Have you thought about why you became a travel agent?
Maybe it’s because you love to travel and helping people facilitate their own adventure. Maybe you thought being a work at home travel agent was the right career move. Or maybe you thought it sounded glamourous. Is it all that you imagined? Or has running your business been difficult?
A part of you wonders…
Do you need to cut your losses or be patient?
Or maybe it’s that you don’t have a roadmap for success [thereby making it a constant struggle to grow your travel agency], and with it you could become a top travel agent in no time! Keeping reading to find out what the keys to success are for new travel agents.
10 Keys to Success for New Travel Agents
Be Confident
If you want to become a successful travel agent, you need the confidence to do so. Why? Because customers are more likely to trust someone who breathes, walks, and talks travel; someone who won’t flinch when asked a question about this or that industry regulation. Clients will trust that you know what you are doing and will get them the best deal possible. Remember, people want to work with those who are confident in their abilities. It’s the groundwork for building trusting and lasting relationships.
Have Passion
It’s believed that Confucius said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” If you love what you do, it won’t seem like work. You’ll be a happy travel entrepreneur who looks forward to each day with a smile on your face. When you’re passionate about what you do, your authenticity shines through you – people and can see and feel it. And you won’t ever have to work a day in your life!
Find Your Niche
Most travel agents realize the importance and power of focusing on a niche. Whether you specialize in all-inclusive travel or luxury vacations, the more focused you are on who you want to serve, the easier will be for you to brand yourself and dive deeper into the right education to serve your clients on the various partner product offerings. If you don’t know what your message is, you won’t be able to reach your ideal customers through digital and offline marketing. Define your niche and you can determine your success.
Build Your Network
Networking, when done right, can bring in leads and sales. Research different groups and organizations and interview current and past members – make an educated decision as to whether or not a group is right for you. Like it or not, some networking opportunities are nothing more than social gatherings. There’s nothing wrong with this but time spent in these types of groups may not help you build and grow your travel agency.
Get Educated
Always continue your education! You can take online courses and read industry related news. Did you know that TPI provides members with educational opportunities? For example, at this years’ TPI Extravaganza Conference the program was packed with business experts who have ‘been there, done that’ – they shared those game-changing experiences to help agents grow their bottom line. In 2016 TPI is taking the show on the road! Members will have the chance to connect with like-minded individuals and learn from them. Educational opportunities are all around you – just look for them!
Embrace Marketing
For whatever reason, some travel agents have fear marketing. The sooner you embrace and budget for it the better. Think about this. How will clients find you if you don’t market your travel agency? In the beginning, it’s okay to book travel for family and friends. But you don’t want them to be your only clients, do you? When you use email or social media marketing, you have the potential to reach thousands of people who could turn into first-time and repeating clients. Not only will this provide you with a better ROI but it will help you grow your business.
Be Service Oriented
5,000+ Rockstars Have Partnered With Us
Determine which path is right for you
I'm a New Agent
I'm An Experienced Agent
Keep in mind that growing your business means that you put your customer first. Come from a place of ‘servant leadership’, a term coined by Robert K. Greenleaf. This means you follow practices that enrich the lives of your clients while building a better travel agency so you may create a more caring world. If you solely focus on earning money, you may make it. However, you can easily lose it as well.
Become an Authority
A new buzzword is ‘authority’. If you’re familiar with Google Authorship, you’ll know that it was meant to link your Google + profile to content you created. While Google ended support for authorship this does not imply that authority does not matter. Build authority in your travel niche and you can position yourself as the ‘go to’ travel agent and attract new clients to your agency while retaining current ones.
Work with a Host Travel Agency
With 27 years in the business, TPI has learned that independent agents value flexibility and yearn for education and desire independence, but they don’t want to be alone. This is why we develop tools to
help agents meet their professional and financial goals. With a host travel agency such as TPI, you can take advantage of a free consumer website, full back office support, cutting edge technology and a dedicated business development team to assist you in growing your travel business.
Do the Work
Being a work at home travel agent doesn’t mean you can sit back and do nothing. Even though you may work out of a home office, you are responsible for developing your business. Set your hours and stick to them. Create a weekly schedule and follow it. Write down sales goals and create a plan to reach them. Building and establishing a successful business takes effort and time – you must do the work to get the results you want!
Visualize your travel agency 3-5 years from now. Instead of being disappointed and on the verge of giving up, you grew your travel agency and today it’s a thriving small business!
No longer are you begging for leads and referrals. You are on the fast track to becoming one of the top travel agents in the industry.
All of this happened because you learned the keys to success for new travel agents and put your agency on the road to success.
You’re enjoying speaking with clients and finding them the best cruise or adventure vacation. They even call you when they return and tell you how much fun they had and want to plan their next excursion.
Impossible? It’s not.
Have confidence in your ability as a travel agent and provide the best possible service.
Do the work and believe that you can have a winning business.
You’ve have the keys to success – all you need to do is implement them right now.
Call us today to find out more about getting started with Travel Planners International
