TRAVEL AGENT THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE FOR ICs, OSRs & HOME-BASED TRAVEL AGENTS NOVEMBER 2013 The ART of Hey, come on in! Find out how to sell Holiday Travel in November! Selling Travel Check the Training Pages too! from HOME AN SMP TRAINING PUBLICATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS – IC NOVEMBER 2013 5 THINKING INSIDE THE BOX 8 HOLIDAY PROMOTIONS 12 FIRST LIGHT PROMO 14 HISTORY = SALES 16 AT HOME DRESS CODE 18 LOCAL STORE MARKETING Selling travel from home does 20 TOOLS: FIX IT not have to be a puzzle when you read IC! Find the host agency 21 NEW TOOLS that best suits your needs. 22 SELLING GROUPS 25 SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS TRUE SUPPORT FOR TRUE PROFESSIONALS 26 THE ABOUT YOU TAB 27 THE MARKETING MIND At Nexion Canada, we know that you are passionate about your travel business. So we provide you with the professional support and industry relationships you need to be more profi table and effi cient, 30 THE MEDIA RELEASE giving you the freedom to run your travel business the best way: your way. 33 THE TRAVEL CLUB / GROUP A full-service host agency combining decades of experience, Nexion Canada provides independent, 34 SELLING TRAVEL WITH STEVE Share your money making ideas Canadian-based travel professionals of all experience levels with: in IC and help your IC colleagues. 35 THAT’S NOT A NICHE! • • Your choice of up to 80% of commissions Your choice of up to 80% of commissions CONTACT Top commissions with leading air, cruise and land suppliers 38 NICHE: WOMEN ONLY Steve Crowhurst • • Top commissions with leading air, cruise and land suppliers Technology tools to better manage your business [email protected] • • Technology tools to better manage your business 39 BOOK SALES AND MORE 250-738-0064 • • Access to our exclusive point-and-click booking engine or through the Amadeus, Sabre or Galileo Access to our exclusive point-and-click booking engine or through the Amadeus, Sabre or Galileo www.ic-travelagent.com GDS systems 40 WEBCAM SHOOTS • • Training, coaching and networking opportunities Training, coaching and networking opportunities Publisher: • • Innovative marketing programs to grow your business Innovative marketing programs to grow your business 41 VIDEO PROMOTIONS SMP Training Co. • • Exclusive cruise block space and supplier offers Exclusive cruise block space and supplier offers www.smptraining.com 42 TRAINING PAGE: JUNGLES AND MIGRATIONS • • Lead generation for qualifi ed agents Lead generation for qualifi ed agents Vacation.com membership included at no additional charge! 43 TRAINING PAGE: HOW TO CREATE A GOOGLE ALERT Contributors • • Vacation.com membership included at no additional charge! Steve Crowhurst 44 TRAINING PAGE: A CURE FOR THE COMMON SOLD It’s time to join a family of professionals that truly supports your independent business dreams. IC TRAVEL AGENT is owned and published It’s time to join Nexion Canada. by Steve Crowhurst, SMP Training Co. All 45 PROSPECTING FROM HOME Rights Reserved. Protected by International Copyright Law. IC TRAVEL 47 WHAT’S SELLING TODAY? AGENT can be shared, forwarded, cut and pasted but not sold, resold or in anyway monetized. Using any images or content Contact us today to learn more about our growing family of travel professionals. 48 LET’S TALK TRAINING from IC TRAVEL AGENT must be sourced Visit www.Join.NexionCanada.com as follows: “Copyright SMP Training Co. www.smptraining.com” SMP Training Co. Email [email protected] 568 Country Club Drive, Qualicum Beach, BC, Canada, V9K-1G1 Note: Steve Call 866-399-9989 Crowhurst is not responsible for If it’s not yet 5pm where you live, you still have time to make one more outcomes based on how you interpret or call, close one more sale or send one more promotion! use the ideas in IC TRAVEL AGENT. T: 250-738-0064. MENTION THAT YOU SAW US IN IC AGENT MAGAZINE AND RECEIVE YOUR FIRST MONTH FREE! 10131503-Nexion_Ad.indd 1 10/29/13 2:18 PM
TABLE OF CONTENTS – IC NOVEMBER 2013 5 THINKING INSIDE THE BOX 8 HOLIDAY PROMOTIONS 12 FIRST LIGHT PROMO 14 HISTORY = SALES 16 AT HOME DRESS CODE 18 LOCAL STORE MARKETING Selling travel from home does 20 TOOLS: FIX IT not have to be a puzzle when you read IC! Find the host agency 21 NEW TOOLS that best suits your needs. 22 SELLING GROUPS 25 SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS TRUE SUPPORT FOR TRUE PROFESSIONALS 26 THE ABOUT YOU TAB 27 THE MARKETING MIND At Nexion Canada, we know that you are passionate about your travel business. So we provide you with the professional support and industry relationships you need to be more profi table and effi cient, 30 THE MEDIA RELEASE giving you the freedom to run your travel business the best way: your way. 33 THE TRAVEL CLUB / GROUP A full-service host agency combining decades of experience, Nexion Canada provides independent, 34 SELLING TRAVEL WITH STEVE Share your money making ideas Canadian-based travel professionals of all experience levels with: in IC and help your IC colleagues. 35 THAT’S NOT A NICHE! • • Your choice of up to 80% of commissions Your choice of up to 80% of commissions CONTACT Top commissions with leading air, cruise and land suppliers 38 NICHE: WOMEN ONLY Steve Crowhurst • • Top commissions with leading air, cruise and land suppliers Technology tools to better manage your business [email protected] • • Technology tools to better manage your business 39 BOOK SALES AND MORE 250-738-0064 • • Access to our exclusive point-and-click booking engine or through the Amadeus, Sabre or Galileo Access to our exclusive point-and-click booking engine or through the Amadeus, Sabre or Galileo www.ic-travelagent.com GDS systems 40 WEBCAM SHOOTS • • Training, coaching and networking opportunities Training, coaching and networking opportunities Publisher: • • Innovative marketing programs to grow your business Innovative marketing programs to grow your business 41 VIDEO PROMOTIONS SMP Training Co. • • Exclusive cruise block space and supplier offers Exclusive cruise block space and supplier offers www.smptraining.com 42 TRAINING PAGE: JUNGLES AND MIGRATIONS • • Lead generation for qualifi ed agents Lead generation for qualifi ed agents Vacation.com membership included at no additional charge! 43 TRAINING PAGE: HOW TO CREATE A GOOGLE ALERT Contributors • • Vacation.com membership included at no additional charge! Steve Crowhurst 44 TRAINING PAGE: A CURE FOR THE COMMON SOLD It’s time to join a family of professionals that truly supports your independent business dreams. IC TRAVEL AGENT is owned and published It’s time to join Nexion Canada. by Steve Crowhurst, SMP Training Co. All 45 PROSPECTING FROM HOME Rights Reserved. Protected by International Copyright Law. IC TRAVEL 47 WHAT’S SELLING TODAY? AGENT can be shared, forwarded, cut and pasted but not sold, resold or in anyway monetized. Using any images or content Contact us today to learn more about our growing family of travel professionals. 48 LET’S TALK TRAINING from IC TRAVEL AGENT must be sourced Visit www.Join.NexionCanada.com as follows: “Copyright SMP Training Co. www.smptraining.com” SMP Training Co. Email [email protected] 568 Country Club Drive, Qualicum Beach, BC, Canada, V9K-1G1 Note: Steve Call 866-399-9989 Crowhurst is not responsible for If it’s not yet 5pm where you live, you still have time to make one more outcomes based on how you interpret or call, close one more sale or send one more promotion! use the ideas in IC TRAVEL AGENT. T: 250-738-0064. MENTION THAT YOU SAW US IN IC AGENT MAGAZINE AND RECEIVE YOUR FIRST MONTH FREE! 10131503-Nexion_Ad.indd 1 10/29/13 2:18 PM
Steve Crowhurst, CTC, Publisher We’re OFF! What can I say other than thank you to everyone who “clicked” and opened the first issue of IC Travel Agent. You clicked, you shared and so the viral, play it forward, Be Sure to Share basis of IC Travel Agent is being realized. We received congratulations from Gary Fee, President of OSSN, Dwain Wall, Senior VP of CruiseOne and many trade friends and colleagues. With that response, we can carry on and keep the ideas and new business generation ideas flowing. As you realized, IC Travel Agent does not deliver trade news, gossip or destination information – we leave that to the well-known trade papers that do - a list can be found on the IC Travel Agent website here. One of my favourite topics to train on and it’s much easier than thinking outside It’s November which is always a big month in travel sales IF you are into selling holiday vacations the box. Thinking INSIDE the Box for a home-based travel seller is where tools or vacations around holiday dates. The BIG one is coming soon and that would be Christmas. You and creativity come together. You just have to know what those tools are. and or your clients may celebrate a different holiday and that’s all good. You can still use the ideas offered here to generate sales around the holiday dates of your preferred religion. Another date to factor into your marketing plan is New Year’s Day. More than a few clients will Before we get to those tools let’s quickly Conversely the SMP model, Thinking INSIDE be looking for hangover cures, others, with your help, will be hanging out somewhere in the explore the Thinking OUTSIDE the Box the Box, makes use of the existing tools and world to witness the dawning of the New Year, 2014. Look for that page (First Light) in this issue model. The phrase is a metaphor that means talents and here’s the key point: hardly any – it’s a promotional idea that you can use each year. to think differently, unconventionally, or company makes use of all the tools and from a new perspective. This phrase often talent at their disposal. It’s true. When you Our unique Training Pages deliver short, sharp and narrated PowerPoint presentations that are refers to creative thinking, however it is ponder this for yourself, go back in time to saved and played in the YouTube format. Be sure to click and watch them all. overused by management consultants and when you worked for someone else, you will senior management and an activity that can know that management hardly listened to Enjoy the second issue of IC Travel Agent. Continue to share it with your home-based travel cost you an arm and a leg whether the plan the talent they had hired. Employees gave colleagues and host agency management team. Let us know what you need. goes well or not. Thinking OUTSIDE is often up ideas that never made it to the discussion taken literally and interpreted to mean table. It’s just one of those things inherent in Here’s to your continued success! buying talent, new equipment and even corporate life. So you learn from this expanding the premises. You get the picture. OUTSIDE the box thinking and you go INSIDE Best regards. Very few companies or individuals think to find the gems. Let’s take a look inside that Steve Crowhurst, CTC outside the box without spending money. box that you have access to. [email protected] www.ic-travelagent.com Page 4 Page 5
Steve Crowhurst, CTC, Publisher We’re OFF! What can I say other than thank you to everyone who “clicked” and opened the first issue of IC Travel Agent. You clicked, you shared and so the viral, play it forward, Be Sure to Share basis of IC Travel Agent is being realized. We received congratulations from Gary Fee, President of OSSN, Dwain Wall, Senior VP of CruiseOne and many trade friends and colleagues. With that response, we can carry on and keep the ideas and new business generation ideas flowing. As you realized, IC Travel Agent does not deliver trade news, gossip or destination information – we leave that to the well-known trade papers that do - a list can be found on the IC Travel Agent website here. One of my favourite topics to train on and it’s much easier than thinking outside It’s November which is always a big month in travel sales IF you are into selling holiday vacations the box. Thinking INSIDE the Box for a home-based travel seller is where tools or vacations around holiday dates. The BIG one is coming soon and that would be Christmas. You and creativity come together. You just have to know what those tools are. and or your clients may celebrate a different holiday and that’s all good. You can still use the ideas offered here to generate sales around the holiday dates of your preferred religion. Another date to factor into your marketing plan is New Year’s Day. More than a few clients will Before we get to those tools let’s quickly Conversely the SMP model, Thinking INSIDE be looking for hangover cures, others, with your help, will be hanging out somewhere in the explore the Thinking OUTSIDE the Box the Box, makes use of the existing tools and world to witness the dawning of the New Year, 2014. Look for that page (First Light) in this issue model. The phrase is a metaphor that means talents and here’s the key point: hardly any – it’s a promotional idea that you can use each year. to think differently, unconventionally, or company makes use of all the tools and from a new perspective. This phrase often talent at their disposal. It’s true. When you Our unique Training Pages deliver short, sharp and narrated PowerPoint presentations that are refers to creative thinking, however it is ponder this for yourself, go back in time to saved and played in the YouTube format. Be sure to click and watch them all. overused by management consultants and when you worked for someone else, you will senior management and an activity that can know that management hardly listened to Enjoy the second issue of IC Travel Agent. Continue to share it with your home-based travel cost you an arm and a leg whether the plan the talent they had hired. Employees gave colleagues and host agency management team. Let us know what you need. goes well or not. Thinking OUTSIDE is often up ideas that never made it to the discussion taken literally and interpreted to mean table. It’s just one of those things inherent in Here’s to your continued success! buying talent, new equipment and even corporate life. So you learn from this expanding the premises. You get the picture. OUTSIDE the box thinking and you go INSIDE Best regards. Very few companies or individuals think to find the gems. Let’s take a look inside that Steve Crowhurst, CTC outside the box without spending money. box that you have access to. [email protected] www.ic-travelagent.com Page 4 Page 5
Thinking INSIDE the Box means to know and yours to use, IF you intend to sell the brand Here is the description of your decision-making headings: to use as is, change to suit, blend, update, that owns the tools. turn to a new use the tools you currently SUBSTITUTE: Replace your current sales / product WHO: Helps you identify individuals and groups own, the tools of your host agency, How are we doing? Do you see in your own focus with something else. who might be prospects for your travel idea or those who can help you i.e. suppliers, colleagues association, your suppliers, and your own mind how large this box is? Are you aware of COMBINE: Consider how a combination of etc. talents. Your box is jam packed with “stuff” all the tools in this box? Do you know the products / strategies might boost sales. and we haven’t even tapped the combined skills and talents of your colleagues, of the WHAT: Helps identify all the things involved in this knowledge as yet of everyone on your HQ team, of your supplier BDMs, of your ADAPT: Change some part of your marketing action: the requirements, difficulties, rewards, “team”. Your team includes you of course, host’s BDMs? strategy to include / exclude social media, old read tape, numbers, specifications… plus each and every colleague in your group, media. WHEN: Schedules, dates, durations, start times, franchise, consortium, host, friends and The bells are ringing I know. They always do. MODIFY: Revise the attributes of your sales- milestones, checklists… social connections. So far not a new dollar You’re thinking to yourself, “Holy bookings, marketing-business plan. invested. That is a huge library of knowledge how can I ever get to know about and use all WHERE: Places, locations, focal points, that’s available whenever you need it. Your of these tools?” What a nice challenge to PURPOSE: Think about what your promotion is departments, processes… “cost” would be an email or a phone call. have. So many money making tools at your supposed to do. Refocus, repurpose. WHY: Helps identify the understanding and disposal and no time to use them all. What ELIMINATE: Remove elements of your plan that reasoning behind the action. Next we check out the tools that your host you do is first make a list. List each and every reduce sales / marketing functionality. agency provides and generally we’re talking tool in the box and make sure you know HOW: Identifies how the situation developed, about marketing know-how, plans and where to find them and how to use them. REARRANGE: Change directions. Recreate. Turn it actions taken, to be taken, steps for success, activities that are happening whether you Once that list is completed, you can analyze upside-down, inside-out. Reverse it, modify the process, implementation… partake or not. Your preferred suppliers also how you will use them, or not. To help you order of operations or any other hierarchy have dozens of tools in their box, and you are analyze the changes you might invoke, let involved. always invited to play with them. They are me introduce this decision making grid. Next Step: Decide what your sales or marketing challenge is. Review each W5 heading and make THE SMP THINKING INSIDE THE BOX MODEL your notes such as WHO is involved (clients, suppliers, staff) then continue on to WHAT and through to HOW. The next step in the process is to review your W5 notes as you apply each of the SCAMPER headings. WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY HOW SUBSTITUTE Questions that pop up might be: should you substitute one brand for another, should you examine the purpose of your promotion – is it to drive sales by email or drive prospects to your COMBINE website? Could you, should you combine this promotion with another? Using this decision making model is not a quick win. It will take an hour or two for you think through each ADAPT combination. The outcome will be worth it and you will be more than confident that you have Type in your challenge here and apply indeed been thorough in reviewing your idea or plan, noting the upsides and the downsides. You MODIFY the W5-SCAMPER model to your are good to go. If in doubt, ask a colleague to review your work with you. thinking, planning and revamping. PURPOSE The end result will be a page full of ideas that you must then prioritize and re-write into a doable timeline. Thinking INSIDE the box will become second nature and you will speed up. Better if you ELIMINATE can work with a colleague to bounce the ideas around, to question them, and then decide on your plan. REARRANGE If you have any questions about using this grid you can contact me here. Page 6 Page 7
