What's
in the home
study course?
The
course consists of the following elements:
Home-Based
Travel Agent – the main manual for the course
How To Choose A Host Agency
How To Get Your Own IATA Number
The Travel Agent’s Complete Desk Reference
Home-Based
Travel Agent
Introduction
The new world of travel
The ‘traditional’ career paths
One size does not fit all
Is it for you?
What’s the catch?
Should you be a "travel agent"?
How this course is organized
How to use this course
PART
ONE:
Note: All chapters begin with Learning Objective and Key Terms and Concepts and end with Action Steps.
Chapter One: A Brief Overview of the Travel Industry
The history of travel
The role of the middleman
How to make money in travel
Disintermediation
How travel agents are compensated
How the travel industry is structured
Summary
Chapter Two: Defining Yourself
What do you sell?
Avoiding the cheap travel trap
The advantages of specialization
Seven different ways to specialize
Creating a mix of specialties
How do you sell it?
Where do you fit in?
Which is right for you?
Summary
Chapter
Three: Becoming A Tour Organizer
Touring with teens
Putting together a school tour
It’s not just for teachers
College tours
Organize a cruise
Organize a tour group
The freelance tour organizer
Summary
Chapter
Four: The Outside Sales Rep
What are outside agents?
Finders, steerers, bird dogs
Bird-dogging major accounts
Referral agencies
The ‘true’ outside sales representative
Part-time, full-time
Establishing an outside sales relationship
Finding a local ‘host agency’
Selling yourself to an agency
Paying to become an outside agent
Why pay a fee?
Types of host agency
Sorting through your options
Summary
The ‘Pros’ of aligning yourself with a local agency
The ‘Cons’ of aligning yourself with a local agency
The ‘Pros’ of paying to be an outside agent
The ‘Cons’ of paying to be an outside agent
Chapter Five: The Referral Agent
The card mill controversy
What makes an agency a referral agency?
How referral agencies work
What referral agencies pay
Do they make sense for the benefits?
Does a referral agency make sense for you?
How to "succeed" as a referral agent
Some additional thoughts
Summary
Chapter
Six: The Independent Agent
Dealing directly with suppliers
When dealing directly might be possible
Reasons not to deal directly with suppliers
Reasons to deal directly with suppliers
Host agencies and 'exclusivity'
Pseudo ARC (or IATA) numbers
Putting it all together
Becoming truly independent
Getting your own IATA number
Summary
Chapter
Seven: About Host Agencies
The biggest mistake beginners make
Is this agency for me?
Dealing with a host agency
The sign-up process
Before you sign up
How much will it cost
A word about compensation
The contract
Your status as an independent contractor
Due diligence
After you've signed up
Working with suppliers
Collecting payments
Coordinating bookings with a host agency
Keeping track of your bookings
Getting you commission
How much can I make?
Why become an outside rep?
Summary
Chapter
Eight: Getting Started
Defining yourself revisited
The best advice for beginners
Laying the groundwork
Creating a business name
Registering your business name
Business cards
Opening a business checking account
Complying with local ordinances
Complying with state laws
Lawyers
Customer files
The next step: office machines
Phones
Computers
Which computer
Printers
Software
Internet access
Internet service providers, why you might want to switch
Browsers
Faxes
Help is at hand
Join a professional organization
How to find a mentor
Learn about your product
Build a reference library
Use Internet resources
Summary
Chapter Nine: Getting Serious
Being professional
The naysayers
More on professional organizations
Getting the most out of meetings
Developing your product knowledge
Getting to know your preferred suppliers
Start educating yourself with brochures
Your continuing search for product knowledge
Maximizing your income
Booking with preferred suppliers
Bonuses, spiffs and special promotions
Contests and sweepstakes
Charging fees
Fees as gatekeepers
Collecting fees
Making the decision
Getting paid
Be systematic about tracking your commissions
Protecting youself
Getting 'street legal'
Credit cards
Other sensible precaustions
Disclaimers, disclosures and waivers
Insurance for the client
Insurance for the travel agent
Incorporation
Precaution or paranoia
The tax man cometh
The tax benefits (yes, benefits)
As your business evolves
Getting your own IATA number
Specializing
Automation
Automation alternatives
Specialized software
Switching or combining agencies
Joining a consortium
Your own web site
Summary
Chapter Ten: Straight Talk On Travel Industry Benefits
What is travel agent ID?
