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Dear Stephanie,

I keep hearing about mobile sites. I already struggle to update my site with posts and deals.  I’m often behind.  Do I need a mobile site and how do I keep that updated?!

– Zoe S. 

Hey Zoe,

Last month we dove into the importance of keeping your site updated and if that wasn’t possible, to convert it to a static site.  This month, we talk about why mobile is important for travel agencies.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Stephanie,

I keep hearing about mobile sites. I already struggle to keep my posts and deals updated. I’m often behind. Do I need a mobile site and how do I keep that updated?!

– Zoe S.

Hi Zoe,

We’ve got two important subjects to cover from your email and not enough space! I’m going to break this into a two-part series so I can make sure to give the subjects the ink they deserve.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Stephanie,

What else can I do besides direct mail pieces to market my agency?

-Jen E. 

Hi Jen,

While direct mail pieces have the ability to be very effective for certain demographics, there are plenty of other ways to market your agency beyond that.

Before we start, let me just say this is a gargantuan subject to cover so keep in mind this column only discusses the tip of the iceberg. I’m a fan of grassroots marketing so let’s focus on that.

There are two different areas I’d recommend you focus on: in-person networking and the web. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Stephanie,

I saw on your site that you don’t need to live in the same state as your host, but is that helpful?

-Kim R.

Hi Kim,

For some agents, it can be very helpful to live in the same state as their host. The problem is, for others, a host in another region may be a better option! Every agent has different needs and, depending on those needs, a local host may or may not be the best fit. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Stephanie,

Are there hosts out there without sales quotas?  What if something comes up and I take a break?

-Matt C.

Hey Matt,

The simple answer is yes, there are hosts out there without quotas.  However, as usual, I’m going to make the answer more complicated 🙂 Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Steph,

I’ve worked at a brick and mortar agency and am now branching off on my own and going home based.  How do I get my phone to ring?

–Paula

Hey Paula,

Yup. One of the biggest shocks for front line agents when they start their own agency is that suddenly, the phone doesn’t ring on its own!

So, how do you get that darn thing to ring? Read the rest of this entry »

I am busy. You’re busy. We are all busy. Too busy to do this, that and what we should be doing. Ask anyone how they are and you will get the words busy out of their mouth. And, of course the response back is that is a good problem to have. But is it?

Are we busy just to be busy? Are we using busy as an excuse to avoid doing what we should be doing? Or, are we so conditioned to being busy that we simply don’t know how to be anything else. Can we be addicted to busyness? Sure we can. In this fast pace society we live we are told to get ahead we need to be busy, work harder, faster, not take lunch breaks, work 70+ hours a week. Got kids? They need to be scheduled every minute of the day to get into a great college.

But is all this busyness really helping us or harming us? Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, my column focused on several traits I felt a professional travel agent brings to the table.  It was intended to point out the differences between a hobbyist and a professional and what is perhaps required to cross that bridge. As many know, I am not a fan of the hobbyist agents.  But one of our Point To Point contributors, Kelly Monaghan took me to task and essentially told me and my opinion to go to hell!

As soon as Kelly’s column published, I received several emails asking how I could publish that response when it was a clear shot across “my bow.”  Easy—we all have opinions and positions and without listening to them and giving them some consideration, we do ourselves a major injustice.

Do I agree with Kelly’s rebuttal 100%? Absolutely not! But Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Stephanie,

A host requested that we give them a background check. Is this normal? Why do they need that info?

-Ali

Hey Ali,

Rest at ease when your head hits the pillow tonight; your host is being totally legit.

It’s normal for a host to run a background check on people entering their program. In fact, you’ll find hosts that run background checks and credit checks on applicants to their program. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Stephanie,

I would like to start my own travel agency business. Do I have to start working with a host agency?

Signed,
Dmitriy

Hey Dmitriy,

First off, welcome to the travel industry – we love newbies!

The short answer is no, you technically don’t have you to start working with a host agency when you enter the industry.  The typical paths taken if an agency doesn’t work with a host is to align yourself with a consortium/franchise or to go independent.  However, I’m a huge advocate of host agencies and feel they are the best entry point for most agents.  Here’s why: Read the rest of this entry »

Cruise3Sixty in Ft Lauderdale this week kicks off 2012’s Trade Show Season.  The decision to attend a particular trade show or conference is a quandary for all involved.  Suppliers try to calculate the cost/benefit in terms of the number of agents who will attend, the costs of supporting the show and the intangible costs of not  attending – being invisible to the agency community.

For travel agents, the calculus is equally daunting. Beyond the cost of air and hotel, there is the time out of office and the lost business opportunities in a busy time of the year. The quality of the show’s presentations and offerings can vary widely.  In the best of circumstances the show promoter delivers a wide array of sales and marketing training designed to grow the travel practices of attendees.  At great trade shows, agent involvement and peer-to-peer sharing has replaced the hour long supplier panel infomercials that in years past posed as training.  In the worst of circumstances, the promoter simply goes through the motions, offering up the same anemic panels and breakout sessions show after show.

So choose wisely.

Read the rest of this entry »

As a home based agent one of the biggest hurdles I face is visibility. I have found networking a great way to get the word out on what I do and to meet potential new clients.  To network effectively  requires time & effort and getting out of the house. Trust me, I know it’s hard to get out of the house when the wind chill is hovering somewhere near zero. It’s easy to just stay in your warm sweats and not go anywhere.  But, sitting home doesn’t give you the face to face time you need to successfully build your business.

