will have the opportunity of starting at a

higher level of commission than you would do if you

chose to go it alone. Additionally, some of the larger

hosts offer some pretty amazing benefits to include

marketing at low – or even no – cost.

Even those who are veterans of the industry have

found that affiliating with a host can save them time

and money because of the benefits and higher com-

missions. Some of these existing agencies are even

small hosts themselves.

In the first of a series of host agent interviews, I

spoke with Kimberly Sherrett, Senior Director of

Business Development/Recruitment and Acquisitions

for Travel Planners International (TPI).

Is Affiliating with a Host Agencythe

Right Choice for You?

Contact information for Mary ismailto:[email protected]

13


Mary Brutscher: Kimberly, I know that TPI hasbeen in business for quite awhile now. What do

you contribute to the continued success of TPI

and how has it changed to keep up with the times?

Kimberly Sherrett: TPI has always strived totreat our agents with respect and dignity. It is a

mutually beneficial relationship as we are all in

business to succeed. We will do what it takes to

provide our agents with the most innovative, cut-

ting edge tools; strong supplier relationships; con-

tinuous training and education; business develop-

ment; and the best support possible.

Since all members of our TPI support team have

worked in the travel industry for many years, we

are able to bring various levels of expertise to the

table, with quality knowledge that can only help

our ICs develop and grow their businesses.

As a host agency, we are very involved with

multiple organizations that support the travel

industry and the hosting model. This keeps us

informed of the constant changes taking place.

Travel is a fun industry that is constantly evolv-

ing. So, we do our very best to stay in touch with

what is going on to better serve our clients, which

are our independent contractors. They, in turn,

can then better serve their clients, bringing us full

circle in the relationship.

MB: Can you tell me a little bit about thefounders of TPI?

KS: TPI was founded in 1988 by the Gagliano fam-ily and started as a tour operator. As it evolved

into a travel agency, the family sat down and decid-

ed to bring on outside sales agents to sell travel

remotely. This of course, morphed into what is

now our hosting program.

We no longer sell travel, but only support our

agents. The company is still privately owned, with

the Gaglianos leading our team.

MB: What are some of the benefits for agentswho choose to align with TPI?

KS: Being part of a nationally recognized andaward winning, stable, industry leading host agency,

with a clear vision of its future, TPI provides our

agents with many benefits.

Our agents receive higher levels of commissions

from our preferred suppliers. They have access to

advanced technology, including the option of all 4

GDS’s, plus booking, invoicing and accounting tools

which make their administration much easier to

maintain.

We also offer several different commission level

programs to choose from, dedicated support from

a team of experts in the industry, a free consumer

Web site, and we are members of Vacation.com,

which gives our agents even stronger buying

power for their clients.

Utilizing our expert tutelage, our agents can

develop specialty niche markets. We also have a

group coach on staff that works one on one with

our agents to help them expand into the very

lucrative group sales market!

Additionally, our marketing department offers

multiple solutions for our ICs to stay in front of

their clients, as well as logo design, web design and

enhancement, and direct mail opportunities, both

through TPI directly and Vacation.com’s

Engagement Program.

14

November 2010

Another benefit to joining TPI is our relation-

ships with industry educators, which allow our

agents to advance their travel knowledge, optimize

their customer relationship management and

define and refine their business development.

MB: Many agents are worried about losing theiridentities if they affiliate with a host. What can

you tell these agents that would put their minds

at ease?

KS: “Hosting” has various business models. Atrue host agency allows an independent contrac-

tor to maintain their own identity and client rela-

tionships. At TPI, we encourage our agents to

create their own branding, by providing logo

design services, marketing support, and business

development through a partnership with

BrandUCoaching.

MB: Does TPI offer any training programs?

KS: Absolutely! For a person that is new to the trav-el industry, we offer two different training programs.

The first one, My Travel Biz, is TPI owned and

developed, utilizing the Travel Institute books and

curriculum. This program is completely self paced

and is great for those that would prefer to learn

on their own. Upon completion, the student

would then move into our Mentorship program

which allows the student to actively work with an

experienced agent.

The second program is offered through Career

Quest Training. Here again, it is a self paced train-

ing program, but does have administrators and

instructors. The CQT training program is sup-

ported by ASTA and allows the student to inter-

act with other participants and take part in webi-

nars and chats as well. Upon completion, the stu-

dent would be offered the option of taking part in

the TPI mentorship program.