Thinking INSIDE the Box means to know and yours to use, IF you intend to sell the brand Here is the description of your decision-making headings: to use as is, change to suit, blend, update, that owns the tools. turn to a new use the tools you currently SUBSTITUTE: Replace your current sales / product WHO: Helps you identify individuals and groups own, the tools of your host agency, How are we doing? Do you see in your own focus with something else. who might be prospects for your travel idea or those who can help you i.e. suppliers, colleagues association, your suppliers, and your own mind how large this box is? Are you aware of COMBINE: Consider how a combination of etc. talents. Your box is jam packed with “stuff” all the tools in this box? Do you know the products / strategies might boost sales. and we haven’t even tapped the combined skills and talents of your colleagues, of the WHAT: Helps identify all the things involved in this knowledge as yet of everyone on your HQ team, of your supplier BDMs, of your ADAPT: Change some part of your marketing action: the requirements, difficulties, rewards, “team”. Your team includes you of course, host’s BDMs? strategy to include / exclude social media, old read tape, numbers, specifications… plus each and every colleague in your group, media. WHEN: Schedules, dates, durations, start times, franchise, consortium, host, friends and The bells are ringing I know. They always do. MODIFY: Revise the attributes of your sales- milestones, checklists… social connections. So far not a new dollar You’re thinking to yourself, “Holy bookings, marketing-business plan. invested. That is a huge library of knowledge how can I ever get to know about and use all WHERE: Places, locations, focal points, that’s available whenever you need it. Your of these tools?” What a nice challenge to PURPOSE: Think about what your promotion is departments, processes… “cost” would be an email or a phone call. have. So many money making tools at your supposed to do. Refocus, repurpose. WHY: Helps identify the understanding and disposal and no time to use them all. What ELIMINATE: Remove elements of your plan that reasoning behind the action. Next we check out the tools that your host you do is first make a list. List each and every reduce sales / marketing functionality. agency provides and generally we’re talking tool in the box and make sure you know HOW: Identifies how the situation developed, about marketing know-how, plans and where to find them and how to use them. REARRANGE: Change directions. Recreate. Turn it actions taken, to be taken, steps for success, activities that are happening whether you Once that list is completed, you can analyze upside-down, inside-out. Reverse it, modify the process, implementation… partake or not. Your preferred suppliers also how you will use them, or not. To help you order of operations or any other hierarchy have dozens of tools in their box, and you are analyze the changes you might invoke, let involved. always invited to play with them. They are me introduce this decision making grid. Next Step: Decide what your sales or marketing challenge is. Review each W5 heading and make THE SMP THINKING INSIDE THE BOX MODEL your notes such as WHO is involved (clients, suppliers, staff) then continue on to WHAT and through to HOW. The next step in the process is to review your W5 notes as you apply each of the SCAMPER headings. WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY HOW SUBSTITUTE Questions that pop up might be: should you substitute one brand for another, should you examine the purpose of your promotion – is it to drive sales by email or drive prospects to your COMBINE website? Could you, should you combine this promotion with another? Using this decision making model is not a quick win. It will take an hour or two for you think through each ADAPT combination. The outcome will be worth it and you will be more than confident that you have Type in your challenge here and apply indeed been thorough in reviewing your idea or plan, noting the upsides and the downsides. You MODIFY the W5-SCAMPER model to your are good to go. If in doubt, ask a colleague to review your work with you. thinking, planning and revamping. PURPOSE The end result will be a page full of ideas that you must then prioritize and re-write into a doable timeline. Thinking INSIDE the box will become second nature and you will speed up. Better if you ELIMINATE can work with a colleague to bounce the ideas around, to question them, and then decide on your plan. REARRANGE If you have any questions about using this grid you can contact me here. Page 6 Page 7
Holiday Promotions Every religion celebrates a special day and with 4,200 religions in the world… some of those days will double up. The graph below is very important to you as it presents statistics you may want to review directly on the Adherent website: www.adherents.com. It would pay you dividends to know the preferred religion of your clients as this knowledge would prevent the wrong promotion going to the wrong people. Coming up is one of the biggest holidays around the world. It was once call Christmas and somehow morphed to The Festive Season and The Holiday Season, The Holidays. Leaving all that politically correct Hi, you know who I am. Everyone does. Well verbiage to one side – for many, the perhaps not everyone, but still, when my face dates around December 24 through appears, people take notice. So use my mug st to January 1 are prime travel days. shot in your holiday travel promotions and You can take advantage of this fact use the word PACKAGED too. by creating any number of promotions. Here’s a couple that Here’s a great tagline… “I’ve added a new might work for you. KLAUSE to my marketing plan this year which clearly states that all my clients are to enjoy the holidays!” Everybody loves a holiday: holidays but to head to the beach, the shows, the No matter what faith or religion, believer, non- mountains… wherever it is – it’s last minute. believer – when it comes to a day off the Even better if you have a product you can offer Now, to save you the time and trouble I know your collective human race are up for it. Keep that in to start the engagement process. preferred suppliers have already pre-packaged a selection mind. of wonderful holiday getaways. Just what your clients should put under their own tree – for their family, friends and yes, December 25 is a day to travel: for themselves, too. Most holiday travellers want to be at the table for that Christmas dinner. That means they So get busy. Get hustling. Use November to set up your December travel a few days before. This also means that sales and then both spring and summer. Start the ball rolling and keep generally on Christmas Day there are seats open it fun-loving and entertaining and you’ll attract not only your existing to many destinations subject to local weather conditions, strikes and anything else that might clients but also new customers too. prevent business as usual. PROMOTE: GIVE THE GIFT OF TRAVEL THIS YEAR! Sell December in November: Use this month, the month of November to capture those last minute bookings from people that have just decided not to go home for the Page 8 Page 9
Holiday Promotions Every religion celebrates a special day and with 4,200 religions in the world… some of those days will double up. The graph below is very important to you as it presents statistics you may want to review directly on the Adherent website: www.adherents.com. It would pay you dividends to know the preferred religion of your clients as this knowledge would prevent the wrong promotion going to the wrong people. Coming up is one of the biggest holidays around the world. It was once call Christmas and somehow morphed to The Festive Season and The Holiday Season, The Holidays. Leaving all that politically correct Hi, you know who I am. Everyone does. Well verbiage to one side – for many, the perhaps not everyone, but still, when my face dates around December 24 through appears, people take notice. So use my mug st to January 1 are prime travel days. shot in your holiday travel promotions and You can take advantage of this fact use the word PACKAGED too. by creating any number of promotions. Here’s a couple that Here’s a great tagline… “I’ve added a new might work for you. KLAUSE to my marketing plan this year which clearly states that all my clients are to enjoy the holidays!” Everybody loves a holiday: holidays but to head to the beach, the shows, the No matter what faith or religion, believer, non- mountains… wherever it is – it’s last minute. believer – when it comes to a day off the Even better if you have a product you can offer Now, to save you the time and trouble I know your collective human race are up for it. Keep that in to start the engagement process. preferred suppliers have already pre-packaged a selection mind. of wonderful holiday getaways. Just what your clients should put under their own tree – for their family, friends and yes, December 25 is a day to travel: for themselves, too. Most holiday travellers want to be at the table for that Christmas dinner. That means they So get busy. Get hustling. Use November to set up your December travel a few days before. This also means that sales and then both spring and summer. Start the ball rolling and keep generally on Christmas Day there are seats open it fun-loving and entertaining and you’ll attract not only your existing to many destinations subject to local weather conditions, strikes and anything else that might clients but also new customers too. prevent business as usual. PROMOTE: GIVE THE GIFT OF TRAVEL THIS YEAR! Sell December in November: Use this month, the month of November to capture those last minute bookings from people that have just decided not to go home for the Page 8 Page 9
Give the GIFT of Travel Religious Tours The Christmas Fair Vacation ideas are found online at your supplier’s The Gift of Travel is something parents can As you will know Religious Vacations, Faith Now this is a dream come true. This type of websites, in their newsletters and in their give to their children: teenagers, college Based Travel, Spiritual Tours are selling and vacation might be a planned event or a spur 2014 brochures. students, newly married… travel is a gift that selling well. of the moment decision which is the topic meets the needs for everyone. Yes, kids can right here. Beach holidays are always a winner during send Mum and Dad on a well deserved You can promote religious vacations based the winter time. weekender or a 7-day cruise. There is no on your own faith and if you have not yet The European Christmas Markets start at the limit to who can give and to whom. found one, then you can promote any and all end of November and continue into Packaged vacations are always the way to go faiths. Throwing the net wide is a plan. December. Your faith based or Christmas for mass market promotions, however an FIT Why not create a gift certificate yourself or season loving clients can zip over to Europe arrangement allows you to charge more for borrow one from your suppliers and use that There are tours for any and all faiths who enjoy the delights of small towns and villages your customization and planning fees. as your promotional tool? want to experience the historic places and and shop for original hand made goods to events of a religion not their own. So a bring home and place under the tree for Cruising is an obvious mass market, year Christian tour of Muslim worlds to view their friends and family. round vacation that should be top of your Mosques instead of churches and vice versa. list. Here’s a full list of cruises upping anchor You get the idea. It’s a multi, all-faith tour. Here’s one link to view for Germany: over the festive season: http://www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk/ http://www.christmasnewyearcruises.com/christm as-cruises-xmas/ The best time to promote your religious tours would be just after the Christmas This link offers ten European markets: The above link is like gold. Save it, add it to holidays and you could also wait for the New http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hubs/christma your favourites, bookmark it… even print it Year to pass – then you’d have most people’s stravelguide/6550280/Christmas-markets-ten-of- out should your computer crash. Always a Europes-best.html undivided attention. They are still in holiday good thing to print out the full and Search online for gift certificate templates, mood… the decorations, if they went up, One of my favourite places to visit and complete links / URLS of your top websites. download the ones you like and then print at don’t come down until 12 days after, and so wander around is Prague and they too have home on thick quality card. your repetitive promotions will take hold. their Christmas Market held in The Old Town Square. Most European Christmas markets The gift you are going to give yourself Here’s the link to Office.com templates: If you know the faith of your clients, you are centuries old – some dating from the 13 th this holiday season is a huge http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/templates/christmas- might even send out a stocking stuffer that is gift-certificate-christmas-spirit-design-TC103982379.aspx century. commission cheque. Right? You bet. based on a special offer your preferred faith based supplier is offering. An example is shown below: The Adventurous Faith Based Tour Almost forgot ski Have you ever stood on top of a mountain vacations! and looked out at sunrise taking in the First Yup winter is coming, Light of the new day? If you have you will both here and ‘there’… know first hand that what you saw could be get the girls together and claimed as a religious experience. get them out-of-town! Standing anywhere that is of a spiritual So now you clearly have many choices as to Now it’s up to you. nature can be classed as a religious which seasonal, holiday or religious based experience. There are adventures to many promotion to use. Time is of the essence as Make it happen. November is a prime selling parts of the world that offer this experience. November is here. Of course if you yourself month and it can kick start your entire New do not partake of a religion then you can Year’s marketing plan. Stay focused. Keep focus strictly on what makes sense to sell the faith. over the holiday season and most of those Page 10 Page 11
Give the GIFT of Travel Religious Tours The Christmas Fair Vacation ideas are found online at your supplier’s The Gift of Travel is something parents can As you will know Religious Vacations, Faith Now this is a dream come true. This type of websites, in their newsletters and in their give to their children: teenagers, college Based Travel, Spiritual Tours are selling and vacation might be a planned event or a spur 2014 brochures. students, newly married… travel is a gift that selling well. of the moment decision which is the topic meets the needs for everyone. Yes, kids can right here. Beach holidays are always a winner during send Mum and Dad on a well deserved You can promote religious vacations based the winter time. weekender or a 7-day cruise. There is no on your own faith and if you have not yet The European Christmas Markets start at the limit to who can give and to whom. found one, then you can promote any and all end of November and continue into Packaged vacations are always the way to go faiths. Throwing the net wide is a plan. December. Your faith based or Christmas for mass market promotions, however an FIT Why not create a gift certificate yourself or season loving clients can zip over to Europe arrangement allows you to charge more for borrow one from your suppliers and use that There are tours for any and all faiths who enjoy the delights of small towns and villages your customization and planning fees. as your promotional tool? want to experience the historic places and and shop for original hand made goods to events of a religion not their own. So a bring home and place under the tree for Cruising is an obvious mass market, year Christian tour of Muslim worlds to view their friends and family. round vacation that should be top of your Mosques instead of churches and vice versa. list. Here’s a full list of cruises upping anchor You get the idea. It’s a multi, all-faith tour. Here’s one link to view for Germany: over the festive season: http://www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk/ http://www.christmasnewyearcruises.com/christm as-cruises-xmas/ The best time to promote your religious tours would be just after the Christmas This link offers ten European markets: The above link is like gold. Save it, add it to holidays and you could also wait for the New http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hubs/christma your favourites, bookmark it… even print it Year to pass – then you’d have most people’s stravelguide/6550280/Christmas-markets-ten-of- out should your computer crash. Always a Europes-best.html undivided attention. They are still in holiday good thing to print out the full and Search online for gift certificate templates, mood… the decorations, if they went up, One of my favourite places to visit and complete links / URLS of your top websites. download the ones you like and then print at don’t come down until 12 days after, and so wander around is Prague and they too have home on thick quality card. your repetitive promotions will take hold. their Christmas Market held in The Old Town Square. Most European Christmas markets The gift you are going to give yourself Here’s the link to Office.com templates: If you know the faith of your clients, you are centuries old – some dating from the 13 th this holiday season is a huge http://office.microsoft.com/en-ca/templates/christmas- might even send out a stocking stuffer that is gift-certificate-christmas-spirit-design-TC103982379.aspx century. commission cheque. Right? You bet. based on a special offer your preferred faith based supplier is offering. An example is shown below: The Adventurous Faith Based Tour Almost forgot ski Have you ever stood on top of a mountain vacations! and looked out at sunrise taking in the First Yup winter is coming, Light of the new day? If you have you will both here and ‘there’… know first hand that what you saw could be get the girls together and claimed as a religious experience. get them out-of-town! Standing anywhere that is of a spiritual So now you clearly have many choices as to Now it’s up to you. nature can be classed as a religious which seasonal, holiday or religious based experience. There are adventures to many promotion to use. Time is of the essence as Make it happen. November is a prime selling parts of the world that offer this experience. November is here. Of course if you yourself month and it can kick start your entire New do not partake of a religion then you can Year’s marketing plan. Stay focused. Keep focus strictly on what makes sense to sell the faith. over the holiday season and most of those Page 10 Page 11
First Light Promo It’s what every traveller wants to see at the dawning of the first day of the New Year. They want to witness the FIRST LIGHT. The sun will rise and its rays will strike mountain tops first. Which mountain top is the key to the promotion. What You Need To Know Make It An Adventure – Which It Is Each day the sun sweeps across the Pacific You could arrange for your clients to be and until recently Mt. Hikurangi, (the highest anywhere to witness the dawning of any peak (1754 metres) in the rugged day. The key question is: what does that Raukumara Range, in the North Island of dawning represent? The New Year promo’ New Zeland), was recognized as the first offers the first light of the first day of the point on the New Zealand mainland and the New Year. rest of the world to greet the morning sun. That position has now been assumed by If you are new to selling travel and using Fakaofo. The sun will world events as a promotional tool, you can rise over Fakaofo imagine the interest to be somewhere First Light at sea level can be a over an hour before memorable when the millennium year 2000 New Zealand and the clicked in. There were special cruises and wonderful experience, too. reason is: Fakaofo tours and yes, hikes up to the highest points moved itself across on the planet – Everest being one. Imagine the date line so it the interest in witnessing the dawning of could do business 2100 - it’s only 87 years away! You could sell with New Zealand the First Light of every New Year between during their business now and then. hours. With only 2 months to go it’s might be late in Mt. Hikurangi still rates as #1 for this the day to arrange a First Light 2014 other promotion. If your clients are not wanting to than a local event. Choose your highest travel to New Zealand that’s okay. All you peak. If that means snow make it a First Light have to do is find the highest point in your ski promo. If you support an association - local area, state, province, territory, country, breast cancer for instance, use the First Light region and make contact with the tourist idea as an awareness program. Build a bodies in charge to arrange the trek. group, generate commissions and share them with the cancer group you support. Tuning In To All Things Spiritual Ah the magic word – spiritual. Everyone Now you know what seeing the light is all wants a piece of it and so do you. It’s a key about. This is an annual event. Work with word for this promotion. Let your clients your colleagues and your HOST agency HQ decide on what is and what isn’t – all you and a preferred supplier and Be Sure to have to do is promote the First Light idea. Share. Page 12 Page 13
First Light Promo It’s what every traveller wants to see at the dawning of the first day of the New Year. They want to witness the FIRST LIGHT. The sun will rise and its rays will strike mountain tops first. Which mountain top is the key to the promotion. What You Need To Know Make It An Adventure – Which It Is Each day the sun sweeps across the Pacific You could arrange for your clients to be and until recently Mt. Hikurangi, (the highest anywhere to witness the dawning of any peak (1754 metres) in the rugged day. The key question is: what does that Raukumara Range, in the North Island of dawning represent? The New Year promo’ New Zeland), was recognized as the first offers the first light of the first day of the point on the New Zealand mainland and the New Year. rest of the world to greet the morning sun. That position has now been assumed by If you are new to selling travel and using Fakaofo. The sun will world events as a promotional tool, you can rise over Fakaofo imagine the interest to be somewhere First Light at sea level can be a over an hour before memorable when the millennium year 2000 New Zealand and the clicked in. There were special cruises and wonderful experience, too. reason is: Fakaofo tours and yes, hikes up to the highest points moved itself across on the planet – Everest being one. Imagine the date line so it the interest in witnessing the dawning of could do business 2100 - it’s only 87 years away! You could sell with New Zealand the First Light of every New Year between during their business now and then. hours. With only 2 months to go it’s might be late in Mt. Hikurangi still rates as #1 for this the day to arrange a First Light 2014 other promotion. If your clients are not wanting to than a local event. Choose your highest travel to New Zealand that’s okay. All you peak. If that means snow make it a First Light have to do is find the highest point in your ski promo. If you support an association - local area, state, province, territory, country, breast cancer for instance, use the First Light region and make contact with the tourist idea as an awareness program. Build a bodies in charge to arrange the trek. group, generate commissions and share them with the cancer group you support. Tuning In To All Things Spiritual Ah the magic word – spiritual. Everyone Now you know what seeing the light is all wants a piece of it and so do you. It’s a key about. This is an annual event. Work with word for this promotion. Let your clients your colleagues and your HOST agency HQ decide on what is and what isn’t – all you and a preferred supplier and Be Sure to have to do is promote the First Light idea. Share. Page 12 Page 13
