Become a Home Based Travel Agent

SEE IT! SAMPLE IT! SELL IT!
By Paull Tickner

You can learn a great deal about a destination from reading articles in the travel trade and consumer media, attending breakout seminars at conferences and through attending breakfast presentations where regrettably your mind might often stray towards the problems you have to deal with when you get into the office...

As a UK-based supplier, I’ve done all of the above. Between 1985 and 1996, I staged over 300 British Heritage Tours (my former company) Travel Schools all over the USA. As a result I got to know rather well, and at different times of the year I 40 between Atlanta and Raleigh Durham, different stretches of the I 95 between Miami and Jacksonville, Richmond and Newark and New York to Boston and the bit of the I 90 between Buffalo and Albany. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner presentations and seminars? Been there, done that!

I’ve become a well known ‘face’ at various trade shows and thanks to Joanie, was permitted to strut my stuff at 2 of her NACTA conferences.

However, where I’ve really scored is with the creation and delivery of what can be called genuine ‘Product Experience Programmes’. Because of my passion for Special Interest programmes, I’d love to call them PEPSIs but I don’t think I’d get away with it for long... Let’s call then PEPs for short. You just can’t beat the first hand experience gained from a well constructed visit to the destination concerned

In a UK context, ‘fam trips’ are often put together to suit ‘the sponsors’ which I understand, but all too often those chosen aren’t always the best choice for the group concerned. I’ve seen, and been on 3 nighters where we went endlessly (and by the end mindlessly) from one hotel to another. Others I’ve seen ‘assembled’ by people who don’t really understand the markets being targeted by travel agents. Everyone has a wonderful time but not a lot comes though at the end.

When it comes to Educationals, I don’t want to make myself sound like the personification of excellence but having spent years talking to and listening to what travel agents are telling me, I’ve returned home and worked out a different formula that achieves a very good balance between the needs of both the sponsors and the all important American travel sellers. The final result is satisfaction here at this end and travel agents returning home with a spring in their step and a product to sell. Mission accomplished!

The focus should be on content and quality experiences with the choice of hotel being a given because your (UK/Ireland) land operator has a clear understanding of where your clients want to stay, providing you’ve given us a sensible budget to work with!!

It’s because I put the travel agent’s needs first that the UK / Ireland PEPs I put together have earned such high praise. It has enabled me to take close encounters with Product GB to an even higher level because they are now shaped by the following 3 important words:-

KNOWLEDGE
After 30 years, although I’m always learning new things, I know the UK extremely well. More importantly, I am very aware of what you can sell to the many different contacts in your ‘Little Black Book’!

EXPERIENCE
I’ve designed and operated hundreds of customised tours and know what works and what doesn’t. My understanding of your client’s expectations greatly influence my recommendations of what you (and they) do when they are over here.

CONNECTIONS
Clients of yours look for value added, out of hours, behind the scenes touches that transform their UK tour into something truly memorable. I involve many of these suppliers in the educational so that you can meet and talk to the kind of people I work with. Their skills will increase your confidence because they are the ones who will make sure that the right things happen when your clients arrive at their particular attraction or destination. I might even be able to persuade them to help with your sales and marketing plans but that’s another story...

To convert theory into totally enjoyable reality, between 19th and 25th October all the good stuff I’ve mentioned has been worked into a 5 night UK educational conference to the COTSWOLDS, CHELTENHAM, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON and LONDON.

The really good news is that Joanie Ogg is joining us for the 5 day period and I’ll leave her to have the final word:
"Being a guest speaker for this event is truly an honour. I have had the pleasure of working with Paull Tickner for the last ten years. His knowledge, passion and mastery of special interest travel to the UK has launched so many travel professionals to financial success selling Britain. I have watched him speak to thousands of agent agents about his true passion, special interest travel to the UK and simply stated, he is the absolute master of this product niche. If you want to learn how to sell Britain like a pro, then you need to experience it with a pro. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the master and give yourself a clear advantage selling Britain!"

Joanie Ogg, CTC, MCC Joanie Ogg Marketing Group

For further information on the UK Special Interest Conference, please email pjtickner@yahoo.co.uk