What are the benefits?
AD75 fares
First-class upgrades
Hotel discounts
Car rentals
Tours and cruises
Special in-house deals
What’s wrong with this picture?
The industry strikes back
Towards the IATAN card
Qualifying for travel benefits — really
Getting the IATAN card
Direct relationships with suppliers
Benefits for the beginner
Fam trips
Three types of fam: good, better, best
Getting on a fam
Fam trips are hard work
Summary
PART TWO:
Chapter Eleven: The Basics of Booking
Travel products
Some general notes on bookings
The Five-Step Booking Process
Step One:
Step Two:
Step Three:
Step Four:
Step Five:
The magic words
Summary
Chapter
Twelve: Booking Airlines
Is it worth it?
Airline tikets pay no commission
Airfare is a commodity
Airline tickets are complicated
Airline tickets are unforgiving
Airline tickets can be dangerous to your wealth
To automate or not
Which GDS
Automation alternatives
A final word on automating
Booking airlines with a GDS
Gathering information
Client Request Form
Notes on the Client Request Form
Misteaks can kill you (how to avoid them)
Researching available flights
Airline web sites
Online research secrets
Some final words on online research
Making the sale
What’s the best flight for the client?
Making the booking and confirming
Getting paid
Booking airlines without a GDS: nine options
Consolidators
Dealing with consolidators
Locating consolidators
"Air Piracy": Another way of charging fees
Summary
Chapter
Thirteen: Booking Hotels
Gathering information
Research
What to look for
Factors influencing your choice
Client preferences
Again, what’s in it for you?
Getting the best rate
Making the sale
Making the booking
Booking on the Internet
Booking on the phone
Information to give
Information to get
Relaying the booking
Getting paid
Hotel consolidators
Mondo condo
Foreign hotels
Hotel representatives
Booking direct
Voucher programs and packages
Summary
Chapter
Fourteen: Booking Rental Cars
Gathering information
Research
Factors influencing your choice
Making the sale
Making the booking
Booking on the Internet
Booking on the phone
Information to give
Information to get
Relaying the booking
Foreign car rentals
Getting paid
Summary
Chapter
Fifteen: Booking Tours & Packages
What is a ‘tour?’
The power of the package
Gathering information
Research
Brochures
What to look for
The fine print
Form of payment
Factors influencing your choice
Client preferences
Sensible precautions
Making the sale
Presenting the tour to the customer
‘Get the check’
Getting help
Making the booking
GDS and Internet bookings
Information to give
Information to get
Relaying bookings & getting documents
Getting paid
Summary
Chapter
Sixteen: Booking Cruises
Gathering information
Research
Picking the ‘perfect cruise’
Making the booking
Information to give
Information to get
Making the sale
Dealing with price resistance
Relaying bookings & getting documents
GDS and Internet bookings
Getting paid
Summary
PART
THREE:
Chapter
Seventeen: The Art & Science Of Selling
Avoiding the ‘screaming me-me’s’
Take a ‘you’ turn
The importance of goals
What ‘Part III’ is all about
Some general considerations
Chapter
Eighteen: Prospecting
Where to start prospecting
You know more people than you think
Other sources of prospects
How many prospects do I need?
What’s a customer worth?
The cyclical nature of prospecting
Managing your prospecting activity
Summary
Chapter
Nineteen: Spreading The News About Your Travel Business
Your business card
Defining your market
Learning about your market
Your first sales calls
Step One:
Step Two:
Step Three:
Step Four:
Direct mail marketing
Contacting friends
Contacting people you don’t know
Email marketing
Using email marketing
Summary
Chapter
Twenty: Qualifying
What is qualifying?
