Become a Home Based Travel Agent

Mirror Mirror on the wall…
By Cory Andrichuk

As the story goes… Mirror Mirror on the wall… Who’s the fairest of them all?  Brand YOU of course!  BUT do you believe it!?My new year’s question to you is, “HOW do you see yourself as you look into your future?”  Do you see yourself as a professional and passionate Travel Authority or just another travel agent, now being referred to as the travel agent commodity! 

I believe all professional and passionate selling travel agents’ need to adopt the ‘Travel Authority’ mindset and then execute daily with a plan in order to survive and then thrive in the new consumer based digital economy.  YES of course it takes time to grow and develop into such professionalism with expertise status, but if you do not begin with it (the Travel Authority mindset!), your chances of ever achieving it, are limited.  I fear that too many travel agents are not adapting to the new digital landscape called the Internet fast-enough as consumers (yes your clients) are quickly engaging, experimenting and booking actual travel on the many new social travel booking sites. 

New travel websites like hipmunk.com, eezeer.com, tripadvisor.com, and now even Google are changing the way we traditionally book travel.  Consumers, more than ever, want to research, communicate, converse, engage, and socially share travel experiences today, in order to travel tomorrow.  We know this by witnessing the rise and continual massive growth of such social sites like Facebook, YouTube, and so many others, whereby the consumer drives the experience.

Some of you might be saying, “Point made Cory!  But HOW do I keep up!? …Things change so fast, that I do not have the time to know what to focus on”.  AND I say, “Point made!  But, that does not stop the consumer revolution engine taking place (meaning, access to information is greater than ever in history).”  My recommendations to keep up with such innovative social travel booking tools are as follows:

1. Talk to your clients!  Yes… have a conversation with them and ask them why they book with you.  Open up such dialogue (asking the question I just mentioned) on your Facebook page and go viral with the conversation, allowing others to read, share, contribute, and participate in your question. 

2. Ask your clients what other travel websites they like to use when researching their travel plans.  Please don’t be naïve and think that they only use your services!!!  Again, open up dialogue and have a conversation, perhaps over a coffee or even lunch, and ask them their opinion of such sites like kayak.com, Expedia’s booking engine, the cruise line’s technology and other such sites I mentioned above.  I believe that when you personally ask them, they will trust and like you even more, and eventually book with you again!  Open this door today and try it.  Begin to position yourself as the Travel Authority in all things travel… On and offline, or else suffer the continued consequences of losing sales to your new social online competitor’s. 

3. Finally… Take 15 minutes a day and explore such sites I have mentioned here and others found by searching Google.  Or just go here to start:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites

In summary, you need to better position yourself as something more than a travel agent/ consultant/ professional/ planner, as the competition is quickly heating up, especially online!  As Maya Angelou says, “When you know better, you do better”.  Take the time to know better, and position yourself as the Travel Authority.