History = Sales History Within Your Own Lifetime 3. When the next terror attack happens overseas from wherever you live – you Whether you realize it or not, you are sell vacations at home. witnessing history as each day passes. Some take note and others let it go. In this industry You’ve heard the phrase “history repeats itself” I’m sure. The fact that it does is you note outcomes of certain events and Studying the weather each day can pay off. great news for home-based travel agents. History is the doorway to sales in more you lock that knowledge away. When you It’s as simple as subscribing to a variety of ways than one. The history you don’t want repeated are the world wars and your need it, you can access your own memory or apps or websites that track storms, worst marketing campaign! Let’s explore how other historical events can help you your documented account of the outcome. earthquakes, etc. I can recall one travel agent who had a group tour heading off to generate more business. In recent months and over a couple of years Hawaii the next day and he had not paid there have been horrific events at sea and attention to the weather reports and even the cruise industry has taken a hit on all the the day before departure he was not aware For the purpose of using history to sell more can imagine. Now those were gutsy women mass media news channels. Weather that the resort hotel in Kauai had been travel here are the topics you should study: that travelled and no mistake. patterns have changed, seasons have washed away. That happened in 1992. moved, storms are stronger. Airlines have (September 1992: Hurricane Iniki caused more 1. History of exploration History of the World merged. New technology allows you to be in damage than any other hurricane to affect Hawaiʻi 2. History of the world in general There have been terrible wars, battles, strife, the know within seconds. There are now five since records began. It hit the island of Kauai as a Category 4 on September 11. Iniki caused almost $2 3. History of the retail travel trade kings, queens, biblical events, plagues, and screens to factor into your marketing plan. billion in damage, mainly to Kauai). From that one 4. History within your lifetime more that have been turned into books and Social media is a winner for some businesses event 21 years ago, I learned to constantly movies and if you study these events and but not all as consumers are tiring of the check the weather based on tours departing History of Exploration learn from them – each one offers you a constant social media promotions. from my own home town to the destinations As you will know, before us went those brave niche market to trade on. There is a classic I was selling. men and eventually women (when they statement: From strife comes opportunity. were “allowed”) who explored the jungle, This is so true especially as events reach an As a professional you would have the ability Putting It All Together deserts, rivers, valleys and mountains to anniversary. WW1 and WW2 as you know to mash together all of this historical Knowing historical patterns will make you pave the way for whoever was set to follow. have their own Battlefield Tours that attract knowledge, blend it with what’s happening money and save you money too. Whatever Their excursions into the unknown has sons and daughters to witness where Dad or currently and within seconds know your your niche might be, delve into the history of presented to you a glorious past that so Granddad fought and perhaps died. marketing path and your sales opportunity. it. There is always something else you can many of your clients hanker after. Today, find that will expand your niche, adding people like you and me want to stand on the History of the Retail Travel Trade Success therefore in the retail travel industry another saleable component to it. edge of that cliff and imagine how it must Shame to say that very few new home based is based on how well you can look back on have felt to be the first person (other than agents study the roots of their new industry. your own experiences, your own travels, add Current reality shows such as Who Do You the native peoples who already knew “it” Doing so will give you an advantage over to them what you have learned from the Think You Are? and Genealogy Roadshow was there!) to witness the view. those who know nothing. In the history of recent past to what happened centuries ago. offer a new revenue source. Once a family the retail travel trade we have had our own learns their history they are bound to travel Thank goodness these historical events were adventurers and explorers. You can learn For instance, from my experience: ‘there’ where their ancestors came from. written down, photographed too. Any one from their past failures and successes. 1. When the next cruise catastrophe Many hail from overseas, meaning long haul book can present you with the itinerary for Remember history often repeats itself. Over happens, you switch to marketing air trips to be sold. You might even become a your next exotic adventure tour. You can time you would know that whoever tries to travel. Genealogist Travel Agent – discovering your find such books printed as large coffee table sell tickets to the Olympics, loses his or her client’s past and booking their trip, too. editions at your favourite book store. shirt so you are never enticed by such 2. When the next air disaster happens, you History does deliver Sales. Believe it. It’s potential gold mines. Study the history of market land-based vacations. 100% true. If you want to be unique you might want to Thomas Cook & Son and you will gain investigate the women who actually made it valuable insight and knowledge you can use out into the wilds in full Victorian dress if you today. Page 14 Page 15
History = Sales History Within Your Own Lifetime 3. When the next terror attack happens overseas from wherever you live – you Whether you realize it or not, you are sell vacations at home. witnessing history as each day passes. Some take note and others let it go. In this industry You’ve heard the phrase “history repeats itself” I’m sure. The fact that it does is you note outcomes of certain events and Studying the weather each day can pay off. great news for home-based travel agents. History is the doorway to sales in more you lock that knowledge away. When you It’s as simple as subscribing to a variety of ways than one. The history you don’t want repeated are the world wars and your need it, you can access your own memory or apps or websites that track storms, worst marketing campaign! Let’s explore how other historical events can help you your documented account of the outcome. earthquakes, etc. I can recall one travel agent who had a group tour heading off to generate more business. In recent months and over a couple of years Hawaii the next day and he had not paid there have been horrific events at sea and attention to the weather reports and even the cruise industry has taken a hit on all the the day before departure he was not aware For the purpose of using history to sell more can imagine. Now those were gutsy women mass media news channels. Weather that the resort hotel in Kauai had been travel here are the topics you should study: that travelled and no mistake. patterns have changed, seasons have washed away. That happened in 1992. moved, storms are stronger. Airlines have (September 1992: Hurricane Iniki caused more 1. History of exploration History of the World merged. New technology allows you to be in damage than any other hurricane to affect Hawaiʻi 2. History of the world in general There have been terrible wars, battles, strife, the know within seconds. There are now five since records began. It hit the island of Kauai as a Category 4 on September 11. Iniki caused almost $2 3. History of the retail travel trade kings, queens, biblical events, plagues, and screens to factor into your marketing plan. billion in damage, mainly to Kauai). From that one 4. History within your lifetime more that have been turned into books and Social media is a winner for some businesses event 21 years ago, I learned to constantly movies and if you study these events and but not all as consumers are tiring of the check the weather based on tours departing History of Exploration learn from them – each one offers you a constant social media promotions. from my own home town to the destinations As you will know, before us went those brave niche market to trade on. There is a classic I was selling. men and eventually women (when they statement: From strife comes opportunity. were “allowed”) who explored the jungle, This is so true especially as events reach an As a professional you would have the ability Putting It All Together deserts, rivers, valleys and mountains to anniversary. WW1 and WW2 as you know to mash together all of this historical Knowing historical patterns will make you pave the way for whoever was set to follow. have their own Battlefield Tours that attract knowledge, blend it with what’s happening money and save you money too. Whatever Their excursions into the unknown has sons and daughters to witness where Dad or currently and within seconds know your your niche might be, delve into the history of presented to you a glorious past that so Granddad fought and perhaps died. marketing path and your sales opportunity. it. There is always something else you can many of your clients hanker after. Today, find that will expand your niche, adding people like you and me want to stand on the History of the Retail Travel Trade Success therefore in the retail travel industry another saleable component to it. edge of that cliff and imagine how it must Shame to say that very few new home based is based on how well you can look back on have felt to be the first person (other than agents study the roots of their new industry. your own experiences, your own travels, add Current reality shows such as Who Do You the native peoples who already knew “it” Doing so will give you an advantage over to them what you have learned from the Think You Are? and Genealogy Roadshow was there!) to witness the view. those who know nothing. In the history of recent past to what happened centuries ago. offer a new revenue source. Once a family the retail travel trade we have had our own learns their history they are bound to travel Thank goodness these historical events were adventurers and explorers. You can learn For instance, from my experience: ‘there’ where their ancestors came from. written down, photographed too. Any one from their past failures and successes. 1. When the next cruise catastrophe Many hail from overseas, meaning long haul book can present you with the itinerary for Remember history often repeats itself. Over happens, you switch to marketing air trips to be sold. You might even become a your next exotic adventure tour. You can time you would know that whoever tries to travel. Genealogist Travel Agent – discovering your find such books printed as large coffee table sell tickets to the Olympics, loses his or her client’s past and booking their trip, too. editions at your favourite book store. shirt so you are never enticed by such 2. When the next air disaster happens, you History does deliver Sales. Believe it. It’s potential gold mines. Study the history of market land-based vacations. 100% true. If you want to be unique you might want to Thomas Cook & Son and you will gain investigate the women who actually made it valuable insight and knowledge you can use out into the wilds in full Victorian dress if you today. Page 14 Page 15
At Home Dress Code CULINARY VACATIONS WITH GIRTY This has long been a topic of conversation and also one for the cartoonists. When you open a home-based business, there is a certain amount of freedom that Looks can be comes with it, especially in the area of personal grooming and dress code. The deceiving you know! facts are somewhat different than what is perceived. The rig of the day for home- Besides, no one can based business operators is not something pink and fluffy! see me on the phone, or email. For many years now the business community It’s the way the human mind works. Most have opted for what’s known as dumbing people wish to associate with winners – not down. The effect of dumbing down can be losers. seen on the street, in call centers and even in travel agencies too. Sorry to say this - the pink, fluffy PJs have got to go. Lazing around in your old tattered What was once a haven of well-dressed jeans has got to stop. Spending time to put employees has become a cartoonist’s dream your selling-self together for a steady day of as men sport 3-day old stubble, wear a classy prospecting is right on the money. Look suit jacket with tattered jeans and sneakers sharp. Sell sharp. Also, if a client says, “Yes I that house feet wearing red socks or no want to book that, can we meet in 15 socks at all. Women are equally up to the minutes?” you are good to go and go now mark with some sporting a pair of very versus a complete re-fit before you head out comfortable Crocs in lime green and a hair the door. style named bed. When you go home to do business you must Put this all together and what you are create a new persona. You need a style, looking at is nothing short of a rag tag group you’ll want a reputation built on quality of former, well dressed, sharp looking information and best value service. You want Well you see I also individuals who generally worked as they your clients to be so proud of you that they operate a Dial-a-Clown dressed. Sharp. have no qualms about recommending you and your travel services to their friends. business from home… I When you go home to do business and you don’t think a world cruise leave behind the corporate culture and the You know it only too well – you would never big brand name that was so recognizable, refer a smelly old dressing gowned client would mind handing you do not however dumb down. You must accountant, lawyer or realtor to a friend and over thirty-grand to a in fact, rise way above this fatal mistake and that includes a travel agent too. show yourself as the best groomed and best clown. Would they? dressed travel agent in the community. Look Check the mirror. Is there a need to overhaul like a million bucks and people will be the grooming and clothing aspect of your attracted to you. home-based self? Page 16 Page 17
At Home Dress Code CULINARY VACATIONS WITH GIRTY This has long been a topic of conversation and also one for the cartoonists. When you open a home-based business, there is a certain amount of freedom that Looks can be comes with it, especially in the area of personal grooming and dress code. The deceiving you know! facts are somewhat different than what is perceived. The rig of the day for home- Besides, no one can based business operators is not something pink and fluffy! see me on the phone, or email. For many years now the business community It’s the way the human mind works. Most have opted for what’s known as dumbing people wish to associate with winners – not down. The effect of dumbing down can be losers. seen on the street, in call centers and even in travel agencies too. Sorry to say this - the pink, fluffy PJs have got to go. Lazing around in your old tattered What was once a haven of well-dressed jeans has got to stop. Spending time to put employees has become a cartoonist’s dream your selling-self together for a steady day of as men sport 3-day old stubble, wear a classy prospecting is right on the money. Look suit jacket with tattered jeans and sneakers sharp. Sell sharp. Also, if a client says, “Yes I that house feet wearing red socks or no want to book that, can we meet in 15 socks at all. Women are equally up to the minutes?” you are good to go and go now mark with some sporting a pair of very versus a complete re-fit before you head out comfortable Crocs in lime green and a hair the door. style named bed. When you go home to do business you must Put this all together and what you are create a new persona. You need a style, looking at is nothing short of a rag tag group you’ll want a reputation built on quality of former, well dressed, sharp looking information and best value service. You want Well you see I also individuals who generally worked as they your clients to be so proud of you that they operate a Dial-a-Clown dressed. Sharp. have no qualms about recommending you and your travel services to their friends. business from home… I When you go home to do business and you don’t think a world cruise leave behind the corporate culture and the You know it only too well – you would never big brand name that was so recognizable, refer a smelly old dressing gowned client would mind handing you do not however dumb down. You must accountant, lawyer or realtor to a friend and over thirty-grand to a in fact, rise way above this fatal mistake and that includes a travel agent too. show yourself as the best groomed and best clown. Would they? dressed travel agent in the community. Look Check the mirror. Is there a need to overhaul like a million bucks and people will be the grooming and clothing aspect of your attracted to you. home-based self? Page 16 Page 17