We firmly believe that knowledge is power. By

providing quality training at the beginning of an

agent’s career, the odds are they will have a far

more satisfying experience growing their travel

business.

For those agents that have been working in the

industry and are already established, we offer con-

tinuous education through our partnerships with

The Travel Institute, ASTA, CLIA, Career Quest

Training, Platinum Seminars, and BrandUCoaching.

We are very involved with our preferred suppli-

er partners in regards to business development

via live and archived Webinars, FAMS, and confer-

ences. We encourage our ICs to take full advan-

tage of the certification programs offered through

The Travel Institute and CLIA.

MB: Agents also have a concern of affiliating witha host who is out of their area and then missing

out on local events, such as supplier training func-

tions, ship inspections and so forth. How would

you address these concerns?

KS: I always suggest to our agents to stayinformed by reading the press, taking part in

industry functions, and getting to know our pre-

ferred suppliers. TPI takes great care in publishing

all information regarding FAMS and industry

events on our agent-only platform, as well as in

our bi-weekly newsletter that is sent out to our

agents. We gather the information for the entire

country and let our agents know what is available

to them in their area.

What is Leisure Pops?

Leisure Pops is a point-of-sale,merchandizing software application

that runs on an agent’s desktop and

helps travel agents to sell more

preferred suppliers, more add-on

products and more upgrades.

Leisure Pops runs in the background

on an Agent's desktop and then

“Pops” or reminds an agent via a pop

up message of opportunities to better

serve their client — as well as make

more commissions.

Leisure Pops: A New Application from an Old Friend

Lee RosenPresident, Leisure Pops

• Sell more preferred suppliers.

• Sell more add-on products.

• Earn more commissions.

• Better service your clients.

For more information go towww.leisurepops.com

The Power of Pops

November 2010

It used to be that the suppliers only took care

of the “home” office. Things are changing and the

suppliers are starting to recognize the indepen-

dent contractor is here to stay. So they are adapt-

ing and making the information accessible to all

agents, regardless of locations.

MB: A lot of agents have gone through a lot ofchanges and some tough times and are under tight

budgets. Do you have different options that meet

different budgets?

KS: TPI recognizes the struggles of making itthrough the recession. It has been very difficult for

some agents to maintain the client relationships

needed to support their business. We are very

proactive in our offerings to accommodate the

part time agent, full time leisure agent, the store

front owner, and the corporate agent. Our pricing

is competitive, giving all prospects several choices.

We have seen quite a few store fronts closing

their doors as they could not keep up with the

overhead. We understand that because they had

to close the doors, does not mean the passion to

sell travel is gone. We offer several different solu-

tions that will not financially strap an IC’s budget.

MB: Do you have, or are you planning on offeringa leads program?

KS: We have recently partnered with Tripologyfor their basic lead generation program. All TPI

agents have the ability to participate, regardless of

experience level. This is a wonderful program for

building one’s business.

We have also developed and just recently launched

Leads Direct, which are free leads to the agent, how-

ever, there are qualifiers involved as well as a closing

ratio to be met. The Leads Direct program is an

excellent program for those agents that have been

working in the industry for a while but are having

some difficulty with sales due to the recession.

MB: Is there anything else you would like to sayto prospective agents?

KS: Now is the time to re-evaluate the way youare doing business. Realizing that a host agency

can bring to you strong supplier relationships and

very cost effective methods of doing business may

be the best business decision an agent can make

during these tough times. Partnering with the right

host is just that — creating a true partnership that

is mutually beneficial and rewarding.

Kimberly Sherrett can be contacted by E-mail,

mailto:[email protected] or

by telephone at (800)631-3636

www.myhosttravelagency.com

We are very proactive in our offerings to

accommodate the part time agent, full time

leisure agent, the store front owner, and the

corporate agent. ‘ ’16

Kimberly Sherrett

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Scott KoepfVice President of SalesAmerica’s Vacation Center/Avoya Travelwww.americasvacationcenter.com

Do l l Y,Hello Travel

Agents!Thank you for taking the time to read this column in this new and exciting publica-tion. As I am passionate about helping travel agents become successful, I hope this entirepublication and my different approach of writing will help you reach your goals!

