Why become a travel agent?

People often ask me how I get paid or why they should not just make their own reservations.  Hotels, rental car companies, tour companies, cruise lines and some airlines pay a travel agent a commission on the sale.  This is not an additional amount you have to pay.  It is the same price as if the person booked it with the company him/herself or if a travel agent makes the booking.  For my agency, this is what I survive on.  Some have decided to charge fees for their services.  So why should people use a travel agent?  Many times I can get things cheaper due to all the resources I have at my fingertips.  There are some companies that only deal with travel agents so you would not be able to get their prices.  One company I deal with on a regular basis for Hawaii packages will not sell to the public and I have saved people money using this company.  A travel agent is like any personal service that you use regularly like hairdresser, doctor, lawyer, etc.  Once you find one that provides you the service you want and need, it can be a lasting relationship.

But what about all the places on the Internet that you can buy your travel?  It is a good idea to check to see if it is the deal that some may think it is.    I think that the Internet is a great resource but many think they will get a better deal than they would thru a local travel agency.  If this has been the case for you, this does not mean all agents are like this.  Or it may be a one-time deal where you did save by using the Internet.  The problem with the Internet is that there isn't that personal touch a local agent could give you.  If a problem arises, you can be in trouble.  There are also many fraudulent companies online.  I have done some research on using the internet to book travel and I have found that there are many times where the internet shopper pays more than what I can find.  Some rental car companies online charge more than what I can get my customers.  Then some agencies get better rates thru certain companies due to affiliations or sales offered only to travel agencies.  Many airline websites will not check all options because they aren't affiliated with certain airlines.  There will always be the chance of getting a special on the Internet, I won't deny that.  Some airlines are offering Internet fares only but many times a travel agent can get you the same rate.

Dugans Travels

It is now 2013 and I can't believe it has almost been 16 years since I first made the step to start Dugan's Travels.  I can hardly remember how hard it was but part of me will never forget.  So many things are different now.  When I first started taking on other moms to help them become travel agents I had no idea what to do.  Now we have a full fledge training program in place.  We now have people of all ages, races, sex, etc.. and there is no set type of person who joins us.

One thing that has been hard is learning how to deal with becoming so successful which in turn has people who want to just tear it all down.  There are so many hateful websites out there.  People posting untrue things for no reason other than to cause issues.  New companies are now coming up to fix the negative things which leads me to wonder who put the negative posts in the first place.

I am learning that all I can do is tell the true story of Dugan's Travels. I know that those who know me and our agency will see those posts for what they are.  Someone said to me the other day I should be flattered because only people who have done well for themselves are a target for people who are angry.  I am not sure if that helps any.

I am so excited for 2013 and what it will bring for the agency.  I know it is going to be an amazing year.

Jennifer Dugan
Dugans Travels

Advertising - what is the best investment

What it best advertising for a homebased agent? 

First nothing in the world will be better than word of mouth and a happy customer.  It doesn't matter what you spend in advertising, word of mouth is key in this business.  You must take care of your customers and be good at customer service.  If you ignore complaints, don't return phone calls or emails, don't care about someone after they give you their money - then you are going to not make it in this field period.

Can you advertise on a small budget?  Absolutely.

Here are some ideas:

Get a really nice business card - no they don't have to cost a fortune.. some places to try are:
www.printsmadeeasy.com  www.vistaprint.com

Get that card out everywhere.  Get brochures and get your card on them.  Leave them anywhere you go for example waiting rooms.. people love to look at brochures while waiting someplace like dr, dentist, auto shop, etc..

Talk to people.  Again word of mouth is so important.  Tell people what you.  Get a fun shirt.  I have one that says "work sucks, I am going on a cruise" that I wear.  It is a conversation starter.  Always have a card in a pocket or easily accessible in your wallet or purse. 

Hang flyers on bulletin boards along with a couple cards.

People need to see your name about 10 times before they will recongize it.

Call local media like the newspaper and find out about getting featured in an article. 

You can do it.  I started my business with a very, very small budget so it is very doable!