Local Store Marketing The Obvious Products: This is a no-brainer. A services to your client/s. Not much in this for you other than your clients passing on the word and luggage store for instance. Anyone purchasing generating referrals for you. luggage is, as far as we know, travelling. So a local luggage store or luggage repair shop makes You might hear the term Local Store Marketing or Local Community Marketing - an ideal contact. The Second Reason to Buy: Everyone needs a second reason to buy. So it is with women and the meaning is the same. You are going to focus your marketing efforts right What about cameras? Of course. Mobile phone fashions for instance. In the changing rooms of around where you live and more than likely not outside a 5 mile radius. So what retailers? Absolutely. Women’s fashions? You your fashion store co-promoter you arrange to do you do within and around the local streets outside your home? Let’s explore. bet - got to have the latest look, colour, design have framed on the wall or signage on the wall for the evenings onboard that luxury cruise. that says “Wear it here...” and the here is a deck of a cruise ship sailing into a tropical sunset. Bookshops are a haven too. That’s where your Another here would be a white sand beach for clients go to get information in hardcopy. That’s when swimwear is purchased. For wedding where you introduce your bookmark campaign. gowns, a Caribbean resort is pictured. Your bookmarks are inserted into each and every travel book. On the bookmark it says the This same second reason to buy applies to customer has just “earned” a $10 discount on cameras with a counter stand showing a their next trip - or, you can offer what your fantastic view… and here you are promoting a suppliers are offering… upgrades to $200 off per National Geographic Camera Tour. person if booked by a certain date. In return for the bookstore manager saying yes to your Have you got the idea? Sure you have. I’ve bookmark campaign – you promise to promote personally arranged these types of promotions. the bookstore to all your clients via social media They work. Tie in a social media component too and on your website. so that your promotion goes viral. When you do The first thing you do is go for a walk. If you are jobbie with perforated edges. Hand that out and it right, you’ll have your clients and their clients a new home-based travel agent then you must your professional status is on shaky ground. The Tandem / Coop Promotion: This has to be a Tweeting out to their pals about the tour they walk the ‘hood, as you have done before, but in win-win for all. You need to generate sales, your just booked accompanied by an image of their a different frame of mind. This time out, you will If the owner or manager is onsite or the person co-promoter too, their customer must benefit new luggage – yes they shot a selfie and posted be looking for co-op opportunities. who greets you is the owner, then be ready to and so must the supplier if you’ve engaged one. it for their friends to see. move right into the conversation about working As you walk the streets you’ll be taking notice of together to build sales for both businesses. For Buy One and Enter to Win: In this promo, you Social media is the fastest way to push market your fellow retailers. I’m referring to cafes, book you to deliver this message with confidence you help set up the campaign with your co-promoter your promotion and have your retailing co- shops, salons, magazine stores, clothing stores, must know and understand how your product, as he/she advertises a new set of luggage. When promoter and yourself build your businesses. restaurants etc. Each of the establishments just travel, can help sell all other products. This is the purchased during the promotion, the client’s Attract response, engage, then it’s up to both of mentioned can help you find new clients AND crucial element to making local store marketing name is automatically entered into the draw. you to sell and close. join you in a tandem promotion. work. The prize would be a vacation that you provide to the retailer at a special rate. You get to keep The Referral Program: A simple promotion is this Introducing yourself: As you walk into each retail Travel Sells All Other Products: It’s true. the names and emails of the customers who – you ask your retailing friends to recommend store you are going to say something along the Customers buy a pair of shoes, a dress, a tie, a entered to win. You must be careful not to give your travel services and each referral earns them lines of: “Hi, I’m (name) your local community camera, luggage, golf clubs… and many of these too much away, which is why you should ask a points. After so many points they can cash in for travel agent… I have some ideas that might help items are purchased to take on a trip. Some supplier to join you. Many suppliers have special a weekend package, or if they sent you a cruise boost business for both of us… is the owner or obvious, some not so much. Now here you are offers that you can represent and use in a promo group – then perhaps they earn a cruise manager in?” representing the travel component and offering like this. themselves. Do the math and calculate the win- to bring your attention-getting product to help win rewards that work for you. Leave behind material: The owner / manager sell more of your new found friend’s product. Your Clients Pay Less for Luggage: This is a may not be in, so you’ll need to have a nicely straight discount promotion. Your luggage Okay. Enough talk. Hit the streets. Go say hello printed brochure – and I mean very Let’s continue to explore how you do this. Are retailer offers you a discounted price to present to the retailers in your community and close professionally printed – not a hodgepodge inkjet you ready? Let’s go for a walk around town. to your clients. He generates a new customer them on working with you. from you and you have upped the value of your Page 18 Page 19
Local Store Marketing The Obvious Products: This is a no-brainer. A services to your client/s. Not much in this for you other than your clients passing on the word and luggage store for instance. Anyone purchasing generating referrals for you. luggage is, as far as we know, travelling. So a local luggage store or luggage repair shop makes You might hear the term Local Store Marketing or Local Community Marketing - an ideal contact. The Second Reason to Buy: Everyone needs a second reason to buy. So it is with women and the meaning is the same. You are going to focus your marketing efforts right What about cameras? Of course. Mobile phone fashions for instance. In the changing rooms of around where you live and more than likely not outside a 5 mile radius. So what retailers? Absolutely. Women’s fashions? You your fashion store co-promoter you arrange to do you do within and around the local streets outside your home? Let’s explore. bet - got to have the latest look, colour, design have framed on the wall or signage on the wall for the evenings onboard that luxury cruise. that says “Wear it here...” and the here is a deck of a cruise ship sailing into a tropical sunset. Bookshops are a haven too. That’s where your Another here would be a white sand beach for clients go to get information in hardcopy. That’s when swimwear is purchased. For wedding where you introduce your bookmark campaign. gowns, a Caribbean resort is pictured. Your bookmarks are inserted into each and every travel book. On the bookmark it says the This same second reason to buy applies to customer has just “earned” a $10 discount on cameras with a counter stand showing a their next trip - or, you can offer what your fantastic view… and here you are promoting a suppliers are offering… upgrades to $200 off per National Geographic Camera Tour. person if booked by a certain date. In return for the bookstore manager saying yes to your Have you got the idea? Sure you have. I’ve bookmark campaign – you promise to promote personally arranged these types of promotions. the bookstore to all your clients via social media They work. Tie in a social media component too and on your website. so that your promotion goes viral. When you do The first thing you do is go for a walk. If you are jobbie with perforated edges. Hand that out and it right, you’ll have your clients and their clients a new home-based travel agent then you must your professional status is on shaky ground. The Tandem / Coop Promotion: This has to be a Tweeting out to their pals about the tour they walk the ‘hood, as you have done before, but in win-win for all. You need to generate sales, your just booked accompanied by an image of their a different frame of mind. This time out, you will If the owner or manager is onsite or the person co-promoter too, their customer must benefit new luggage – yes they shot a selfie and posted be looking for co-op opportunities. who greets you is the owner, then be ready to and so must the supplier if you’ve engaged one. it for their friends to see. move right into the conversation about working As you walk the streets you’ll be taking notice of together to build sales for both businesses. For Buy One and Enter to Win: In this promo, you Social media is the fastest way to push market your fellow retailers. I’m referring to cafes, book you to deliver this message with confidence you help set up the campaign with your co-promoter your promotion and have your retailing co- shops, salons, magazine stores, clothing stores, must know and understand how your product, as he/she advertises a new set of luggage. When promoter and yourself build your businesses. restaurants etc. Each of the establishments just travel, can help sell all other products. This is the purchased during the promotion, the client’s Attract response, engage, then it’s up to both of mentioned can help you find new clients AND crucial element to making local store marketing name is automatically entered into the draw. you to sell and close. join you in a tandem promotion. work. The prize would be a vacation that you provide to the retailer at a special rate. You get to keep The Referral Program: A simple promotion is this Introducing yourself: As you walk into each retail Travel Sells All Other Products: It’s true. the names and emails of the customers who – you ask your retailing friends to recommend store you are going to say something along the Customers buy a pair of shoes, a dress, a tie, a entered to win. You must be careful not to give your travel services and each referral earns them lines of: “Hi, I’m (name) your local community camera, luggage, golf clubs… and many of these too much away, which is why you should ask a points. After so many points they can cash in for travel agent… I have some ideas that might help items are purchased to take on a trip. Some supplier to join you. Many suppliers have special a weekend package, or if they sent you a cruise boost business for both of us… is the owner or obvious, some not so much. Now here you are offers that you can represent and use in a promo group – then perhaps they earn a cruise manager in?” representing the travel component and offering like this. themselves. Do the math and calculate the win- to bring your attention-getting product to help win rewards that work for you. Leave behind material: The owner / manager sell more of your new found friend’s product. Your Clients Pay Less for Luggage: This is a may not be in, so you’ll need to have a nicely straight discount promotion. Your luggage Okay. Enough talk. Hit the streets. Go say hello printed brochure – and I mean very Let’s continue to explore how you do this. Are retailer offers you a discounted price to present to the retailers in your community and close professionally printed – not a hodgepodge inkjet you ready? Let’s go for a walk around town. to your clients. He generates a new customer them on working with you. from you and you have upped the value of your Page 18 Page 19
Tools: Fix It New Tools Click on each image to view the website or the e-Book. You can download e-books as a PDF and save the file to your own Library folder. Bookmark & add the websites to your Favourites. If your niche is selling corporate travel from home you’ll want to add this website to your When you work from home and generally on your own Favourites – especially if many of your clients are and something goes wrong with your computer what do business women. you do? Okay, screaming for your kids to come “NOW!” is one thing - if you still have children at home. Next is the techie neighbour but you might not want to have them know your level of computer expertise. You can resort to that good pal who is always there for you except when they are working – and right now when the glitch happens, they are working and you don’t want to interrupt their day with your problem. What to do? You could use this Globus tool in all your emails The answer is you must search for it. If a warning or pop up happened advising you about “your and also post it on your home page. Why not? It properties are preventing…” or something else preventing something from happening you can helps sell Globus of course, but then again, why go online and type into the search box exactly what the pop-up stated - and a dozen solutions not? Attract the bookings to you. will surface. One tool I found was Microsoft’s Fix It. Be sure to download the Fix It tool now, don’t wait. The guy with the wrench is the icon and he’ll be resident on your desktop. When you have a hint of trouble – click the icon and see what transpires. All you need to open any file format – well at http://support.microsoft.com/fixit/ least 80 of them anyway. A great tool for any home-based travel agent. I use Outlook 2013 and for some reason every so often I cannot click on links in my emails. A pop up advises me that my “policies…” are “…preventing…” – so I click on Fix It and the computer will reset / restore to a date when Outlook was working perfectly. This takes a matter of minutes. You restart your Be Sure to Share computer and you are back in business. There are many fix it downloads, so be careful. They appear to be free however after they have GOT TOOLS? ANY YOU CAN downloaded and scanned your computer and changed registries etc., the price pops up. Now you either If you are new to the travel industry make sure accept or not. If not, you are warned that you must now remove the download. When that happens you you download and save this ASTA document. So SHARE? LET US KNOW. see tons of files being deleted and if you’re not tech savvy those files look like the ones you need and want much information it makes a great resource. and now they are being deleted. It’s a scary thing to watch. Look for Fix It and start there. Page 20 Page 21
Tools: Fix It New Tools Click on each image to view the website or the e-Book. You can download e-books as a PDF and save the file to your own Library folder. Bookmark & add the websites to your Favourites. If your niche is selling corporate travel from home you’ll want to add this website to your When you work from home and generally on your own Favourites – especially if many of your clients are and something goes wrong with your computer what do business women. you do? Okay, screaming for your kids to come “NOW!” is one thing - if you still have children at home. Next is the techie neighbour but you might not want to have them know your level of computer expertise. You can resort to that good pal who is always there for you except when they are working – and right now when the glitch happens, they are working and you don’t want to interrupt their day with your problem. What to do? You could use this Globus tool in all your emails The answer is you must search for it. If a warning or pop up happened advising you about “your and also post it on your home page. Why not? It properties are preventing…” or something else preventing something from happening you can helps sell Globus of course, but then again, why go online and type into the search box exactly what the pop-up stated - and a dozen solutions not? Attract the bookings to you. will surface. One tool I found was Microsoft’s Fix It. Be sure to download the Fix It tool now, don’t wait. The guy with the wrench is the icon and he’ll be resident on your desktop. When you have a hint of trouble – click the icon and see what transpires. All you need to open any file format – well at http://support.microsoft.com/fixit/ least 80 of them anyway. A great tool for any home-based travel agent. I use Outlook 2013 and for some reason every so often I cannot click on links in my emails. A pop up advises me that my “policies…” are “…preventing…” – so I click on Fix It and the computer will reset / restore to a date when Outlook was working perfectly. This takes a matter of minutes. You restart your Be Sure to Share computer and you are back in business. There are many fix it downloads, so be careful. They appear to be free however after they have GOT TOOLS? ANY YOU CAN downloaded and scanned your computer and changed registries etc., the price pops up. Now you either If you are new to the travel industry make sure accept or not. If not, you are warned that you must now remove the download. When that happens you you download and save this ASTA document. So SHARE? LET US KNOW. see tons of files being deleted and if you’re not tech savvy those files look like the ones you need and want much information it makes a great resource. and now they are being deleted. It’s a scary thing to watch. Look for Fix It and start there. Page 20 Page 21
Selling Groups Groups Are Everywhere! and let them guide you. You will learn so That’s the usual comment and although much and you will be able to apply what you learn directly to any and all groups. somewhat true – it takes experience to identify them, make the right approach, Every supplier BDM and for sure your host head-office newsletters, emails and followed by listening, asking, responding, Who To Look For blogs are encouraging you to sell more groups – or to start selling groups if you presenting, answering and closing. When you start pounding the Internet and have not yet found this lucrative segment. Make no mistake, it is a fine battle cry social pavement, you should be looking for and groups are where you can make a lot of money for yourself and everyone Typically anyone, almost anyone, can round decision makers, group leaders, directors up a few pals, couples, colleagues and and managers. They come in all shapes and else that’s connected to your group sale. The missing ingredient from all the friends-of-friends to create a group with a sizes and personalities and each carries a list support is the HOW-TO. The following information should serve as a primer for common purpose. Let’s make it a beach of what “they” demand from the agency that you as you work your way towards securing group travel in your area. vacation that’s an all-inclusive and the group arranges group travel for them. of Gen X & Y don’t really care about the destination. They want beach and low price. If this is your first time to pitch then you have This group is looking to have a ‘great time’ already gathered that you’ll be at a for the best price possible. disadvantage when you are negotiating with someone matching the above description. Another prospective group belongs to an This is the very reason why you work closely association of book lovers (there are with your preferred supplier who can help hundreds of members across the country) with such negotiations. and this year they want to attend a specific destination where they can explore the life The Soft Sell Group of one of their favourite authors. Next year Looking around your local community you this same group is planning a reading cruise will begin to identify a variety of existing and for their members. potential groups. They range from church groups to school groups to senior groups to Try this one: a golf pro wants to arrange a art groups and even incentive groups for the golf tour and sell it to the members of his local auto dealer’s sales force. golf club. Thinking Arizona and the top five golf courses. A good place to start your group selling career would be close to home and right in Each of the more than 200 niche market your own community. Start by making a list Let’s start with what you know. Your travel For you there are two types of groups: the activities offer group opportunities. Most of of local associations, clubs, memberships passion. Your niche. Or, what your business ones you have, and the ones you don’t have these groups would be pieced together by and you’ll end up with a list that includes gut feeling is telling you about where there – yet, and to secure some of those “don’t you with your client advising their needs and churches, fitness clubs, fine restaurants, might be money to be made in groups. haves”, you must win them from the wants. Such groups are customized FITs. clubs and associations. If there is a common competition through better pricing, better interest you will be sure to find that there is There are three types of groups in the service, better marketing and attract the The Build a Group Concept generally a group opportunity. market place: the groups that other travel non-committed groups to yourself before You may be confident in your own niche and agencies service each year, the groups who they engage with another travel agent. The feel comfortable in promoting your tour and You next step towards selling groups is to have no travel agency as yet and then there’s winner here will not win on price and price build a group, couple by couple. This does make an approach to the manager, director, the mishmash of consumers who don’t alone. Group travel is not generally for the take experience but then again you have to leader, group organizer or secretary which know there are others like them, hoping to novice as a one mistake could cost you your learn sometime don’t you? The best way to means your next activity is to locate their join a group of like-minded travellers life savings. It’s a marketing game based on proceed, would be to select your preferred name and you do that by making a phone call interested in the same type of vacation. experience. Ask your host agency for help. supplier, chat with their group department or checking websites and local directories. Page 22 Page 23