You may ask, “Different, you say? Just how different, pray tell?” Well, I am notonly passionate about travel but I also love the use of analogies to learn importantpoints, so my columns will be full of them. However, you will most likely judge my ram-blings based on whether you are a Broadway musical aficionado. I love musical theatreand each show holds applicable lessons to travel professionals that I will expound uponin my columns. So if you are not really familiar with Broadway musicals, may I invite youto join those of us who are crazy about them — and if you love them already, thenmaybe I will provide a unique view of your favorites!

19


Hello Dolly is one of the most famous

and successful musicals of all time (as well as a

wonderful movie with Babs). While watching a

production of this classic recently in San Diego, I

came to the conclusion that Dolly’s character is

the personification of the ultimate travel agent!

The similarity is so strong, and the lessons so clear,

that I will actually spin this analogy across two

columns.

When we are introduced to Dolly Levi, we real-

ize she is just starting to emerge from a period

of mourning (she is a widow). That was my first

clue that Dolly is the pure rep-

resentation of a travel agent! In

some ways, we are just now

emerging from our own period

of mourning as we lost “the

good ol’ days.” We have seen

monumental change, whether

you want to go back many years

or just a few.

Many folks inside and outside our industry predict-

ed we would never emerge from our depressed

state to become relevant again. But with the same

indomitable spirit of Dolly, travel agents have

decided to come back and prove their worth.

I will say here that, unfortunately, not all agents are

like Dolly. The key to Dolly’s resurgence is the fact

that she simply decided the world needed her, and

so you must do the same thing and be convinced

that your service is needed and wanted! She

learned from the past, as we have, but then made

her decision to go to market. In other words, to

be successful you have to embrace the changes

and boldly proclaim the value you provide.

The value Dolly brought to the market is also

uncanny in its similarity to what travel agents do

— everything! While she seems to have a business

card to fulfill every need, her basic job seems to be

to create happiness! Sound familiar — a travel

agent’s job to a T! With confidence, preparation

and passion, Dolly sings what might be an anthem

for travel agents.

Her focus might be to help folks find love, but then

again, so is yours! You can help them experience

the love of the one they are traveling with, love of

the style in which they travel, love of the destina-

tion they travel to and most importantly, love of

the person “who put their hand in there” – in

other words, loyalty to their travel agent.

You may not have multiple business cards, but

you certainly wear many hats, from psycholo-

gist to financial analyst to cheerleader to best

friend. Your clients will now sing slightly modi-

fied lyrics to “It takes a woman” due to your

exceptional ability.

I have always been a woman who arranges thingsFor the pleasure and the profit it derives….So I put my hand in hereI put my hand in there!

20

November 2010

And if the sound of Walter Matthau’s voice singing this doesn’t motivate you, then think about what hap-

pens to clients when you mesmerize them with the picture of what you will help bring to reality. Dolly

paints a picture (the ultimate sales technique) to two young innocent gentlemen that has them packing

their bags and ready to go:

Out ThereThere’s a world outside of Yonkers (insert town here!)

Way out beyond this hick town, Barnaby (insert client name here!)There’s a slick town, Barnaby

Out ThereFull of Shine and full of sparkle

Close your eyes and see it glisten, BarnabyListen, Barnaby!

Put on your Sunday clothes, there’s lots of world out there…

Yes, it takes an AgentA real Agent

To bring you the sweet things in life!

When you paint the picture, your clients will not only

catch the vision, but they will sing about it (you may

think I live in a fantasy world, but if you mess with me

my pet unicorn will get you). Okay, it is an analogy —

but even if they do not sing a tune, they will catch the

enthusiasm you have and share the excitement.

However, even Dolly has to overcome objections

just like you do. She may have painted the vision

and they may be sold, but with time, a doubt or

concern will pop up. In travel, it could be many

things, so just like Dolly, we have to be prepared.

The gentlemen were excited to travel, but did not

know how to dance, so when objections come

your way, you simply need to provide the solu-

tions. As is usually the case, an objection can be

turned into a highlight if you are ready to handle

it. In short order, the non-dancers are singing:

Well my heart is about to burstMy head is about to popAnd now that I’m dancing who cares if I ever stop!

Dolly was simply a master at showing people how

to find happiness. You can have the same impact.

Just follow her lead and learn how to get your

clients to sing along.

In the next issue, we will continue to see why

Dolly is the ultimate travel agent!

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© 2010 America’s Vacation Center/Avoya Travel

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Documents

Travel Agent Professional Nov.2010