Check your email!

If you are going to offer email for your clients to reach you, be absolutely sure you check your email regularly.  This is a huge mistake so many businesses are making.  If you aren't someone who checks email, then don't put it on your website, business cards or anywhere someone can find it and email you.  It makes you look unprofessional as well as makes the client feel you could care less about their business.

If you are going to be away from email for awhile, set up an auto-responder letting people know this.  It is always easy to do so if you don't know how- contact your internet provider or email provider to find out how.

Smart phones now allow you to check your email quickly and get back to your clients right away.  

I don't know how many businesses I have emailed who never replied.  One business got back to me about a month after I sent her an email and she lost my business because I went with a company who replied to me right away.

Do you have competitors in your area?  Well I bet 1/2 of them will not reply to an email so if you reply quickly you are already ahead of them!

Jennifer Dugan

Dugans Travels is expanding

Who would have thought 15 years ago when I started Dugan's Travels to be where we are today.

We just announced our new management team.  I remember being so alone when I first started and now I have some great people I can depend on.  When I first started this business I had no clue what I was doing.  I still learn alot each day but to imagine where it started to where it is today is pretty amazing.

I was speaking with another small business owner the other day and we were discussing how hard it is to get information to help start a business.  This is why I do enjoy doing what I do because we do help people get started in the business.  We have done the struggling so that we can help others.

When I started there weren't too many homebased travel agents yet.  Now it is so common that it is almost uncommon to hear about a store front agency.  That is not to say that storefront agencies are not needed because this business is big enough for all types of travel agencies.  Anyone saying that travel is dead must not know about our agents who are booking more than ever it seems.

Here is a great announcement in case you haven't already seen it.

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/dugans-travels-expands-travel-host-agency-with-new-management-team-298877.php

Jennifer

Back to Blogging

I had taken time off from blogging mainly because I just had twins in May.  When I first started my agency I had just had my son who is now almost 15 years old.  Now having my twins, I am remembering how I had to balance work and a baby.  The main difference was I was trying to build a business back then and now I am trying to manage the agency since it has grown so much in 15 years.

I am very fortunate to have many great people involved in my agency now.  I no longer shoulder the full load but have great people who work for the agency.  I can now get help when I need it and am not so stressed about getting in as much hours as I did when I first started out.

Many people have asked me how the business is doing.  So many people are surprised when I tell them we have had the best year so far this year.  Our business with suppliers is up 38%.  We have met sales goals we have never made before and suppliers are now calling us to make arrangements for our commission % for 2012. 

I think our agents are really getting out there and getting business which is so awesome!  The truth is only you can make your business succeed.  So many people think it will just come to them but if you are not out there working at it, you aren't going to make it.

Tonight I spent hours just trying to get our website into better position on the search engines.  I am hoping when people look for information on our agency they find websites like this blog and feel they get to know what we are all about.

I hope to blog much more now and try to help anyone I can who is interested in becoming a homebased travel agent.

Travel is picking up!

For those wondering if travel is still a business that is profitable, I can say that travel is definitely picking up.  We have seen a big increase in our sales and people seem to be traveling more than they have been the last year or so.

What does that mean to you as a homebased travel agent? It means there are more and more people out there who are looking for a professional to help them plan that trip.  As a travel agent you will have the ability to look at the client's options.  You won't be pushing one particular thing like many websites do. 

Say someone wants to go to Disneyland. Now they might go to Disney's website and look for pricing.  If you can help that same person, you will more than likely get them a better deal using another supplier.  Sometimes Disney has specials that are the best pricing but many times you can put together a package using different suppliers to get your clients a better price.

People are busy.  They want someone to help when they can.  If it doesn't cost the client anything to use you and you can actually SAVE them money.. you will have a client for a lifetime.  I know I love when I get to have the groomer give my dog a bath and I don't have to do it!  A travel agent provides a service to those needing or wanting to travel.

Now is a great time to start that new business as a homebased travel agent!

Jennifer Dugan