Selling Groups Groups Are Everywhere! and let them guide you. You will learn so That’s the usual comment and although much and you will be able to apply what you learn directly to any and all groups. somewhat true – it takes experience to identify them, make the right approach, Every supplier BDM and for sure your host head-office newsletters, emails and followed by listening, asking, responding, Who To Look For blogs are encouraging you to sell more groups – or to start selling groups if you presenting, answering and closing. When you start pounding the Internet and have not yet found this lucrative segment. Make no mistake, it is a fine battle cry social pavement, you should be looking for and groups are where you can make a lot of money for yourself and everyone Typically anyone, almost anyone, can round decision makers, group leaders, directors up a few pals, couples, colleagues and and managers. They come in all shapes and else that’s connected to your group sale. The missing ingredient from all the friends-of-friends to create a group with a sizes and personalities and each carries a list support is the HOW-TO. The following information should serve as a primer for common purpose. Let’s make it a beach of what “they” demand from the agency that you as you work your way towards securing group travel in your area. vacation that’s an all-inclusive and the group arranges group travel for them. of Gen X & Y don’t really care about the destination. They want beach and low price. If this is your first time to pitch then you have This group is looking to have a ‘great time’ already gathered that you’ll be at a for the best price possible. disadvantage when you are negotiating with someone matching the above description. Another prospective group belongs to an This is the very reason why you work closely association of book lovers (there are with your preferred supplier who can help hundreds of members across the country) with such negotiations. and this year they want to attend a specific destination where they can explore the life The Soft Sell Group of one of their favourite authors. Next year Looking around your local community you this same group is planning a reading cruise will begin to identify a variety of existing and for their members. potential groups. They range from church groups to school groups to senior groups to Try this one: a golf pro wants to arrange a art groups and even incentive groups for the golf tour and sell it to the members of his local auto dealer’s sales force. golf club. Thinking Arizona and the top five golf courses. A good place to start your group selling career would be close to home and right in Each of the more than 200 niche market your own community. Start by making a list Let’s start with what you know. Your travel For you there are two types of groups: the activities offer group opportunities. Most of of local associations, clubs, memberships passion. Your niche. Or, what your business ones you have, and the ones you don’t have these groups would be pieced together by and you’ll end up with a list that includes gut feeling is telling you about where there – yet, and to secure some of those “don’t you with your client advising their needs and churches, fitness clubs, fine restaurants, might be money to be made in groups. haves”, you must win them from the wants. Such groups are customized FITs. clubs and associations. If there is a common competition through better pricing, better interest you will be sure to find that there is There are three types of groups in the service, better marketing and attract the The Build a Group Concept generally a group opportunity. market place: the groups that other travel non-committed groups to yourself before You may be confident in your own niche and agencies service each year, the groups who they engage with another travel agent. The feel comfortable in promoting your tour and You next step towards selling groups is to have no travel agency as yet and then there’s winner here will not win on price and price build a group, couple by couple. This does make an approach to the manager, director, the mishmash of consumers who don’t alone. Group travel is not generally for the take experience but then again you have to leader, group organizer or secretary which know there are others like them, hoping to novice as a one mistake could cost you your learn sometime don’t you? The best way to means your next activity is to locate their join a group of like-minded travellers life savings. It’s a marketing game based on proceed, would be to select your preferred name and you do that by making a phone call interested in the same type of vacation. experience. Ask your host agency for help. supplier, chat with their group department or checking websites and local directories. Page 22 Page 23
As this group contact is local you cannot Group Travel Training Programs afford to hard sell this group. All actions are If you like the idea of cruise groups then of Supplier Relationships soft-sell using attractive marketing course you click to CLIA’s website and review techniques and a well-practised value-to- the training modules they offer. price presentation. Veteran travel agents who have set up shop at home are usually well versed with how to court If you are an adventurer at heart then you and build a supplier relationship. The niceties are standard fare. The one thing that cements a “What Do YOU Suggest?” will contact the group departments of your supplier relationship of any kind is sales. No sales and that preferred business relationship One of the key skills in your marketing preferred adventure suppliers and discuss a dwindles to an email contact and that’s about it. Here’s how you must engage and build your arsenal should be your ability to think for training program. preferred supplier connections especially if you are new to selling travel. your clients and make suggestions that WOW them into your arms! Many times a My suggestion is this: determine what you group has done the rounds so to speak and want to sell as it relates to group travel. 1. First, you’ll need to understand what the serious about their business and one is now stumped for somewhere to go. Now Identify your preferred supplier and arrange terms of each relationship are. Your host who understands business relationships. it’s up to you to make suggestions and for a one off training course by flying agency is generally signing the provide an overview of the trip idea you yourself to their head office and work agreements on your behalf. Your role is 6. When you do meet with your BDM – have in mind. alongside their group department. You will to live up to the agreements and sell your meet with a plan in mind and ask this learn the inside track, pick up neat ideas that share. question: “How can I sell more of your When you make a suggestion, it should come are not commonly known, make lifelong product? What works and what from your experience so that you are rock contacts you can call on when you need to 2. Selling your share is the important part. doesn’t?” In this way you’ll receive solid in terms of your information. Chances and all because you took the initiative, No sales, and there’s no relationship, no inside information as to what does are you will also be creating the title of the invested your own time and money to learn agreement. Find out how much your actually work for marketing, selling and tour, designing the itinerary and laying out the HOW not just the what. share amounts to. How many bookings closing this supplier’s products. the marketing materials for your contact to should you produce? What is your target use when they promote your tour in-house There are also programs to be found at for each and every preferred supplier? 7. If you cannot meet personally, meet to their membership. ASTA, The Travel Institute and CITC – plus online via Skype or make a phone call. Be your host agency / head office should also 3. Some targets are based on a national well dressed and well groomed at all Once again, if these skills are not yet within have their own group travel training total. More and more agreements times. Working from home does not your talent range, ask your host head office programs to make available. however are focusing on individual remove you from maintaining a business and your preferred suppliers to advise you. contribution. This prevents those who dress code. RECAP: ride on the backs of others from earning Going With What’s Selling 1. Decide on your preferred group activity, a commission. To earn you have to sell. 8. Commit to every hour of training your If you do not have a niche you can start by destination and supplier. suppliers offer. The knowledge will help selling what’s selling now. Let’s go for 2. Let your local community know that you are 4. Many an agent expects the supplier’s you close more sales. cruising as there is so much choice in terms the local, community group travel arranger. BDM to make contact with them and to of itinerary, style, price and amenities. A 3. Seek out local group contacts: church, court them for their business. That’s not 9. Never ask for a FAM trip until you’ve associations, clubs… cruise can generally accommodate most 4. Hold local group travel workshops. going to happen unless you are selling. started selling. Your BDM has heard it all groups The book lovers group – a cruise can 5. Build a group client / prospect list. The best way to connect with your BDM before. The real perks come when the be the answer. Business incentive group – 6. Ask your clients to share your group travel is for you to make contact with them sales build and as a professional in the same thing. Church group – they do have a information with their social media first. If it is possible to meet at the making you would not want to freeload chapel onboard. Artist group… ocean – connections. supplier’s offices – you go there. on the backs of others. seascapes would be the subject matter. You get the idea – cruising can take care of most Host Agencies: Ask about SMP’s 5. Your investment in time and money to There is your 9-step program that will help groups. Land tours, packages, same thing. customized Selling Groups webinar for meet with your BDM and perhaps the you enhance your supplier relationships. Discover what’s selling and sell it! area manager will be well respected. You Build the right reputation and the word will your members. will be thought of as a player, as an agent spread as suppliers do talk to each other. Page 24 Page 25
As this group contact is local you cannot Group Travel Training Programs afford to hard sell this group. All actions are If you like the idea of cruise groups then of Supplier Relationships soft-sell using attractive marketing course you click to CLIA’s website and review techniques and a well-practised value-to- the training modules they offer. price presentation. Veteran travel agents who have set up shop at home are usually well versed with how to court If you are an adventurer at heart then you and build a supplier relationship. The niceties are standard fare. The one thing that cements a “What Do YOU Suggest?” will contact the group departments of your supplier relationship of any kind is sales. No sales and that preferred business relationship One of the key skills in your marketing preferred adventure suppliers and discuss a dwindles to an email contact and that’s about it. Here’s how you must engage and build your arsenal should be your ability to think for training program. preferred supplier connections especially if you are new to selling travel. your clients and make suggestions that WOW them into your arms! Many times a My suggestion is this: determine what you group has done the rounds so to speak and want to sell as it relates to group travel. 1. First, you’ll need to understand what the serious about their business and one is now stumped for somewhere to go. Now Identify your preferred supplier and arrange terms of each relationship are. Your host who understands business relationships. it’s up to you to make suggestions and for a one off training course by flying agency is generally signing the provide an overview of the trip idea you yourself to their head office and work agreements on your behalf. Your role is 6. When you do meet with your BDM – have in mind. alongside their group department. You will to live up to the agreements and sell your meet with a plan in mind and ask this learn the inside track, pick up neat ideas that share. question: “How can I sell more of your When you make a suggestion, it should come are not commonly known, make lifelong product? What works and what from your experience so that you are rock contacts you can call on when you need to 2. Selling your share is the important part. doesn’t?” In this way you’ll receive solid in terms of your information. Chances and all because you took the initiative, No sales, and there’s no relationship, no inside information as to what does are you will also be creating the title of the invested your own time and money to learn agreement. Find out how much your actually work for marketing, selling and tour, designing the itinerary and laying out the HOW not just the what. share amounts to. How many bookings closing this supplier’s products. the marketing materials for your contact to should you produce? What is your target use when they promote your tour in-house There are also programs to be found at for each and every preferred supplier? 7. If you cannot meet personally, meet to their membership. ASTA, The Travel Institute and CITC – plus online via Skype or make a phone call. Be your host agency / head office should also 3. Some targets are based on a national well dressed and well groomed at all Once again, if these skills are not yet within have their own group travel training total. More and more agreements times. Working from home does not your talent range, ask your host head office programs to make available. however are focusing on individual remove you from maintaining a business and your preferred suppliers to advise you. contribution. This prevents those who dress code. RECAP: ride on the backs of others from earning Going With What’s Selling 1. Decide on your preferred group activity, a commission. To earn you have to sell. 8. Commit to every hour of training your If you do not have a niche you can start by destination and supplier. suppliers offer. The knowledge will help selling what’s selling now. Let’s go for 2. Let your local community know that you are 4. Many an agent expects the supplier’s you close more sales. cruising as there is so much choice in terms the local, community group travel arranger. BDM to make contact with them and to of itinerary, style, price and amenities. A 3. Seek out local group contacts: church, court them for their business. That’s not 9. Never ask for a FAM trip until you’ve associations, clubs… cruise can generally accommodate most 4. Hold local group travel workshops. going to happen unless you are selling. started selling. Your BDM has heard it all groups The book lovers group – a cruise can 5. Build a group client / prospect list. The best way to connect with your BDM before. The real perks come when the be the answer. Business incentive group – 6. Ask your clients to share your group travel is for you to make contact with them sales build and as a professional in the same thing. Church group – they do have a information with their social media first. If it is possible to meet at the making you would not want to freeload chapel onboard. Artist group… ocean – connections. supplier’s offices – you go there. on the backs of others. seascapes would be the subject matter. You get the idea – cruising can take care of most Host Agencies: Ask about SMP’s 5. Your investment in time and money to There is your 9-step program that will help groups. Land tours, packages, same thing. customized Selling Groups webinar for meet with your BDM and perhaps the you enhance your supplier relationships. Discover what’s selling and sell it! area manager will be well respected. You Build the right reputation and the word will your members. will be thought of as a player, as an agent spread as suppliers do talk to each other. Page 24 Page 25
The About YOU Tab The Marketing Mind Is the About Us tab on your website one click away from a snoring-boring review How often do you think about the level of your marketing skills, talents and of your entire life, pets, family and latest auto or is it an opportunity to read about creativity as compared to the typical B&M travel agent up the street? It’s a a fascinating individual who is full of first-hand accounts, travel stories and difficult comparison if you are new to the industry and the local B&M agency has exploits from around the world supported by been-there-took-that photographs been onsite for 30 years. You would be comparing yourself to the veteran owner, and videos? Let’s make some changes right now. manager who after 30 years should be selling to long term existing clients and their referrals versus prospecting for new clients. Your marketing mind will develop as you go about your day-to-day business. The main thing however is to Many websites today come pre-packaged and more often than not are templates that keep your mind open. Your eyes too. Ears. Even your taste buds and sense of either you or your host agency have bought smell can help. Come, let’s explore how you can develop your marketing mind. into. All of which works as long as you can make one or two changes and here the focus is on making a change to the About Us tab. It’s somewhat easy to talk about marketing Back to my McD’ meal and coffee. Here it is. and the marketing mindset for me as I have I snapped a head on shot with my iPhone and ABOUT ME! a long travel trade history. Not that the at the same time thinking up how I might use Doesn’t that sound wonderful? At last – it http://about.me/stevecrowhurst duration has too much to do with it, more so the image or pair with a speech bubble. really is all about you. Or it can be. Should it’s how I “see” things and attach words, Here’s what I came up with be. You might want to add your name, you Once you create your simple and concise ideas and actions to generate a marketing might want to create a new term or phrase About.Me website you can add the link or activity. It’s HOW you see things too and find to replace the About Us text that every agent embed code into you emails and social something you can use as a marketing tool, has. Doesn’t make too much sense having an media marketing. Keep it pure business. or something to help you promote your About US tab when there is no “us” – only Forget fido and friends unless your travel travel niche. you. Ten ideas follow: niche is pet travel. No family names either. The Coffee Cup Lid 1. About (your first name) More About YOU Here’s a story: My computer was attacked 2. Learn About (your first name) You can go a promotional step further with this month with a virus. It was in the shop 3. Find out about Me here… your About Me information and instead of for 5 days and 7 antivirus programs did what 4. Find out about (your first name) here text, insert a video straight from your they do. It’s now clean and I am back to 5. Scoop! webcam. PowerPoint slides work too. Even a work. During the visitations to the Future 6. My News photo album gallery that tells your story Shop Computer Services desk I went to 7. ABOUT through images and captions works. My McDonalds for a snack and a coffee. 8. It’s ME! suggestion would be video. Sit down, 9. Who I am suitably attired, switch on your webcam or As I took the lid off the coffee and turned it You could use this type of image to promote 10. What I do use your smartphone and start talking about over to lay it on my tray, I “saw” a face – Gourmet Coffee Lover’s Tours of Europe, or yourself. Keep going even when you falter eyes, nose, gaping mouth and it was even South America, or Costa Rica, Kona too. OR, ABOUT.ME and edit later. A few minor errors present talking to me! Scary I know – but no you might turn it into a comical use as mine Here’s a neat one page website where you you as human and when you are passionate computer for 5-days can do this to you. You is meant to be. The low price could refer to can add a little more pizzazz to your About about what you do for a living, you may know how it is. You know what I’m talking any travel booking / arrangement. You could Me review and funnily enough that’s the exude here and there. All good. Keeping YOU about. When you are home-based it’s you use phrases such as: “To cap it off…” You get name of the website. Check mine out here: real can work wonders for your sales. and your computer and the tech shop. the idea. Here’s more do-it-now how-to. Page 26 Page 27
