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Become a Travel Agent
“Wear Your
Professional Accreditations
By: Jim Smith, CTIE April 23,2008 There has been a lot of talk, most of it troubling, about the lack of new entrants into our Industry. The pundits have predicted that in about 5 years the situation will reach a “critical stage”. I don’t know about you, but for me, that’s a scary prediction. Here’s the ultimate irony: For the past two years offline travel – that would be travel sales transacted by real live “traditional travel professionals” (be they brick and mortar based or home based) have enjoyed Market Share gains at the expense of the Online Travel Giants (or OTG’s). In fact, there was recent research from the Forrester Organization that indicated some equally compelling consumer sentiments. In short, while the American Consumer populace has reached an all time high “Customer Satisfaction Rating” with “online retail shopping in general” (over 83%, if memory serves me well) “online Travel retailing Customer Satisfaction” was at an all time low, the lowest Consumer satisfaction rating in all of online retailing, posting less than a 75% satisfaction rating. It should be noted that only 4 OTG’s were considered for this research; Expedia, Orbitz, Orbitz and Travelocity. Of the 4 OTG’s only Priceline showed a year over year increase in customer satisfaction. The others, excuse the vernacular, sucked pond water. So, where does that leave “The New Traditional Travel Retailer”? On one hand, the Agent community is in the enviable position of Market Share ascent. And, in my opinion, rightfully so…and not a moment too soon. The Agent Professionals who survived the Feb 9, 1995 commission cap introduction, episodic stock market hiccups and the post 9-11 fallout have weathered some of the most extreme market conditions imaginable. Someone once said; “Tough times don’t last; tough travel agents do”. I believe it was me but the quote has been often attributed to someone else. No matter, the truth is the truth and no truer statement has ever been made. Committed Agents have adapted, re-tooled, re-trained, re-focused and are thriving…for the near term. One thing that has helped separate the thriving survivors from those who have “opted out” of our Industry for supposedly greener pastures has been on-going Education and Training. Recently, I was invited to film some training segments for an Industry News web-based portal. In the 1st installment, I make no bones about it…the best way to succeed in Travel Sales and Marketing is to get your accreditations; CTA, CTC. DS, CTIE, etc…. We need for Travel Professionals to become our own largest proponents. We need, so to speak, to “Shout Our Message From The Rooftops”. We need to develop clear and powerful consumer messaging that underscores the multitude of benefits that Professional Travel Agents bring to the table. We must capitalize on the current Market Share ascent and ride the rising tide. I recently launched my long overdue website. The reason I mention this is because for years I struggled with the concept of “unabashed self promotion”. Truth of the matter is, my original domain name was dramatically different from the one that ultimately launched. If you’re gonna talk the talk, one must be prepared to walk the walk. So, rather than going with my original strategy of a Company branded domain, the site was launched to showcase my professional travel credentials – www.jimsmithctie.com What about 5 years from now? What about when “crunch time” comes and we are confronted with no labor pool of qualified, eager and committed new Travel Professionals? From where I sit there’s a simple answer (there’s always a simple answer in my world). Our Industry must come together in a way that we never have managed to accomplish in the past. Agents, Hosts, Consortia, Franchisors and Franchisees, Suppliers, Destinations, Associations, Theme Parks, Local Tourist Attractions, Food & Beverage Outlets, Government Agencies, The Trade Press and public/private sector collaboration must be undertaken for the purpose of shining a positive light on the wonderful career opportunities the Travel Industry holds for our country’s best and brightest. Our Industry Rocks; plain and simple. Moreover, ours is an Industry of many complexions and complexities. We are in dire need of skill sets at virtually every level that can be quantified as “gainful, honest employment”. At the end of the day, every individual who derives a livelihood from a job in Travel and Tourism impacts consumer perception and, ultimately, customer satisfaction or lack thereof. A coalition that is well organized, sufficiently funded, and committed to insuring many generations of future Travel Professionals is long overdue. I don’t know about you, but my clock is ticking. Those who know me well, know I have little patience for inertia. There are plenty of you who would love to play a role in this effort. Some of you just haven’t realized it yet. Stay tuned; more to come... Xxxx Jim Smith, CTIE is an Industry Consultant and President of Market Share, Inc and Brand Congruency. An Industry veteran of 35+ years, he is the former 11-year President of the GEM Consortium and has served in a variety of Industry Senior Management positions in Retail, Car Rental and Tour Operations. To help cultivate the “next generation of Travel Professionals” he regularly guest lectures to the students at The Hospitality College of Johnson and Wales University in North Miami and speaks to High School Juniors and Seniors at Career Days. He has been known to speak to groups of 2nd graders on the topic under the guise that: “you can never start them too soon”. He can be reached at www.jimsmithctie.com 561-362-3887.
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