Become a Home Based Travel Agent

Become a Home Based Travel Agent
An Interview With Host Agency UNIGLOBE travel USA
By Joanie Ogg CTC MCC

Betsy Geiser
VP UNIGLOBE Travel Center
The host agency division of UNIGLOBE Travel USA
Irvine, CA
1-800-863-1606 x9070
www.uniglobetravelcenter.com

Recently Joanie and Betsy met at one of Joanie's favorite restaurants in Carlsbad for lunch. Joanie interviewed Betsy about Uniglobe's Host Agency program. Here is what was said.

UNIGLOBE has been known mainly as a corporate Franchise Program, when did you start offering hosting options?

In 2002 we saw that we were missing the mark on Travel Professionals that were going home-based and that had already built up their own brand. These agents were not looking for a Franchise, but rather wanted a host that would provide them with the tools and resources they needed to be able to sell travel remotely. That is when we started our non-branded hosted programs.

What level of experience are you looking for in travel agents that want to join your program?

We provide programs to all experience levels with or without GDS. Our Trainer and Mentor, Terri Maldonado, has extensive experience on the home-based side of the business and she has a tremendous amount of expertise making her an exceptional teacher. Our goal is to open the industry up to whoever has a passion for travel and is looking for a future in the travel industry.

Aside from the standard access to GDS, commission levels, and the operational tools, what do you provide your agents with to help them be successful?

Our Business Development Manager, Carol Fullmer proactively works with agents on their marketing plans. We have some tools to help there, as well, but Carol makes sure that everyone knows what is available to them and how to use those tools. She recently started a Marketing Club where our agents meet with her once a month via conference call to discuss; marketing ideas, social networking, website optimization and supplier specials.

We want to support only agents that are looking for a long-term home and want to grow their business. Because of our specific objective we look for our agents to have the following qualifications.

For our experienced programs UTC Premier and UTC Pro programs we want agents that are looking:

· Be active participants in the training and business development that we offer.

We currently have a special going for experienced agents that can show proof of 125K in sales over the last 12 months.

We are only charging a $50 application fee and we are waiving our monthly ‘stay connect’ fee for the first 4 months.

The only cost they incur for the first four months is a low per invoice fee for the Pro (GDS) program and an 80/20- 90/10 split for the Premier (non- GDS) program.

If they are experienced (but do not have 125K in sales) the regular fees apply- $149-199 initial fee and a $50-65 ‘stay connect’ fee per month.

For our Mentorship program there is just a $499 fee to get started and no monthly fees until month 7 and a 50/50 commission split during those first 6 months. Then the agent graduates to the premier program with a $50 per month fee and a 70/30 commission split with the ability to up to 90/10 commission, as sales increase.

Some are still down a bit but at our recent conference everyone was starting to pick up again. One agent said “I don’t know where they are coming from but I am really busy”. We have tried in the past few months to keep everyone motivated by working on their marketing plans and offering more training sessions.

For more information on our program please call Betsy at 1-800-863-1606 x9070
Email bgeiser@uniglobetravel.com or visit our website at www.uniglobetravelcenter.com

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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