The About YOU Tab The Marketing Mind Is the About Us tab on your website one click away from a snoring-boring review How often do you think about the level of your marketing skills, talents and of your entire life, pets, family and latest auto or is it an opportunity to read about creativity as compared to the typical B&M travel agent up the street? It’s a a fascinating individual who is full of first-hand accounts, travel stories and difficult comparison if you are new to the industry and the local B&M agency has exploits from around the world supported by been-there-took-that photographs been onsite for 30 years. You would be comparing yourself to the veteran owner, and videos? Let’s make some changes right now. manager who after 30 years should be selling to long term existing clients and their referrals versus prospecting for new clients. Your marketing mind will develop as you go about your day-to-day business. The main thing however is to Many websites today come pre-packaged and more often than not are templates that keep your mind open. Your eyes too. Ears. Even your taste buds and sense of either you or your host agency have bought smell can help. Come, let’s explore how you can develop your marketing mind. into. All of which works as long as you can make one or two changes and here the focus is on making a change to the About Us tab. It’s somewhat easy to talk about marketing Back to my McD’ meal and coffee. Here it is. and the marketing mindset for me as I have I snapped a head on shot with my iPhone and ABOUT ME! a long travel trade history. Not that the at the same time thinking up how I might use Doesn’t that sound wonderful? At last – it http://about.me/stevecrowhurst duration has too much to do with it, more so the image or pair with a speech bubble. really is all about you. Or it can be. Should it’s how I “see” things and attach words, Here’s what I came up with be. You might want to add your name, you Once you create your simple and concise ideas and actions to generate a marketing might want to create a new term or phrase About.Me website you can add the link or activity. It’s HOW you see things too and find to replace the About Us text that every agent embed code into you emails and social something you can use as a marketing tool, has. Doesn’t make too much sense having an media marketing. Keep it pure business. or something to help you promote your About US tab when there is no “us” – only Forget fido and friends unless your travel travel niche. you. Ten ideas follow: niche is pet travel. No family names either. The Coffee Cup Lid 1. About (your first name) More About YOU Here’s a story: My computer was attacked 2. Learn About (your first name) You can go a promotional step further with this month with a virus. It was in the shop 3. Find out about Me here… your About Me information and instead of for 5 days and 7 antivirus programs did what 4. Find out about (your first name) here text, insert a video straight from your they do. It’s now clean and I am back to 5. Scoop! webcam. PowerPoint slides work too. Even a work. During the visitations to the Future 6. My News photo album gallery that tells your story Shop Computer Services desk I went to 7. ABOUT through images and captions works. My McDonalds for a snack and a coffee. 8. It’s ME! suggestion would be video. Sit down, 9. Who I am suitably attired, switch on your webcam or As I took the lid off the coffee and turned it You could use this type of image to promote 10. What I do use your smartphone and start talking about over to lay it on my tray, I “saw” a face – Gourmet Coffee Lover’s Tours of Europe, or yourself. Keep going even when you falter eyes, nose, gaping mouth and it was even South America, or Costa Rica, Kona too. OR, ABOUT.ME and edit later. A few minor errors present talking to me! Scary I know – but no you might turn it into a comical use as mine Here’s a neat one page website where you you as human and when you are passionate computer for 5-days can do this to you. You is meant to be. The low price could refer to can add a little more pizzazz to your About about what you do for a living, you may know how it is. You know what I’m talking any travel booking / arrangement. You could Me review and funnily enough that’s the exude here and there. All good. Keeping YOU about. When you are home-based it’s you use phrases such as: “To cap it off…” You get name of the website. Check mine out here: real can work wonders for your sales. and your computer and the tech shop. the idea. Here’s more do-it-now how-to. Page 26 Page 27
The Marketing Mind-Set their knowledge correctly, will always win out. A THE COFFEE LOVER’S TOUR OF COSTA RICA CONTINUES Everywhere you look you should be picking ten year veteran however is still a new kid on the up new marketing ideas, images, quotes, block. A travel marketer with 20 or 30 years of Let’s return to that McDonalds meal I was having when I snapped a quick shot of my coffee cup lid with my iPhone. I noticed my wife had removed the lid to her cup also and when I looked at it words, phrases and colour schemes. The skill travel under their belt would have amassed a the lid was perspiring. Honest. It was. Well that’s what my marketing mind sold me. So I paired comes in looking, seeing, adjusting what you huge knowledge base which is what we would the two cups together as you see below, flipped the caps to sit inside the cups and took another have “taken in” and applying it to your niche term ‘marketing currency’. It’s this currency that photograph. Back to the home office to download the images. Moved one image into Photoshop travel trade veterans take to the bank. or your mass market selling activities. Elements 11 (I’ve mentioned this program before) and then stretched the “mouth” of one. After Prior to how the message should be delivered that I used the Poster Edges filter to add a poster look. Thought about the speech bubbles and You’ll be looking in retail shop windows for and to whom, comes the decision making went with a combination of coffee-chat from Starbucks and Tim Hortons, spiced up the sales banner slogans. Reading new book process on what to market based on current conversation just a little with provocative words such as peculator and blend (ooooh!) – and titles for inspiration. Checking the images economic conditions, world events, weather finally bingo-bango – the finished promo layout. and graphics on the sides of panel vans as systems, political change, currency fluctuation, they drive past you. Reading t-shirt and ball- projected destination stability and the overall cap slogans as they walk in your direction. E- flow of tourism. mails from suppliers also carry messages you can use. Tour titles found in your supplier’s In the mix will come airline, airport, rail and hotel brochures are worthwhile copying and filing strikes; seasons that have moved this way or that; tsunamis and terrorist attacks, too. Some of away in your marketing folders. If it sounds these events are so current that everyone has like it’s never ending you are right on the knowledge of them and the outcomes that money. evolved. This is also marketing currency you can use. The marketing mind set is all about using whatever you can, legally, to promote the A travel agent with 20 years knowledge has type of travel you want to sell. probably visited anywhere from 10 to 75 countries and cruised numerous times. Perhaps taken a safari or climbed a well-known The mind of a travel marketer, or let’s say a mountain, trekked Inca trails and so on. Again, all professional, street savvy travel marketer is of their travel knowledge, their photographs, developed over time and operates differently video if they shot it, the destination artifacts and from the mind of someone new to the trade or information they gathered and very importantly someone who holds a marketing degree but not the personal and business contacts they made – in travel or tourism. Experience, hands on all of this is marketing currency and this knowledge and a dedication to the history of knowledge changes how they think and react to your trade is what separates the highly evolved present day events. travel marketing mind from the rest. To develop your marketing mind as a new home- you’re nice If you are new to selling travel and you are also based travel agent it’s time to travel, read, study new to working from home, then you have a and if possible take a tourism marketing course steep uphill battle on your hands if you are – or, seek out a travel marketing coach to study attempting to out-market your competitors. If under. It’s very important you develop the right this is your situation then your job as of now, is mindset to avoid ongoing frustration stemming to pay attention to what your host agency is from zero response to your dedicated marketing FYI: The Coffee Lover’s Tour idea still waits to be done. Think well-dressed, black tie / gown offering you and buy in. Keyword: buy in – both efforts. You have to know how to read the world couples, touring the ultimate best coffee houses in Europe, and perhaps combined with in attitude, commitment and financially. and apply your marketing ideas. It takes practice theatre, music, dinner, events. Yours to take on and make it work. at being very observant to what’s going on A travel marketer who has 10 years of around you and applying that knowledge to your experience to draw on, as long they interpret sales & marketing activities. Page 28 Page 29
The Marketing Mind-Set their knowledge correctly, will always win out. A THE COFFEE LOVER’S TOUR OF COSTA RICA CONTINUES Everywhere you look you should be picking ten year veteran however is still a new kid on the up new marketing ideas, images, quotes, block. A travel marketer with 20 or 30 years of Let’s return to that McDonalds meal I was having when I snapped a quick shot of my coffee cup lid with my iPhone. I noticed my wife had removed the lid to her cup also and when I looked at it words, phrases and colour schemes. The skill travel under their belt would have amassed a the lid was perspiring. Honest. It was. Well that’s what my marketing mind sold me. So I paired comes in looking, seeing, adjusting what you huge knowledge base which is what we would the two cups together as you see below, flipped the caps to sit inside the cups and took another have “taken in” and applying it to your niche term ‘marketing currency’. It’s this currency that photograph. Back to the home office to download the images. Moved one image into Photoshop travel trade veterans take to the bank. or your mass market selling activities. Elements 11 (I’ve mentioned this program before) and then stretched the “mouth” of one. After Prior to how the message should be delivered that I used the Poster Edges filter to add a poster look. Thought about the speech bubbles and You’ll be looking in retail shop windows for and to whom, comes the decision making went with a combination of coffee-chat from Starbucks and Tim Hortons, spiced up the sales banner slogans. Reading new book process on what to market based on current conversation just a little with provocative words such as peculator and blend (ooooh!) – and titles for inspiration. Checking the images economic conditions, world events, weather finally bingo-bango – the finished promo layout. and graphics on the sides of panel vans as systems, political change, currency fluctuation, they drive past you. Reading t-shirt and ball- projected destination stability and the overall cap slogans as they walk in your direction. E- flow of tourism. mails from suppliers also carry messages you can use. Tour titles found in your supplier’s In the mix will come airline, airport, rail and hotel brochures are worthwhile copying and filing strikes; seasons that have moved this way or that; tsunamis and terrorist attacks, too. Some of away in your marketing folders. If it sounds these events are so current that everyone has like it’s never ending you are right on the knowledge of them and the outcomes that money. evolved. This is also marketing currency you can use. The marketing mind set is all about using whatever you can, legally, to promote the A travel agent with 20 years knowledge has type of travel you want to sell. probably visited anywhere from 10 to 75 countries and cruised numerous times. Perhaps taken a safari or climbed a well-known The mind of a travel marketer, or let’s say a mountain, trekked Inca trails and so on. Again, all professional, street savvy travel marketer is of their travel knowledge, their photographs, developed over time and operates differently video if they shot it, the destination artifacts and from the mind of someone new to the trade or information they gathered and very importantly someone who holds a marketing degree but not the personal and business contacts they made – in travel or tourism. Experience, hands on all of this is marketing currency and this knowledge and a dedication to the history of knowledge changes how they think and react to your trade is what separates the highly evolved present day events. travel marketing mind from the rest. To develop your marketing mind as a new home- you’re nice If you are new to selling travel and you are also based travel agent it’s time to travel, read, study new to working from home, then you have a and if possible take a tourism marketing course steep uphill battle on your hands if you are – or, seek out a travel marketing coach to study attempting to out-market your competitors. If under. It’s very important you develop the right this is your situation then your job as of now, is mindset to avoid ongoing frustration stemming to pay attention to what your host agency is from zero response to your dedicated marketing FYI: The Coffee Lover’s Tour idea still waits to be done. Think well-dressed, black tie / gown offering you and buy in. Keyword: buy in – both efforts. You have to know how to read the world couples, touring the ultimate best coffee houses in Europe, and perhaps combined with in attitude, commitment and financially. and apply your marketing ideas. It takes practice theatre, music, dinner, events. Yours to take on and make it work. at being very observant to what’s going on A travel marketer who has 10 years of around you and applying that knowledge to your experience to draw on, as long they interpret sales & marketing activities. Page 28 Page 29
The Media Release 1. How you became a well-travelled, niche Sources for Story Ideas market specialist. Many destination / tourism websites offer 2. You receive a sales award and why. ideas to write about. Generally they are 3. Relocation of your agency to a home-office targeting the travel trade media, however A media or press release or news release is a condensed article, written in a journalistic style. and the benefit to local customers. they exist for you too. What a media release isn’t is a sales pitch, a resume or an advertisement. The purpose of the 4. A new airline route from your city. media release is to highlight what is interesting and newsworthy about you and your home- 5. You need 500 people to fill in a Dream Trip You can and should make direct contact with based business. You may use a media release to announce many things and a list is included. survey. tourism offices and ask for assistance. Most Here’s the main thing to make note of: very few of your competitors make use of media 6. A special cruise event for consumers. often they have ready-to send press releases releases yet it is one of the best marketing tools for home-based travel agents. 7. Make an analysis or prediction. and all you need to do is add your logo. 8. Celebrate an event located somewhere else Press releases do work, but not always on your time table. in the world. Media - Press Release Costs 9. Issue a summary of did-you-know facts Media and press releases are relatively about a destination. inexpensive to prepare and distribute. The typical layout for a media / press release Whatever you choose to be the topic for 10. Write about a vacation or FAM trip Typically it will be you or a member of your is shown here: your story, remember your media release experience. host agency head office staff that will be must always tell the Who, What, When, 11. Present an award to your most travelled writing, preparing and distributing the press FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Where, Why and How. client. release. Research shows that most news Contact Information: 12. Hold a contest – write about the event and Contact Person the winner. releases generate a higher return than even Agency Name Is Your Story Newsworthy? 13. Stage a specialty travel trade show. high powered ad campaigns. Telephone Number The primary purpose of your media/press 14. Take a stand on a travel related issue. Fax Number release is to deliver a newsworthy story 15. Organize a unique tour. Free Publicity Email Address about yourself that the reader will find You will distribute your media release to the Web site address interesting. I know many travel agents who 16. Discuss your own passion for travel. local, national and international media believe their press releases will never get 17. Write about home-based opportunities with depending upon your story and the Headline your host agency. into print or be posted. The difference is the 18. Travel insurance is always of interest to the readership you intend to write for. When story, the information it delivers and how The heading: For Immediate Release should travelling public. members of the news media revue your be followed by a date if the news you are well it is written. 19. Promote a speech you intend to give. press release and decide to publish it, free releasing discusses an event in the future. 20. Tell the corporate world you are available to publicity is generated. You can and should Being Newsworthy speak at their conference or meeting on the distribute your press release via email to The whole point about writing and subject of service fees / travel management. your own customers. If your story is What’s YOUR Story? submitting media releases and sharing your You must determine the subject and point of 21. Giveaways, discounts and free trips. compelling and your clients send it viral on your story. It could be about a special tour, news with the rest of the world is this – you 22. New brochures – they are free, full of your behalf then you are doing something an agency event or something like an airline are trying to make yourself or your big travel exciting destinations. right. fuel surcharge and your thoughts on how idea, newsworthy. That is the key to having 23. Start a cruise club, an adventure club. this will affect the travel industry. After you your media / press / news release printed. It 24. Write a 5 -10 page e-Book about cruising, The News Story Format must be worthy of being printed. Repeat hiking, best of this or that and tell the world determine the story you will be able to your eBooks are available for download from Your media, press, news release must be a choose an eye catching headline such as: after me: “It’s got to be NEWSWORTHY…” your website. persuasive communication piece within the 25. New travel gadgets. framework of a traditional news story Local Travel Agency Owner Advises Story Ideas 26. Present numbers, facts and stats about format. Editors will quickly bypass your press YOU to Fly NOW! travel to your niche destination. release if it contains nonsense such as Here are twenty-nine travel related story “Number ONE in the world!” when you are ideas / topics for you to think about. 27. Issue great recipes from the Caribbean, France and Asia. only doing $20,000 in sales (not revenue). 28. Tie travel to best-selling novels/movies. 29. Write about your fantastic service. Page 30 Page 31
The Media Release 1. How you became a well-travelled, niche Sources for Story Ideas market specialist. Many destination / tourism websites offer 2. You receive a sales award and why. ideas to write about. Generally they are 3. Relocation of your agency to a home-office targeting the travel trade media, however A media or press release or news release is a condensed article, written in a journalistic style. and the benefit to local customers. they exist for you too. What a media release isn’t is a sales pitch, a resume or an advertisement. The purpose of the 4. A new airline route from your city. media release is to highlight what is interesting and newsworthy about you and your home- 5. You need 500 people to fill in a Dream Trip You can and should make direct contact with based business. You may use a media release to announce many things and a list is included. survey. tourism offices and ask for assistance. Most Here’s the main thing to make note of: very few of your competitors make use of media 6. A special cruise event for consumers. often they have ready-to send press releases releases yet it is one of the best marketing tools for home-based travel agents. 7. Make an analysis or prediction. and all you need to do is add your logo. 8. Celebrate an event located somewhere else Press releases do work, but not always on your time table. in the world. Media - Press Release Costs 9. Issue a summary of did-you-know facts Media and press releases are relatively about a destination. inexpensive to prepare and distribute. The typical layout for a media / press release Whatever you choose to be the topic for 10. Write about a vacation or FAM trip Typically it will be you or a member of your is shown here: your story, remember your media release experience. host agency head office staff that will be must always tell the Who, What, When, 11. Present an award to your most travelled writing, preparing and distributing the press FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Where, Why and How. client. release. Research shows that most news Contact Information: 12. Hold a contest – write about the event and Contact Person the winner. releases generate a higher return than even Agency Name Is Your Story Newsworthy? 13. Stage a specialty travel trade show. high powered ad campaigns. Telephone Number The primary purpose of your media/press 14. Take a stand on a travel related issue. Fax Number release is to deliver a newsworthy story 15. Organize a unique tour. Free Publicity Email Address about yourself that the reader will find You will distribute your media release to the Web site address interesting. I know many travel agents who 16. Discuss your own passion for travel. local, national and international media believe their press releases will never get 17. Write about home-based opportunities with depending upon your story and the Headline your host agency. into print or be posted. The difference is the 18. Travel insurance is always of interest to the readership you intend to write for. When story, the information it delivers and how The heading: For Immediate Release should travelling public. members of the news media revue your be followed by a date if the news you are well it is written. 19. Promote a speech you intend to give. press release and decide to publish it, free releasing discusses an event in the future. 20. Tell the corporate world you are available to publicity is generated. You can and should Being Newsworthy speak at their conference or meeting on the distribute your press release via email to The whole point about writing and subject of service fees / travel management. your own customers. If your story is What’s YOUR Story? submitting media releases and sharing your You must determine the subject and point of 21. Giveaways, discounts and free trips. compelling and your clients send it viral on your story. It could be about a special tour, news with the rest of the world is this – you 22. New brochures – they are free, full of your behalf then you are doing something an agency event or something like an airline are trying to make yourself or your big travel exciting destinations. right. fuel surcharge and your thoughts on how idea, newsworthy. That is the key to having 23. Start a cruise club, an adventure club. this will affect the travel industry. After you your media / press / news release printed. It 24. Write a 5 -10 page e-Book about cruising, The News Story Format must be worthy of being printed. Repeat hiking, best of this or that and tell the world determine the story you will be able to your eBooks are available for download from Your media, press, news release must be a choose an eye catching headline such as: after me: “It’s got to be NEWSWORTHY…” your website. persuasive communication piece within the 25. New travel gadgets. framework of a traditional news story Local Travel Agency Owner Advises Story Ideas 26. Present numbers, facts and stats about format. Editors will quickly bypass your press YOU to Fly NOW! travel to your niche destination. release if it contains nonsense such as Here are twenty-nine travel related story “Number ONE in the world!” when you are ideas / topics for you to think about. 27. Issue great recipes from the Caribbean, France and Asia. only doing $20,000 in sales (not revenue). 28. Tie travel to best-selling novels/movies. 29. Write about your fantastic service. Page 30 Page 31
