IC Travel Agent December 2014

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TRAVEL AGENT THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE FOR ICs, OSRs & HOME-BASED TRAVEL AGENTS

DECEMBER 2014

THE ART OF SELLING TRAVEL FROM HOME


TABLE OF CONTENTS – IC DECEMBER 2014

4

EDITORIAL

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

For more selling ideas, be sure to read SELLING TRAVEL… click‘n’go! 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.

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!

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.


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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


Steve Crowhurst, CTC, Publisher

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

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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. Your hands should touch tightly here…

The grip should be firm, not loose or limp.

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. 


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.

Insert a graphic. Mention their last trip. Attach or insert a photo with some meaning to it.

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. 


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. 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…

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-thebusiness 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. 


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 thankyou 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 thankyou 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. 

Deckled Edge here

Calligraphic ideas 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)

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.

More Dalton Books here: http://www.anthonydalton.net/


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.

yourself, your client and your business referral.

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.

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.

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

“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?”

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? By Jill Wykes 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.

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.

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.

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.


Say

to

30%

introduces

Commission

Increase your Wedding Revenues Simply send your Brides to our

store and let them design their own.

Save the Dates | Travel Document Holders | Invitations | Bag Tags | RSVPs

And much more!

Introductory Offer

$150.00

plus annual fee of $100.00

Until October 31st

After October 31st initial dealer fee is $250

What You Get Ordering Binder - Complete binder with designs, fonts, product and much more including samples of products and order forms. Custom cover on binder with your logo. 5 Cover options to choose from! Agent Cards - 250 Agent I.D. cards with your Agent Code. 30% off Marketing Products - If our logo is on your marketing you get 30% off. 30% Commission - On everything your brides order online with your Agent Code.

Say

and call or email for your Dealer Agent Code today.

CALL 905.857.6333 | EMAIL dealer@idoweddingprint.com


THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM PRINTER FOR OVER 30 YEARS

A HOME FOR THE

HOME BASED AGENTS Big Bark has all your print-marketing needs covered! TOP 6 WAYS WE ARE

DEDICATED TO THE HBA: 1. Easy to use, do-it-yourself, 24/7 online print-ordering store. 2. No design/setup fees – choose from our selection of pre-designed templates or Design Your Own. 3. Full use of our image gallery at no extra charge. Ave.

Thank you for choosing to travel with MyEscapades We take pride .com. in providing one-of-a-kind travel experienc in Africa, Asia, es Europe and South America. The majority of our clients require a trip customize d to their likes , interests and budget. Whe ther you wish to travel in the lap of luxury to indulge in or choose an authentic adventure (we call it ‘roughing will create a -it’) we trip to suit your preferred taste s. In other word we will give s, you a travel experience that goes beyond expectations. your Rest assured, MyEscapades .com is your traveling comp perfe ct anion.

BonVoyage

ill 1 Underh 201 – 301 BC Burnaby, V5A 3C2

BonvoYage

BonV oya ge

THE HUNTINGT

HUNTINGTON

The agents choice since 1973

ON GROUP THE HUNTING

0 Ridgeway Dr., Suite 17, Mississ auga, ON Canad 8.887.9710 | info@myescapa a L5L 5M5 des.ca | www . myescapade s.ca

HUNTINGTON

The agents choice since 1973

TON GROUP

4. Travel related marketing products such as calendars and magnets plus all your standard business products – business cards, envelopes, letterhead, flyers, and more.

Before You Tra vel:

• Ensure that yo u are to-date passports carrying your upand have obta any required/ ined nece for entering the ssary tourist visas country(s) you visiting. are • You trip involve s cancellation penalties in the unforeseen even that you canc t el/postpone your travel arrangements. Ensure that you aware of these are penalties. • Carr y your Ou t-of-Country Hospital/Medic al/Travel Insur Policy with you. ance • Be aware o f luggage restr ictions such as weight, size and type of suitc allowed on the ases international and domestic fligh ts on your itine rary. Excess bagg age charges are steep and can caus e great incon venience • Ensure you hav e obtained recommended or inoculations. Ce required rtain inoculatio are mandatory ns for travel to ende areas. Your tra mic vel agent will have provided full details. • Check out the a vailability of lo ATMs in your cal destination and/ or purchase some local currency travellers cheq or ues. • Give family/fr iends the cont act information at hotels/lodges you will be staying during your trave Information on l. your accommo datio is provided withi n your documen ns ts. • We recommen d tha newspaper subs t you put your cription on hold the duration for of your trip and have your mail colle cted held at your local by a neighbour or post office. • It is always rec omm secure your hom ended that you e with a secu rity alarm before you leave.

5. Wide selection of ticket packaging options for groups, weddings, and niches. 6. All products available in small quantities (some as low as 25).

BIGBARKGRAPHICS.com

T:

905.857.6333 |

TF:

1.866.607.1556 | sales@bigbarkgraphics.com


THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE FOR TRAVEL TRADE PROFESSIONALS

CLASSIFIEDS Wanted: readers to click on this link and make money selling more travel.

Animoto is the BEST and easiest DIY video creator. Try it today.

When you need to write something and can’t – hire in a ghost writer like Steve Gillick. Steve produces scripts for your keynotes, webinars and brochures.

Are you CASL compliant? Do you want to explore using an email service? If so then scan this QR code.

Had enough of working for someone else? Would you like to explore how you can sell travel from home? If so then click on this link and explore.

Your education station is right here. Publishing soon. Get what you need to start using more video in your travel marketing & promotions.

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Contact Steve here.

Home Based? Need sales and marketing ideas that relate to working from home? If so then click here and read IC Travel Agent.

WANTED! DREAM MERCHANTS to complete a survey. Tell us about your passion for being a travel agent. Click here for information.

Where travel trade professionals shop for knowledge.


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