TravelResearchOnline.com Blog

Your clients, and all of the potential clients “out there” have their own schedules. They travel when they are ready. Their travel plans have nothing to do with your preparations, business plans or agendas. But someday, Ms. Client will look at Mr. Client and say something like “Let’s go to Ireland this year.”  Before they [...]

In the context of your travel practice, what does the term “customer loyalty” mean? Does it mean that your customers always travel with you? Does it mean that they always come to you instead of booking online or with a supplier direct or instead of booking with another agency? Are these acts in themselves examples [...]

My doctor and I get along very well. I go to his office knowing exactly what to expect. I know what our mutual roles are and, without fail, he meets my expectations. I give him the information and bodily fluids he wants and he gives me back a precise read on my current health trend [...]

Price is a pretty consistent topic of conversation on travel agent forums. I have many times heard a travel consultant say that the only thing their clients care about is price. In fact, there is more consistent discussion of price, discounting and rebating than perhaps any other topic among travel agents. As a result, price too often [...]

I don’t like most game shows. I’m an introvert and the bright lights, noise and screaming frighten me. With one exception. I really enjoy Jeopardy. When I happen to catch it on television during an evening of channel surfing, I like playing along. In the no-stress environment of my living room, I am really good. Especially [...]

Steve Jobs of Apple Computers once used the phrase “insanely great” as a way of describing his products and it became an anthem for his vision of Apple’s brand. Go to any Apple store and look at the people crowding around, staring at the products, touching them, playing with computers, phones and iPods and listening [...]

In every business environment, it pays to have good partners.  But good partners are not easy to come by.  On ocassion you have to work your way through a lot of business development opportunities before one pans out. That is as true in publishing as it is in travel planning.
One of the best venues for [...]

From all appearances, the promise of a much stronger 2010 stands a good chance of being realized.  The TRO Community is buzzing with travel agents talking about how busy they are and asking questions about the projects on which they are working. One agent actually commented that she was having trouble “keeping up with demand.” [...]

No doubt there is a lot of competition out there. If you live in a community of any size, there are likely dozens of travel agents in the yellow pages, networking, writing articles and, in general, marketing hard to get themselves noticed. Beyond the boundaries of your geographic community, just on the other side of [...]

You have heard of the Pareto Principle, but you probably call it something else. 80% of all of your business comes from 20% of your marketing efforts. Roughly 20% of your time management is highly efficient and from that activity comes 80% of your productivity. 80% of the money made by travel agents is made [...]