Your website must also support your written MEDIA PRESS RELEASE FROM… claims. This is where editors will check their For Immediate release as of (date) The Travel Club/Group information if they want / need additional information. If your website lacks credibility Date: 00/00/000 then your media release will never be Contact: Mr. Agency Owner The idea of starting a travel club in the local community is an idea that often pops printed. Agency Name: ABC Travel & Tours up and it is a great idea, too. There are challenges however and if you are not Telephone Number: 000-00-000-0000 Fax Number: 000-00-000-0000 aware of them, you could lose a ton of money not to mention your reputation. The Headline: In about ten words -- or less – Email Address: [email protected] you need to grab the attention of the editor. Web site address: www.abctravel.com Here’s a primer on how you might create your own travel club and make it work. The headline should summarize the information in the press release, but in a way Families Love Adventure Travel that is exciting and dynamic. It must stand Imagine families now want to climb mountains out from the many releases an editor together. Yes it’s true! It seems that Mr and Mrs receives each day. and their children and even Granddad and Granma want to experience grand adventures Opening Paragraph: Your first paragraph is together. critical. This paragraph must summarize your A report from (source) states that over 60% of press release, with the following paragraphs responses to the survey said an adventure trip providing the detail. The opening paragraph was their dream trip and they wanted to share must also contain the “hook”: the one thing the experience with their family. that will get the travelling consumer interested in reading more. The “hook” (the Local travel agency owner, Ms. (name) of ABC major benefit) has to be relevant to your Travel said, “It’s true, we receive many requests audience which means a cheaper way to for this type of vacation. Perhaps people are travel, a new destination, a chance to be moving away from cruising and looking for first, enter to win competitions and freebies. something new.” One-of-a-kind trips also pull. So what do these families want to do first? Well it seems climbing a mountain is first, white water The Body: Using a strategy called the kayaking is second and hiking through forests is inverted pyramid, the body of the press third. release should be written with the most Starting a travel club is easy as long as you can also attend a ready-made club such as important information first. This inverted For more information please contact: comply with local laws. That means you hire the local golf club, or photography club and pyramid technique is used so that if editors a lawyer specializing in travel law to sell them on using you as their club’s travel need to cut the story to fit space constraints, investigate the rules and regulations for the organizer. If you have a specific travel they can cut from the end without losing Three important steps: area, region, state, country where you live. It passion, then attract like-minded people. critical information. 1. Make sure your press release is might be a quick decision if the laws are too Your travel group versus club is about to published on your website and blogs. tough to comply with. In some locations form. As more people join in you’ll have the The Closing Paragraph: Repeat the critical 2. Create an online press pack or media kit you’d be filing a 40 page document and that pleasure of announcing “our next trip will be agency contact information, including your that any editor can review or download. is way beyond what you want and need to to…” – plus you can also allow your group to name, phone number, email address. Include a video. wrestle with as a home-based entity. decide where they want to go next. 3. Practice what you will say should an You can however invite people in your area Official travel clubs take time to administer. editor or reporter call you as they follow Look EVERYWHERE for story ideas. up on your press release. to attend a function where you announce Invest that time into building groups from group rates for 20, 30, 40 people travelling ready-made clubs and avoid the hassles and together to the same destination etc. You possible litigation if things go awry. It’s time to write! Page 32 Page 33
Your website must also support your written MEDIA PRESS RELEASE FROM… claims. This is where editors will check their For Immediate release as of (date) The Travel Club/Group information if they want / need additional information. If your website lacks credibility Date: 00/00/000 then your media release will never be Contact: Mr. Agency Owner The idea of starting a travel club in the local community is an idea that often pops printed. Agency Name: ABC Travel & Tours up and it is a great idea, too. There are challenges however and if you are not Telephone Number: 000-00-000-0000 Fax Number: 000-00-000-0000 aware of them, you could lose a ton of money not to mention your reputation. The Headline: In about ten words -- or less – Email Address: [email protected] you need to grab the attention of the editor. Web site address: www.abctravel.com Here’s a primer on how you might create your own travel club and make it work. The headline should summarize the information in the press release, but in a way Families Love Adventure Travel that is exciting and dynamic. It must stand Imagine families now want to climb mountains out from the many releases an editor together. Yes it’s true! It seems that Mr and Mrs receives each day. and their children and even Granddad and Granma want to experience grand adventures Opening Paragraph: Your first paragraph is together. critical. This paragraph must summarize your A report from (source) states that over 60% of press release, with the following paragraphs responses to the survey said an adventure trip providing the detail. The opening paragraph was their dream trip and they wanted to share must also contain the “hook”: the one thing the experience with their family. that will get the travelling consumer interested in reading more. The “hook” (the Local travel agency owner, Ms. (name) of ABC major benefit) has to be relevant to your Travel said, “It’s true, we receive many requests audience which means a cheaper way to for this type of vacation. Perhaps people are travel, a new destination, a chance to be moving away from cruising and looking for first, enter to win competitions and freebies. something new.” One-of-a-kind trips also pull. So what do these families want to do first? Well it seems climbing a mountain is first, white water The Body: Using a strategy called the kayaking is second and hiking through forests is inverted pyramid, the body of the press third. release should be written with the most Starting a travel club is easy as long as you can also attend a ready-made club such as important information first. This inverted For more information please contact: comply with local laws. That means you hire the local golf club, or photography club and pyramid technique is used so that if editors a lawyer specializing in travel law to sell them on using you as their club’s travel need to cut the story to fit space constraints, investigate the rules and regulations for the organizer. If you have a specific travel they can cut from the end without losing Three important steps: area, region, state, country where you live. It passion, then attract like-minded people. critical information. 1. Make sure your press release is might be a quick decision if the laws are too Your travel group versus club is about to published on your website and blogs. tough to comply with. In some locations form. As more people join in you’ll have the The Closing Paragraph: Repeat the critical 2. Create an online press pack or media kit you’d be filing a 40 page document and that pleasure of announcing “our next trip will be agency contact information, including your that any editor can review or download. is way beyond what you want and need to to…” – plus you can also allow your group to name, phone number, email address. Include a video. wrestle with as a home-based entity. decide where they want to go next. 3. Practice what you will say should an You can however invite people in your area Official travel clubs take time to administer. editor or reporter call you as they follow Look EVERYWHERE for story ideas. up on your press release. to attend a function where you announce Invest that time into building groups from group rates for 20, 30, 40 people travelling ready-made clubs and avoid the hassles and together to the same destination etc. You possible litigation if things go awry. It’s time to write! Page 32 Page 33
That’s NOT a Niche! To Niche or not to Niche, this is the question. In fact there is no challenge to investing your time and effort to sell into a niche of your choice - as long as it is a niche. The “niche” distinction is very important to your success. Many niche markets bantered around in the trade papers are not niches – they are types of vacation. A niche, as the word is applied to the travel trade, is one segment of a specific vacation type. You’ll need to truly identify your niche otherwise you’ll be back to selling mass market and competing on price once again. Cruise or cruising is well known as a niche and every style of hotel that once again can market which is not exactly a true offer you a niche to take on as your own. statement. Cruising is a type of vacation. A niche within the cruise vacation type would Once you understand what a niche actually be luxury cruises, or river cruises as shown is then you will be able to select the one you on the chart below extracted from the have a passion for and take it to market. You recent Travelweek Ultimate Travel Survey. will do very well in selling your niche as most other travel agents are focused on the mass market products and the usual destinations. Nothing wrong with that as there is money to be made in both. As a home-based seller of travel you too can and should sell the typical travel arrangements that your clients would like you to book for them. You might still want to sell only one type of vacation which might be cruising and then promote your niche under that heading. Here’s how you might promote your cruise focus and your niche at the same time. There are in fact hundreds of niche markets CRUISE VACATION EXPERTS and niche activities that form the base for a niche market. There are as many niche Specializing in Greek Island Cruises destinations as there are countries that are divided by the number of states, territories, Take a hard look at how you promote your provinces, counties, areas and regions that niche and make sure you and your niche are each offering you a niche. Then we have stand out from the mass market products every city on the planet, every hiking trail being sold around you. Page 34 Page 35
That’s NOT a Niche! To Niche or not to Niche, this is the question. In fact there is no challenge to investing your time and effort to sell into a niche of your choice - as long as it is a niche. The “niche” distinction is very important to your success. Many niche markets bantered around in the trade papers are not niches – they are types of vacation. A niche, as the word is applied to the travel trade, is one segment of a specific vacation type. You’ll need to truly identify your niche otherwise you’ll be back to selling mass market and competing on price once again. Cruise or cruising is well known as a niche and every style of hotel that once again can market which is not exactly a true offer you a niche to take on as your own. statement. Cruising is a type of vacation. A niche within the cruise vacation type would Once you understand what a niche actually be luxury cruises, or river cruises as shown is then you will be able to select the one you on the chart below extracted from the have a passion for and take it to market. You recent Travelweek Ultimate Travel Survey. will do very well in selling your niche as most other travel agents are focused on the mass market products and the usual destinations. Nothing wrong with that as there is money to be made in both. As a home-based seller of travel you too can and should sell the typical travel arrangements that your clients would like you to book for them. You might still want to sell only one type of vacation which might be cruising and then promote your niche under that heading. Here’s how you might promote your cruise focus and your niche at the same time. There are in fact hundreds of niche markets CRUISE VACATION EXPERTS and niche activities that form the base for a niche market. There are as many niche Specializing in Greek Island Cruises destinations as there are countries that are divided by the number of states, territories, Take a hard look at how you promote your provinces, counties, areas and regions that niche and make sure you and your niche are each offering you a niche. Then we have stand out from the mass market products every city on the planet, every hiking trail being sold around you. Page 34 Page 35
The Contributions of Female Explorers - Courtney Stephens Niche: Women Only As we know, women working in the travel industry constitute about 80-85% of the workforce and if you just happen to be female and looking for a niche to get your teeth into, then serving up new women only adventures of any kind might be the niche for you. I use the word ‘adventures’ however it could be replaced with vacations, trips, holidays, tours and then again anything else you could add as the type of trip or vacation. You could have shopping trips, fishing trips, golfing, hiking and all arranged around the needs of your female clients. The art of arranging trips for women-only are probably best left to female travel agents, but then I have to say, not so! Back in the mid-1970s I opened a women’s only department in my travel agency called WOMANS WORLD Travel. See below for what would now be considered horrendous ad layouts. Back then it was clip art that you actually cut out, and stuck to the layout. That went off to the newspaper and they shot it and printed it. Today we are supremely spoiled when it comes to all things marketing related. Here a strange title until you read into the truly grand scale: they traveled the world, book - They Went Whistling. commanded pirate ships, spied on the enemy, established foreign countries, scaled 19,000-foot passes, and lobbied to change the Constitution. So I know about women only travel since the only the past, but also present day women 70’s ‘til now and believe that it’s a niche full explorers too. You should, as with any niche, of niches for female agents to explore. know the history and the roots of what you are selling. Because you are female you will identify with certain needs, wants and amenities that You can research online as always and on the Here’s the review: Throughout history there your female niche clients desire when they next page I shall introduce you to a couple of have been women, endowed with curiosity travel. You still have to ask the hard books and a terrific YouTube video that and abundant spirit, who stepped out of the questions and decipher what their personal spells it out about those that went before cave, cast off the shackles of expectation, This illustrated edition of \"The Virago Book requests are. you carved a path for the women who and struck out for new territory. In this ode of Women Travellers\" captures 300 years of follow. They were courageous women and to bold, brash, and sometimes just plain wanderlust. Some of the women are It is also a very good idea to explore the travelled when it was tough for men to do dangerous women, Barbara Holland observers of the world in which they wander history of women who have travelled in the so. Their stories are mesmerizing. reanimates those rebels who defied and others are more active. Often they are past and written about their adventures. Not convention and challenged authority on a storytellers, weaving tales about the people Page 36 Page 37
The Contributions of Female Explorers - Courtney Stephens Niche: Women Only As we know, women working in the travel industry constitute about 80-85% of the workforce and if you just happen to be female and looking for a niche to get your teeth into, then serving up new women only adventures of any kind might be the niche for you. I use the word ‘adventures’ however it could be replaced with vacations, trips, holidays, tours and then again anything else you could add as the type of trip or vacation. You could have shopping trips, fishing trips, golfing, hiking and all arranged around the needs of your female clients. The art of arranging trips for women-only are probably best left to female travel agents, but then I have to say, not so! Back in the mid-1970s I opened a women’s only department in my travel agency called WOMANS WORLD Travel. See below for what would now be considered horrendous ad layouts. Back then it was clip art that you actually cut out, and stuck to the layout. That went off to the newspaper and they shot it and printed it. Today we are supremely spoiled when it comes to all things marketing related. Here a strange title until you read into the truly grand scale: they traveled the world, book - They Went Whistling. commanded pirate ships, spied on the enemy, established foreign countries, scaled 19,000-foot passes, and lobbied to change the Constitution. So I know about women only travel since the only the past, but also present day women 70’s ‘til now and believe that it’s a niche full explorers too. You should, as with any niche, of niches for female agents to explore. know the history and the roots of what you are selling. Because you are female you will identify with certain needs, wants and amenities that You can research online as always and on the Here’s the review: Throughout history there your female niche clients desire when they next page I shall introduce you to a couple of have been women, endowed with curiosity travel. You still have to ask the hard books and a terrific YouTube video that and abundant spirit, who stepped out of the questions and decipher what their personal spells it out about those that went before cave, cast off the shackles of expectation, This illustrated edition of \"The Virago Book requests are. you carved a path for the women who and struck out for new territory. In this ode of Women Travellers\" captures 300 years of follow. They were courageous women and to bold, brash, and sometimes just plain wanderlust. Some of the women are It is also a very good idea to explore the travelled when it was tough for men to do dangerous women, Barbara Holland observers of the world in which they wander history of women who have travelled in the so. Their stories are mesmerizing. reanimates those rebels who defied and others are more active. Often they are past and written about their adventures. Not convention and challenged authority on a storytellers, weaving tales about the people Page 36 Page 37
