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Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Cruising into Matrimony
Looking for a great niche market ? The Wedding business at sea has increased by as much as 60% in the last decade. More and more brides are going to sea to get married and are taking their guests with them.
A wedding at sea is considered extremely romantic and so convenient to combine the wedding and honeymoon. And the onboard wedding packages are affordable.
Do you have a couple looking for a different wedding ? Suggest being married on a rock wall or while ice skating. And for the agent, provide your couple with a gift registry for the Cruise Wedding and earn commissions on the wedding gifts.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
What Business Are You In ??
During our conference call last week with Scott Koepf, President of NACTA, he made the group think hard about and come to a new understanding of the role of the home based travel agent. What business is a Travel Agent In? Most people would say "travel". Some would go a little deeper and say "travel sales". But Scott explained to us that in today's economy and keeping in mind our competition (other agents and the Internet), travel agents are in the business of "Marketing".
Let's face it - all travel agents (retail and home based) have access to the same suppliers. So what can you do to set yourself apart ? According to Scott, develop a "Purple Cow". What is a Purple Cow - a unique way to tell people what you do and give them a reason why they want to do business with you.
Career Quest goes above and beyond the normal travel training curriculum. In addition to a comprehensive travel course and guidelines to start your home based business, we also focus on Marketing and Product Knowledge which is key to your success.
Ready to get started ??? Contact us today to enroll and start your own travel business.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Orbitz Travel Agent Portal
For those of us who have been in the travel industry for over 30 years, we have seen it all ... Commission Caps, Card Mill Scams, Fear of traveling after 9/11 and of course the online agencies like Orbitz. Every time something new hit the travel industry, it was feared that would be the last straw and travel agents would disappear. Well throughout it all, we travel agents survived. How did the travel agent survive ? They learned to adapt to change and found new ways to market their services.
So how ironic is it that now Orbitz has developed a Travel Agent Portal - I guess the bottom line is when you believe in yourself and your business and are open to change, things do have a way of working out. This new portal is one more tool agents can use for their clients.
Monday, February 08, 2010
Best Reason A Mature Traveler Needs A Good Agent
I was flying back from Louisville on Sunday and always take the "Expert Traveler" line through TSA Security. Ahead me this day, were two elderly women (who definitely should not have been in the "Expert Traveler" line. They took great time folding their coat and putting it in the bin and carefully placed their bags in a bin but they were sent back as they forgot to take off their shoes. The line came to a halt as all their bags were pulled out. As I made my way through I saw them taking at least three "gallon" size ziplock bags out of their bags. I thought to myself, they knew liquids had to be in a bag but did not understand the size. I spoke to the one lady who told me they were on their way to Miami to take their first cruise and unfortunately they had to select the several items they could fit in a quart size ziplock bag and leave the rest behind. I felt so bad because these women needed these items and it was too late to pack them in their checked luggage. And then what was worse, they asked the TSA agent if the items being left behind would be mailed to their home. When told "no", these two women were so upset as this was a great deal of money to them. As I was finally walking away, I heard the one woman say to the TSA agent that they had booked online and read they had to put the liquids in a ziplock bag.
I am sure all the travel sites out there do state the size of the ziplock bag but the mature traveler needs to be guided by a good, caring agent. If you are not targeting the mature traveler, you are missing a great niche market.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Small Businesses are Critical to the Economy
Last night, President Obama made it clear that small businesses are critical to the economy and is recommending alot of concessions for small businesses. A home based travel agency is a small business. The home based agent generates alot of income for the various sectors of the travel industry as well as income for themself. Is it an easy job- heavens no - there is no blueprint for your business that will ensure its success. What your business has is YOU! You are in the driver's seat and can make or break your business.
Do you feel you can make a difference and provide better travel services for your community? If you said YES, then what are you waiting for - start your travel business today.
To help, Career Quest has a "Winter Thaw" promotion going on this week - you can save on the tuition of any of our new agent training programs. Email me today for details - nkist@careerquesttraining.com
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