And there you have it! | Travel Research Online

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And there you have it!

Another year is coming to an end and last week’s column by Vince Yeck brings to a close the 2011 Edition of the Travel Agent Diaries.  We launched the TRO Agent Diaries in 2009 to help agents understand the issues, troubles, successes, failures, and celebrations of different types of businesses. Over the years, we have had host agencies, brick and mortar agencies, Internet agencies, single person home based agencies, and many in between. We have had agents with decades of experience, and those with weeks! We have had serious agents and less than serious ones. We have even had an agent that apparently did not survive the industry.

So, what does this do for everyone? Well, first it is a wealth of information and ideas. I learn something new in practically every column. If you didn’t read the TRO Diaries, who would have ever thought of registering brides at a bridal show by text message? Thanks to the TRO Travel Agent Diaries we now know the intricacies of being acquired by another company.  And we have certainly seen our share of mistakes and how they were overcome!

We are all in this crazy industry together and the more we can help one another out, the better our individual chances of success are. The agents who wrote the diaries for you, took time from their business every month to expose themselves to the world. Sure they did it to learn a bit about themselves, but also to allow you to learn a little bit about yourselves!  Take a moment and re-read the last entries and take the time to leave a comment and say “thank you.”

There are many resources out there to help us succeed.  Suppliers have invested millions of dollars into them. TRO has invested a lot as well. My mother always said that money could not buy happiness; and to take it a step further (and put a travel spin on it), I might suggest that money cannot buy the resources available in a peer to peer relationship.

If you are not a member of the TRO Community, please join and expose yourself to more than 8,000 professionals. If you are a member and are a “lurker”—join in the conversation. No one bites and together, we can all hold each other’s hands and rise to even greater heights.

And if you are brave enough to be willing to open your business up for the world to see, please consider being a diarist for 2012.  The series will start up again on January 10, 2012 and we’d love to have your perspective to share. The commitment is a column about every six weeks. If you are interested, please send me an email and we will see about getting you on board!

And in the meantime, take a look back at some of the columns over the past three years and see if you can’t grab a tip or two.  Thanks for reading the diaries and we look forward to bringing them to you again in 2012!

  2 thoughts on “And there you have it!

  1. Thanks again John and Richard for the opportunity and I look forward to the new batch of agents and their year!

    Vince Yeck, CTA, DS
    Yeck’s Cruise & Travel

  2. Steph Lee says:

    I do really love the Travel Agent Diaries and thanks for pointing out the tangible reasons why reading this column will make you a better travel agent!

    Steph Lee
    Travel Quest

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