they encounter. Whether it is curiosity about From experience let me tell you PINK is out! the world or escape from personal tragedy, Well not always but for most women in the Book Sales and More these women approached their journeys adventure category it’s not a fit unless tied with wit, intelligence, compassion and to supporting breast cancer initiatives. So do empathy for the lives of others. your due diligence on your colour schemes Having just returned from a book sale it came to mind to recommend the practice when you build your website. to you, too. The book sale I attended laid out thousands of books and at a cost Today there are many women-only travel of $3 for hardcover and large books. The travel section sported hundreds of titles websites and adventure is a keyword in their How To Start: business names. I Googled the search terms Call a meeting of your most pleasant female and when you attend such a book sale, be sure to look for those glorious coffee women only travel adventures and Wild customers and tell them your plans, and ask table sized books, especially the books that support your travel passion. Women Adventures looked great. Here’s for their input as to where “WE” should go their home page. for our FIRST trip. This meeting will set the scene, and you will have your initial membership right there in the room. Generally when a group decides where “WE” are going, they go. Next: establish your brand, your logo and your branded clothing. The group MUST wear the ball cap or the t-shirt – not only for easy recognition of each other in a crowd but to cement the group as travelling I arrived home with ten books, five where and allow you to sell as if you were there, companions. Yes, it also promotes your related to art and the other five where travel when it happened. This knowledge opens up business. books. The titles of the books were: My new opportunities for you as you might be Voyage Around The World - the memoirs of the only travel agent in the area that knows a 16 th century explorer called Francesco exactly where an event took place. You have Equipment: Along with your branded The concept of women only if you are going clothing comes additional must have Carletti; the history of the Atlantic express an edge. You can now contact your clients liners – The Only Way to Cross; a 1937 with a fascinating itinerary and tease them to do it right, means you accept all women equipment and that includes a whistle, publication The Nile by the famous Emil with your new knowledge. of all ages, races, creeds, religions and life emergency and GPS apps downloaded to Ludwig – with a map glued into the back style – subject to the level of adventure and smart phones, and GOGIRL – I’ll let you inside cover and finally a book by Giles some destinations. explore this very useful travelling companion. If you’ve ever had the pleasure Milton titled Big Chief Elizabeth – Moving away from the adventure vacation of visiting squat toilets you’ll know this is a exploration in Elizabethan times. then you can deliver on shopping, gambling, needed piece of kit. These books are treasures in terms of the show tours, sports, keep fit, reading groups, direct knowledge you gain. They tell the historical and working on archeological digs story of what it was like “then” and many of around the world. There’s volunteering those places back then are still, today, as Many of the coffee table books to be found vacations too and hundreds more. at Barnes & Noble, or Indigo-Chapters sell th they were. Yes you can touch 16 century for twenty bucks and many times present to doorways and walls and head stones and you You may wish to focus on one age group – can actually stand on the very spot where you complete itineraries. All you need is a you might team up Grandmas and their certain events took place. You may never group of 30 and you can plan the most Granddaughters. Then there’s the That’s it for now. There’s much to be done in have known about them, unless you read it fabulous customized trip that your clients generational tour with daughter, her mum the women-only niche, so over to you. Make in history. Old books help you sell travel have ever had the pleasure of joining. So and her mum heading off somewhere. me proud. read ‘em and reap the benefits, too! today. They deliver the foundation you need Page 38 Page 39
they encounter. Whether it is curiosity about From experience let me tell you PINK is out! the world or escape from personal tragedy, Well not always but for most women in the Book Sales and More these women approached their journeys adventure category it’s not a fit unless tied with wit, intelligence, compassion and to supporting breast cancer initiatives. So do empathy for the lives of others. your due diligence on your colour schemes Having just returned from a book sale it came to mind to recommend the practice when you build your website. to you, too. The book sale I attended laid out thousands of books and at a cost Today there are many women-only travel of $3 for hardcover and large books. The travel section sported hundreds of titles websites and adventure is a keyword in their How To Start: business names. I Googled the search terms Call a meeting of your most pleasant female and when you attend such a book sale, be sure to look for those glorious coffee women only travel adventures and Wild customers and tell them your plans, and ask table sized books, especially the books that support your travel passion. Women Adventures looked great. Here’s for their input as to where “WE” should go their home page. for our FIRST trip. This meeting will set the scene, and you will have your initial membership right there in the room. Generally when a group decides where “WE” are going, they go. Next: establish your brand, your logo and your branded clothing. The group MUST wear the ball cap or the t-shirt – not only for easy recognition of each other in a crowd but to cement the group as travelling I arrived home with ten books, five where and allow you to sell as if you were there, companions. Yes, it also promotes your related to art and the other five where travel when it happened. This knowledge opens up business. books. The titles of the books were: My new opportunities for you as you might be Voyage Around The World - the memoirs of the only travel agent in the area that knows a 16 th century explorer called Francesco exactly where an event took place. You have Equipment: Along with your branded The concept of women only if you are going clothing comes additional must have Carletti; the history of the Atlantic express an edge. You can now contact your clients liners – The Only Way to Cross; a 1937 with a fascinating itinerary and tease them to do it right, means you accept all women equipment and that includes a whistle, publication The Nile by the famous Emil with your new knowledge. of all ages, races, creeds, religions and life emergency and GPS apps downloaded to Ludwig – with a map glued into the back style – subject to the level of adventure and smart phones, and GOGIRL – I’ll let you inside cover and finally a book by Giles some destinations. explore this very useful travelling companion. If you’ve ever had the pleasure Milton titled Big Chief Elizabeth – Moving away from the adventure vacation of visiting squat toilets you’ll know this is a exploration in Elizabethan times. then you can deliver on shopping, gambling, needed piece of kit. These books are treasures in terms of the show tours, sports, keep fit, reading groups, direct knowledge you gain. They tell the historical and working on archeological digs story of what it was like “then” and many of around the world. There’s volunteering those places back then are still, today, as Many of the coffee table books to be found vacations too and hundreds more. at Barnes & Noble, or Indigo-Chapters sell th they were. Yes you can touch 16 century for twenty bucks and many times present to doorways and walls and head stones and you You may wish to focus on one age group – can actually stand on the very spot where you complete itineraries. All you need is a you might team up Grandmas and their certain events took place. You may never group of 30 and you can plan the most Granddaughters. Then there’s the That’s it for now. There’s much to be done in have known about them, unless you read it fabulous customized trip that your clients generational tour with daughter, her mum the women-only niche, so over to you. Make in history. Old books help you sell travel have ever had the pleasure of joining. So and her mum heading off somewhere. me proud. read ‘em and reap the benefits, too! today. They deliver the foundation you need Page 38 Page 39
Webcam Shoots Video Promotions Are you using your webcam as a marketing tool? You could and you should. Not Video engages more senses than text – or it seems that way! Sitting and watching, only can it beam you out to the online masses, it can also serve as a quick-use listening, thinking, colour, action, sound, music… sunsets, cruise ships… you know tool to snap “I need it now” images. Here’s a couple of ideas you can try. what I’m talking about. It’s all right there on the screen versus reading a blog or newsletter which is static and the imagineering, as Mr. Disney would say, is in the mind of the reader. Video is working its way to the top as a marketing tool for Turn on your webcam and make sure you The Sign Shot travel agents and you should know how to blend it into your plan. have the image size cranked up to high. My Back in front of the webcam you go. Hold up webcam shoots 10mp images. Be warned, a blank card or 8½ x 11 sized piece of paper. some webcams that are built into your Shoot one image with you holding the Most travel agents can make excellent use of Just by reading this magazine you will know that I have used video to say hi, to promote video as a sales tool and direct their clients laptop are very poor when it comes to image card/paper in landscape style and another to a self-made YouTube video, by sending myself, promote the magazine, to offer a quality. You might want to invest in a image holding the card/paper in portrait them a link. Very simple. The word ‘simple’ quick-clip training session and to promote standalone high end webcam if your built in style. Next: you can use the image ‘as is’ or needs to be qualified. It’s easy enough if you BBC’s superb video series called Human is not doing the job. Okay – back to the as you can see below, I have used Snag It to take the time to practice and invest in the Planet. Here’s six ideas for how you might project. crop the image. right kit. use your video camera and online tools. The Latest Brochure Shot Copying and embedding YouTube videos and 1. The “Hi How Are You?” Video Pick up the latest brochure you would like to supplier videos into and on to your own 2. The Just Back From Overseas Video 3. The Posted to Blog Video promote. Could be a supplier brochure website also works. Even better if you have 4. The Announcement Video featuring packaged holidays over the festive an account with YouTube and can direct your 5. The Coming Event Video season, a luxury cruise brochure or a client to your very own YouTube channel 6. The Deal Video destination guide with a glorious cover. The where your supplier’s videos now reside. image below shows me holding a hard copy Next: Import your image into Word and then Sounds pretty easy as I say and it’s not that Tips and Techniques of the premier issue of this magazine. So put open a text box over the blank card space difficult as long as you pay attention to what Make sure your video camera can shoot HD yourself in my chair, holding the brochure of and type in your call to action. Angle the text you are clicking on and where you are saving 1080. You want the best. Be sure to use a choice and then “click!” Job done. Browse to box just a tad. Using SnagIt… capture the each video. When you establish a YouTube tripod. Make sure background horizons are level. Sit on the corner of your desk to the folder where the webcam images reside, current image and save it as either a JPEG or account you’ll want to verify it, then you can present. Walk around your office. Use your right click, copy and paste to your blog, your PNG or both and you are finished. You can upload longer videos and also change the hands, add gestures. Eyeball the camera newsletter, your email, your social sites and reuse the blank sign image for many more thumbnail image to an image you prefer to lens. Head outdoors. your website. additional announcements. represent your video. If you do not do this, then the YouTube editor will choose an image from within the video and display that When you use your webcam for this as the main image which could be you purpose, always check what will be seen in caught in mid-facial adjustment with your the background and make changes as mouth open and your eyes closed, looking needed. Dress appropriately for the shoot. somewhat drunk out of your skull! Not the Match your attire to what you are best way to intro yourself and or your video. promoting. If in doubt, keep it businesslike. The video shown here was created by Allan Jenkins of TravelOnly who recently moved to Over to you. ACTION! Print. Engage. Sell! Scotland. Allan is now set up in Scotland to book custom FITs just for you. Allan is home based. Next step is to add a caption or add a sales He listens. He learns. He does. It’s always a pleasure to advise him because he follows through. script around your image. Watch Allan’s video. Connect with him. Use him for your FIT client’s heading his way. Page 40 Page 41
Webcam Shoots Video Promotions Are you using your webcam as a marketing tool? You could and you should. Not Video engages more senses than text – or it seems that way! Sitting and watching, only can it beam you out to the online masses, it can also serve as a quick-use listening, thinking, colour, action, sound, music… sunsets, cruise ships… you know tool to snap “I need it now” images. Here’s a couple of ideas you can try. what I’m talking about. It’s all right there on the screen versus reading a blog or newsletter which is static and the imagineering, as Mr. Disney would say, is in the mind of the reader. Video is working its way to the top as a marketing tool for Turn on your webcam and make sure you The Sign Shot travel agents and you should know how to blend it into your plan. have the image size cranked up to high. My Back in front of the webcam you go. Hold up webcam shoots 10mp images. Be warned, a blank card or 8½ x 11 sized piece of paper. some webcams that are built into your Shoot one image with you holding the Most travel agents can make excellent use of Just by reading this magazine you will know that I have used video to say hi, to promote video as a sales tool and direct their clients laptop are very poor when it comes to image card/paper in landscape style and another to a self-made YouTube video, by sending myself, promote the magazine, to offer a quality. You might want to invest in a image holding the card/paper in portrait them a link. Very simple. The word ‘simple’ quick-clip training session and to promote standalone high end webcam if your built in style. Next: you can use the image ‘as is’ or needs to be qualified. It’s easy enough if you BBC’s superb video series called Human is not doing the job. Okay – back to the as you can see below, I have used Snag It to take the time to practice and invest in the Planet. Here’s six ideas for how you might project. crop the image. right kit. use your video camera and online tools. The Latest Brochure Shot Copying and embedding YouTube videos and 1. The “Hi How Are You?” Video Pick up the latest brochure you would like to supplier videos into and on to your own 2. The Just Back From Overseas Video 3. The Posted to Blog Video promote. Could be a supplier brochure website also works. Even better if you have 4. The Announcement Video featuring packaged holidays over the festive an account with YouTube and can direct your 5. The Coming Event Video season, a luxury cruise brochure or a client to your very own YouTube channel 6. The Deal Video destination guide with a glorious cover. The where your supplier’s videos now reside. image below shows me holding a hard copy Next: Import your image into Word and then Sounds pretty easy as I say and it’s not that Tips and Techniques of the premier issue of this magazine. So put open a text box over the blank card space difficult as long as you pay attention to what Make sure your video camera can shoot HD yourself in my chair, holding the brochure of and type in your call to action. Angle the text you are clicking on and where you are saving 1080. You want the best. Be sure to use a choice and then “click!” Job done. Browse to box just a tad. Using SnagIt… capture the each video. When you establish a YouTube tripod. Make sure background horizons are level. Sit on the corner of your desk to the folder where the webcam images reside, current image and save it as either a JPEG or account you’ll want to verify it, then you can present. Walk around your office. Use your right click, copy and paste to your blog, your PNG or both and you are finished. You can upload longer videos and also change the hands, add gestures. Eyeball the camera newsletter, your email, your social sites and reuse the blank sign image for many more thumbnail image to an image you prefer to lens. Head outdoors. your website. additional announcements. represent your video. If you do not do this, then the YouTube editor will choose an image from within the video and display that When you use your webcam for this as the main image which could be you purpose, always check what will be seen in caught in mid-facial adjustment with your the background and make changes as mouth open and your eyes closed, looking needed. Dress appropriately for the shoot. somewhat drunk out of your skull! Not the Match your attire to what you are best way to intro yourself and or your video. promoting. If in doubt, keep it businesslike. The video shown here was created by Allan Jenkins of TravelOnly who recently moved to Over to you. ACTION! Print. Engage. Sell! Scotland. Allan is now set up in Scotland to book custom FITs just for you. Allan is home based. Next step is to add a caption or add a sales He listens. He learns. He does. It’s always a pleasure to advise him because he follows through. script around your image. Watch Allan’s video. Connect with him. Use him for your FIT client’s heading his way. Page 40 Page 41
Training Page Training Page Topic: Staying on Top of Everyday News with GOOGLE ALERTS Topic: Introducing you to MORE Human Planet Videos If you have not yet created a GOOGLE ALERT now is the time and here’s a quick clip video to I’m back with two more BBC Human Planet videos. One taking you into the jungles and to view show you how. Google Alerts, once you have created them will deliver the news you need on massive trees, the other video shows 3,000 reindeer being herded to greener pastures – but the topic and topics of your choosing to your inbox in accordance with the schedule you choose. they must swim to it. Travelling the world to view old, ancient, tall and massive trees happens You can even create an alert for your name, your competition, suppliers and your host agency to be a niche market as does witnessing events such as animal migrations. These two videos name too. This is just an excellent way to stay in touch with your industry and the world. will give you enough information to kick start your imagination in either direction. If you like adventure travel, then know that most Baby Boomers are looking for something different to do. Send your clients YouTube links to videos like these and follow up with a consumer presentation. Below, 3,000 reindeer make a crossing to pasture… You know the warning “Be careful what you ask for, you might get it.” And after you create one or many Alerts, you will definitely get what you ask for. So don’t get carried away. Think hard about the intelligence you would like to receive each day and stick to the main topics. Creating an Alert for your own name and your agency name is very important. Google will pick up and send to you what’s being said about you online. The return results could be your own blog postings, it might be a reprint of a press release you sent out months ago, it might be something someone else wrote about you in a blog or posted online to a social network. Its information you need to know. Page 42 Page 43
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