Why qualify?
Who’s qualified?
The importance of qualifying the situation
Asking qualifying questions
Handling stalls
Surveys and questionnaires
Conducting a travel survey
Using questionnaires
The Client Profile Form
Notes on the Client Profile Form
Chapter
Twenty-one: Presenting The Wonder Of Travel
Gathering information, developing needs
Features, functions, and benefits
The selling power of benefits
Choose specific benefits
Distinguishing features, functions, benefits
A presentation model
Step One:
Step Two:
Step Three:
Step Four:
The cost/value ratio
Visual aids and how to use them
Brochures
Videos and slide shows
Selling through visual imagery
The power of words
Summary
Chapter
Twenty-two: Handling Your Customers’ Concerns
The truth about customer concerns
Handling customer concerns
Step One:
Step Two:
Step Three:
Step Four:
Some additional points
Types of concerns
Answering customer concerns
Explain it away
Outweigh it
Feel-Felt-Found
‘I already have a travel agent’
Overcoming initial skepticism
Concerns about cost
The best way to handle cost concerns
Compared to what?
Cushioning the blow
Summary
Chapter
Twenty-three: Closing The Sale & Follow-Up
Building agreement with trial closes
Creating a sense of urgency
Asking for the check
The alternate-choice close
The direct close
The assumptive close
The booking-form close
Follow-up
Follow-up before the sale
Follow-up after the sale
Asking for referrals
Following up on what you’ve learned
How
To Choose A Host Agency
(Provided as an ebook in PDF format.)
Introduction
Who this report is for
What this report doesn’t cover
Why "instant’?
What is an outside agent?
Shopping for an agency
The four types of agencies
The worst-case scenario
A special note on referral agencies
About the listings
Host
Agency Listings
(nearly 100 agencies listed and profiled)
Additional
Contacts
(contact information on nearly 100 additional agencies)
A
Shopper’s Checklist
Information you absolutely must know about…
Qualifications
Start-up costs
Annual fees
Additional fees
Preferred suppliers
Commission splits and bonuses
Commission tracking and payment
Booking process
Delivery of tickets and documents
Training and support
Automation
Travel benefits
Signing up other agents
Independent contractor status
The contract
Checking out the agency
Checking out the situation
Special considerations for referral agencies
Agencies
At A Glance
Agencies cross-referenced by…
Location
Entry cost
Commissions
CRS / GDS system
How
To Get Your Own IATA Number
(or Other Unique Industry Identifier)
(Provided as an ebook in PDF format.)
Introduction
How do I get an IATA number?
Anatomy of a number
Numbers versus cards
Agencies versus agents
Why IATA numbers
Enter the cruise industry
Enter the home-based agent
Enter zero commissions
So what does all this mean to you?
The ‘New’ Numbers (and how to get them)
Option #1
Option #2
Option #3
Option #4
Option #5
Option #6
Option #7
Option #8
Option #9
Conclusion
I’ve got my number, now what?
Now I get my IATAN card, right?
A coming business boom?
The question of acceptance
Having more than one number
Do you really need one?
The
Travel Agent’s Complete Desk Reference
Introduction
PART
ONE: Airport, Airline, Country & Curency Codes
About the codes
Domestic airports
International airports
Airport codes
Airlines
Airline codes
Hotels & rental cars
Hotel & rental car codes
Countries & currencies
Country & currency codes
PART
TWO: Industry Contacts & Information Sources
Supplier contact numbers
Web sites for travel agents
Sources of tourist information: United States
Sources of tourist information: International
Consortiums
Travel Associations
PART
THREE: Reference Section & Bibliography
Time zones at a glance
Glossary of travel industry terms and abbreviations
Sources of additional information
TOP
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The
Intrepid Traveler
POB 531, Branford, CT 06405(203) 469-0214
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