What's the background of Travel Quest and how
long have you been in business?
We
started out as a one-woman shop based out of her
home back in 1994. After 4 years of being an
independent contractor under 2 different hosts
that were less than stellar, Bonnie decided to
start her own host agency that would have
everything she felt the previous hosts were
missing.
It's a great beginning because I think so
many home-based agents can relate to her
feelings and her experience with being
associated with a not-so-great host.
The foundation of the company was built from the
perspective of an experienced agent who wanted
to offer agents something that created a win-win
solution for both parties.
Does Travel Quest take on those new to the
industry as well as seasoned veterans?
Yes, we have programs for all levels of agents.
We have a wide variety of agents ranging from
those that sell travel on the side to full-time
agents that have been in it for years.
What are some of the perks of you being a Travel
Leaders (formerly Carlson Wagonlit Travel)
franchise that your agents can take advantage
of?
For the sake of limited space, I'll list a few
key perks below but would encourage readers
intersted in knowing more to contact me. Here
are some of the top perks:
1) Ability to book into Travel Leaders' vast
group cruise space
2)
Exclusive supplier promotions through Travel
Quest. As an example, this Spring there was a
promotion with RCCL where Travel Quest agents
were able to offer up
to $200 off per stateroom, 50% reduced deposit,
and a choice of amenity (spa treatment, dinner,
wine/cheese bottle, etc.)
3) Co-oped direct mail pieces with suppliers
4)
Negotiated car/hotel rates in the GDS
5)
Corporate online booking engine tool ResX or
Cliqbooks
How many agents does Travel Quest currently
host?
We currently are hosting around 175
agents- that puts us in the top tier for all
major suppliers.
You rolled out a new tagline "the all-inclusive
host agency" last year. Why did you choose this
approach as opposed to a la carte fees?
We
listened to prospective agents that were calling
in and one of their main complaints when
searching for a new host was that the program
fees were difficult to decipher. They wanted to
know what the bottom-line cost was and didn't
want surprise fees. Our previous program had a
few a la carte fees which we elminiated to
simplify our program and we also introduced our
in-house ticketing program free of charge for
non-GDS agents. Not only are these
changes extremely attractive to agents, it makes
all of our lives easier at Travel Quest!
What are the costs to join your agency?
There is a one-time activation fee of $199 and
from there the prices vary depending on which
commission split they choose. Our website
program is optional but if an agent chooses to
participate there is a one-time $150 startup fee
for our basic website
and no costs after that.
Would you mind going more in depth on your
commission split programs for agents?
Absolutely! Again, it's very simple and there
are no catches. We have 3 commission split
programs ranging from 70% to 100% commissions.
Here's the price structure:
70% Free
80% $20/month
100% $250/month
Each of the plans includes everything an agent
needs to successfully run their company
including E&O insurance, GDS access, a consumer
website, trainings and continuing education,
support (stellar support at that!), and
marketing materials.
We
also offering an air booking program
complimentary to agents that are unfamiliar with
the GDS. They simply need to call in the
information and we'll do the booking, add a
service fee if requested, and send you over the
itinerary/invoice!
Does Travel Quest offer leads?
We'd tried using different lead services in the
past and received unfavorable feedback from
agents on both lead services. As a result, we
discontinued the service.
What technology programs do agents find most
useful to their business?
Our agents find our customer relationship
management (CRM) tool extremely helpful when
organizing trip information as well as marketing
information about their clients. It's
especially helpful since it's web-based so they
can access it wherever there is internet
access.
Leisure agents love our promo code organizer
which lists supplier promotional codes on a
calendar that you can search by supplier, dates,
and key word.
They also find our online trainings and agent
forum useful in learning more about specific
suppliers and communicating with other agents in
our network.
Some agents also take advantage of our free
webinar services and hold online meetings with
prospective clients.
How does Travel Quest help agents grow their
business and client list?
We
send out weekly announcements on trainings with
RSVP links to make it as simple as possible for
agents to educate themselves so they're able to
sell better.
We
also have an area in our Agent Resource Center
where agents can access marketing ideas. Just a
few of the marketing materials they can access
are: swiss cheese press releases, e-mail
marketing campaigns, advice on how to avoid the
SPAM folder, direct mail campaigns, scripts for
pro-active calls to clients.
Beyond that, we have an area for technology
available to help streamline you business like
sychronizing programs, e-faxes, and
secure password protection programs.
Summarize the top 5 reasons why you felt our
readers should join your host agency.
1)
First and foremost, we are a reputable host
agency that has a 98% retention rate of our
agents.
2) Our support is
second to none.
You'll always have a support agent pick up the
phone to help you or answer your emails.
3)
Agents have access to technology that makes
their job so much easier like CRM, promo code
organizer.
4)
We have top commissions with all major
suppliers.
5) If you made it all the way to the end of the
interview, congrats! :) Give us a call and
we're offering a special 2 month trial offer if
you mention that you read about us in the
Homebasedtravelagent.com newsletter. Try us out
and let us know if you like what you see at no
cost to you.
Anything else you'd like to add?
Not that I can think of! Just
want to mention that if any of your
subscribers have questions about our host
agency, they can send me an email at
stephanie@TQagents.com, call
800.392.6484, or learn more at
www.TQagents.com. Thanks!
Stephanie
Lee | Chief Operations Officer
6563 Laketowne Place, Ste. B
Albertville, MN 55301
P:
800.392.6484 F:
815.572.0113
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Joanie Ogg CTC MCC
Joanie Ogg Marketing Group
Editor
Joanie Ogg is a thirty-five year
veteran of the travel industry and has been involved with the
independent contractor evolution since 1988. She is the principal of
Joanie Ogg Marketing Group, which specializes in consulting and speaking
on the topic of Home-Based Travel. She also provides marketing and sales
for wide variety of products under the umbrella HomeBasedTravelAgent.com.
A demonstrated industry leader, Joanie most recently served as the
President of the National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents (NACTA)
and TravelSellers. She and her husband Tom acquired NACTA in 1996 and
sold it to The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) in 2000.
Joanie’s tenure in the travel industry includes owning and operating one
of the first successful host agency models. She has owned and operated
several storefront travel agencies (both commercial and leisure), as
well as a Hawaii wholesale tour company.
Her decades of success have garnered
her numerous accolades over the years. Her accomplishments have been
recognized by receipt of two Lifetime Achievement Awards from major
trade groups, being named as one of the “100 Most Powerful Women in
Travel” by Travel Agent magazine on several occasions, voted as “Travel
Agent of the Year” by the readers of Travel Trade magazine, and has been
recognized by many other industry organizations throughout her tenure in
the industry. In 2008 Joanie Ogg was inducted into the CLIA Hall of
Fame, an honor held by some of the most influential executives in the
travel industry.
Joanie is a Master Cruise Counselor (MCC)
and a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC). Joanie has co-authored two
popular travel industry books for cruise specialists and home-based
travel agents and has authored hundreds of travel trade articles. She
has inspired tens of thousands of travel agents attending her
presentations at trade events, cruise seminars, international trade
gatherings and numerous local educational venues throughout the United
States. With a time-honored background and forward-looking vision, she
is often featured as a speaker at many of the travel industry’s major
conferences and events. Joanie’s speaking talents are widely sought as a
travel industry emcee by the most recognized travel organizations. She
has emceed such events as Cruise-A-Thons, ASTA’s CruiseFest, The Trade
Show, The Travel Institute Forum and all of NACTA’s National and
International Conferences.
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