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Frequently Asked Questions
About
Being A Home-Based Agent In addition to the answers presented here, you may want to take advantage of our archive of instructional teleseminars, featuring Q & A sessions with the course creator, Kelly Monaghan. They are free and you can listen online or download them for later listening on your iPod or similar MP3 device. The
Number One Most Frequently Asked Question: I’m
really interested in being a home-based agent. How do I get started? Can
you send me more information? About
Being A Home-Based Agent What
is a home-based agent? What
is a referral agent? What
is a host agency? Is
this a viable business? Isn’t everybody booking all their travel
on the Internet? Second,
most of the travel that is booked on the Internet is simple point-to-point
airline travel, the cheapest travel there is and travel that pays
no commission. This is not business you, as a home-based agent, want
anyway. This
is a viable business because it involves person-to-person contact
and real selling. People only go on the Internet when they know what
they’re looking for. Home-based travel agents make good money
by sharing their love of travel, making people aware of what’s
out there, and awakening in them a desire to take a trip. How
do I get clients? Can
I do this in Canada? Can
I do this in __________ ? Many
countries tightly regulate the sale of travel and do not allow bonded
travel agencies to have outside sales agents. However, many entrepreneurial
agents work outside the system. Many U.S. and Canada-based host agencies
will deal with agents regardless of location. It is also possible
to make separate arrangements with suppliers. Our advice is to contact the major association representing the travel agency industry in your country and ask them if the concept of working as an independent travel agent is viable. You might also ask a few local travel agents and travel suppliers if they would be willing to work with you on a commission basis. If so, then we would like to think that the course will be of great value to you. If
you are interested, please email us before you order, so we can tell
you the cost of additional shipping to your home country. Can
I use you as my host agency? How
much does it cost to get started as a home-based travel agent? Of
course, there are costs involved with starting any business. The course
concentrates on saving you money and guiding you to the least expensive
and most cost effective strategies. If you really want to do it on
the cheap, you can get started for well under $100, and that includes
business cards! Most people, however, invest more into their business,
some at the beginning and others gradually, over time. The
most important initial investment you can make is in our home
study course. Of course, that’s just our opinion. I’m
not interested in making a lot of money, but I’d like to broaden
my travel horizons and get good deals for my friends. Is this possible? However,
if you currently travel only on the cheap, it will take you a while
to justify the expense of becoming a home-based agent. On the other
hand, if you round up a bunch of friends to travel with you, you can
do very well as far as making your travel dollar stretch farther.
The course shows you exactly how to do this. My
company does a lot of traveling and we are thinking about setting
up our own in-house travel agency. Is that possible? How
soon before I start seeing the benefits of being a home-based agent?
Like fam trips and discounts? If
you think you will be able to travel around the world for next to
nothing while doing no work, you have come to the wrong place. There
are plenty of places that will be glad to take your money and promise
you just that. Once you discover it’s not true, you’ll find
that the fine print says you don’t get your money back. This
site and the home study course are designed to save you from making
that mistake. What’s
a typical commission split? How
much money can I make as a home-based agent? I
am thinking of signing up with Host Agency X. Are they reputable? Choosing
a host agency just because someone tells you, "Well, I haven’t
heard anything bad about them," is a very foolish move to make.
That’s why the course teaches you how to investigate every host
agency offer thoroughly. Taking shortcuts is dangerous to your wealth. For
more on this topic, read this article. How
do I get a travel agent ID? An IATA card? My IATA number? The IATAN
card? My ARC number? These
questions reflect some basic misunderstandings about how the travel
distribution system works and what being a home-based travel is all
about. You actually don’t need any of these things to be a home-based
travel agent. You can get them (or some of them) but you don’t
really need them. You can simply use someone else’s! The
home study course explains how the business really works, how to book
travel and make money without any of these things and how to get them
when – and if – it is appropriate. If
you are asking the question because you think that having any of these
things will enable you to get unbelievable travel discounts, the course
will set you straight on that score as well. You
can use the Travel Industry Dictionary
to look up definitions of all of these terms. Do
I need special software? How
do I get hooked up with Sabre or Apollo (or another GDS)? How
much is the course? What
is in the course? How up to date is the course? The entire course is updated on an as-needed basis. Important interim changes and additions are included on the bonus CD-ROM that comes with the course. Other updates are included in the newsletter. Will
the course give me the credentials/license/certification I need to
be a travel agent? The course will teach you the streetwise know-how you need to succeed on your own as a home-based agent. This is not "conventional wisdom," but the inside secrets it would take you years to figure out by trial and error. For more on this topic, read this article. I
am already a travel agent, but I’d like to strike out on my own.
Will your course help me? Does
the course teach me how to use GDS software (Sabre, Worldspan, Amadeus,
etc.)? However, if you want to be automated, you can be and the course provides guidance in how to go about doing that. But
remember: You do not need reservation system software (CRS or GDS)
to make good money as a home-based travel agent! Will
the course tell me EVERYTHING I need to know? Or will I still have
to attend classes? The course will give you the knowledge and the tools you need to plan and set up your business, get your first customers and start booking travel. The course will also point you to the many ways of getting ongoing education in the travel industry, much of it provided by suppliers at little or no cost. The
course does not teach you about GDS software. Not only do we not think
that is necessary but there are several competing software packages.
If you really, really, really want to learn a GDS program, the course
will teach you what you need to know to make an informed decision
about which one to learn. Then, maybe, you should take a class. Can I purchase the home study course on time; that is, by paying a little each month? No. Frankly, if you have so little money that you cannot afford the modest cost of the course, then you should not be thinking of going into business at this time. Your first goal should be to raise some working capital. Remember, too, that you are not really risking anything but the postage by purchasing the course because it is backed by an iron-clad guarantee. How
long will it take to receive the course? Orders are shipped via UPS Ground. It can take up to seven business days (not counting Saturday and Sunday) to reach destinations on the East coast. If
you'd like to get an idea when your course will arrive, you can go
to the UPS web site.
On the home page, look for the link to "Transit Time" (it's
on the bottom in tiny type). When you reach the "Worldwide Delivery
Times" page, enter Fort Collins, 80524, and the date your ordered
in the spaces provided under "Origin." Enter your address
information under "Destination." Click whether the address
you provided us was a residential address. Enter "6" in
the weight field. Then click the "Calculate" button. How
long does it take to go through the course? You should be able to grasp the basic concepts in a week or two. Putting the knowledge to work will take time, especially if you do it right. You can hook up with a host agency very quickly, although we caution against making hasty decisions. Generally speaking, you can be well on your way to opening your new home-based business within a month.
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