If you have never attempted to network before-it can be intimidating.  Where do you  find  networking groups?  Meetup.com is a great resource on finding   networking groups in your community. It’s free but you need to create a log in. Once you have your log in, search for “networking groups” in whatever city you live. Peruse the groups and find a couple that spark your interest. Email the President or membership chairperson and ask for more information.  Be sure to ask them if you can attend their meeting.  Some groups may be closed or not taking new members. Read the rest of this entry »

As the snow falls outside and temperatures drop, Minnesotans are winding down into hibernation mode.  The year is coming to a close and soon we’ll all start looking back on the year and coming up with New Year’s resolutions to make 2011 our best year yet.  With all that in mind, it seems a fitting time to wrap up the travel agent diaries series.

Last year, I had written that I wanted to grow our agent numbers from 200 to 400.  Hovering at around 300 agents, we didn’t quite meet that.  But remember that saying about shooting for the moon because even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars?  I shot for the moon and I guess if you wanted to get all gushy, you could say I landed among the stars.  Cute in theory, but last I heard the only thing between Earth and the moon is space junk and satellites—not stars. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, someone from the office sent me a forwarded e-mail and I zoomed right by it.  The next day, they had asked if I’d read it and I admitted I hadn’t.  Feeling guilty, I opened it up.

Essentially, it was about a cab driver who hated his job.  Everyone was always rude when they hopped in and he found the day to day grind of driving these people around to be unbearable.  I’ll cut to the chase and say one day he had an epiphany that he controlled his surroundings.  He could quit, or he could try to make it a better experience for both him and the passengers. Read the rest of this entry »

Just when we think we have things in control—life throws us a curve ball or, in some cases, a knuckle ball. Some days are good, some are bad. When it’s a bad day it can be a really, really bad day. The car refuses to start at the most inopportune time or as far away from home as possible. The dog throws up. The cat has a hairball. Your angelic child gets detention. The dishwasher is creating a lake in the middle of your kitchen.  And, that knocking sound? It’s not the UPS man. It’s your washing machine. That bottle of Merlot is starting to look very tempting right about now.

It’s the same with business. Good days and bad days. Some days you are on top of the world and everything is right as rain. Then a black cloud descends and everything that can go wrong does. Weather has wrecked havoc on your client’s flights and they call screaming at you. That destination wedding group heading to sunny Jamaica is stuck on the tarmac and the bride Read the rest of this entry »

Every year, TravelQuest heads to ASTA’s tradeshow and this year was no exception.  The weeks before are always a frenzy for me as I put together the final details, make sure everything is purchased and packed for the show, and, of course,  type up the very important document for the dogsitter— 10 Easy Steps to Making Rigel a Happy Dog.

This was my third year having a booth at the tradeshow and I can honestly say that it was the most successful show we’ve had.  Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve made my decision—I have to lay this out in the open.  For months I’ve started writing my column on the subject but changed my mind.  No one in the mainstream media is writing about it so surely it’s just me.  I’ve tried repressing it, I’ve tried downplaying the severity of the situation, I’ve tried hoping things will change.  But it’s as if I’m stuck in a recurring nightmare.

What am I taking issue with?  Read the rest of this entry »

Mustering up the capital resources and the time to attend a trade show so is surely no light matter. A travel agency’s investment in both travel and accommodations are often significant. Yet, the opportunities afforded by a travel trade show are considerable. Most importantly, travel agents can delve deeply into the tenor of the companies they select for their business partners. There are few venues that provide the opportunity for face-to-face evaluations of travel suppliers like a trade show especially considering the chance to compare notes on suppliers with other agents. Indeed, trade shows afford an almost unique opportunity to learn about new product.

The face-to-face experiences inherent in a trade show are very valuable to a professional travel counselor. Strong supplier relationships are an important component of a thriving travel practice, and there is no substitute for meeting a supplier representative in person to take the measure of his or her company. But there is also the additional benefit of interaction with your peers. Read the rest of this entry »

In my home state and many states across the country travel agents are not regulated.  There aren’t any education, licensing or insurance requirements. Travel agents do not have to submit to criminal background checks. Anyone can be a travel agent. The infiltration of “card mills or MLMs” is out of control.

Other professionals in my state such as cosmetologists, massage therapists, plumbers, real estate agents, accountants etc. all have to meet mandatory certification requirements and be licensed. Why are travel agents not regulated? Travel agents are allowed to handle thousands of dollars without mandatory licensing, no educational requirements or meet minimum financial standards. Read the rest of this entry »

Last summer, TravelQuest headed for uncharted waters.  We created a new marketing campaign that had social media at the heart of it and shied away from more traditional means of advertising.  A year later, we’re pretty happy with our decision. Traffic is up on our website, we’re hearing from more and more agents(remember, we are a host agency) that they heard about us through social media, and our page pulls up higher on the search engines. Read the rest of this entry »

What exactly does the term “business ethics” mean? Why are ethics important in today’s wiifmw (what’s in it for me world?)

Wikepedia’s defines “ Business ethics is a form of applied ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the conduct of individuals and business organizations as a whole.”

My definition is doing the right thing, all the time. No matter how difficult it may be. Being  responsible for your own actions.

According to the Institute of Business Ethics (IBE) companies that make a commitment to ethics and have a clear policy on ethics outperform companies Read the rest of this entry »