Did you know that with more than 300 people living in the US, that The United over 27 million are entrepreneurs? And for the record, I really hate that word; but for this column, it is probably the most fitting. An entrepreneur runs most travel agencies. It might be a multi branch retail agency, or a very small home-based boutique one. While some of the challenges and nuances of both are different, the core concepts are held in common. There are three of them. And no matter if you are home-based selling $200,000 a year or own a corporate multi-branch agency with several hundred million in sales per year, you need to get these three right in order to succeed. And remember, 50% of businesses…

In baseball batters miss pitches. In football receivers miss catches. Tall basketball guys miss free throws. Singers fail to make the cut. Talented people don’t get hired. The best proposal does not always win. Sales professionals miss deals. And you too, will miss whatever it is you do from time to…

At the heart of every business is what many call a “customer value proposition.”  Simply put, what value do you offer the customer?  Can you answer without hesitation the question “why should I use your services?” At countless trade shows and presentations, I’ve witnessed too many agents stumble over this important question.  Your value proposition should be a matter of muscle memory, not a pop quiz.

To assist you with developing your own answer, let’s consider three very important issues.

What do you…

Christina Ernst began her career as a full time travel consultant in 1993 and opened her own travel agency shortly after in 1996. She graduated from Georgia State University from which she earned a Bachelor of the Arts Degree in German.

Throughout her career in travel, Christina has made and maintained excellent relationships  with domestic and overseas travel and tourism colleagues. She has visited over 60 countries including hiking in Brazil, polar bear viewing near the arctic circle, penguin watching in New Zealand and has visited the Alpine countries in Europe over 40…

The one certainty about trade show promotion is it is harder than it looks. The entire process must be a well coordinated and timed convergence of the right suppliers, the right speakers and a collection of travel professionals. This year, Travel Show Marketing Group’s Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum demonstrated how adept the group has become at putting together an exceptional travel agent trade show and received well deserved praise from both suppliers and travel professionals for their efforts.

The Stats: 900 travel agents in attendance with 130 Hosted Agents each whom boasted a vetted one million dollar annual production. More than 280 vendors were on site to exhibit, in total more than 1,700 travel professionals from across the world. 

The Conference Schedule: This…