Note: This column is aimed at the ownership of the traditional agency model with employees and independent contractors

As a travel agency owner, you navigate an industry where trust in your employees is paramount. However, balancing trust with periodic audits is essential in steering your business away from potential pitfalls. It's not about fostering a culture of paranoia; rather, it's about ensuring the integrity and sustainability of your agency.

Consider this real-life scenario: An agency was hit with a staggering $20,000 debit memo from an international carrier. The cause? A trusted employee had been inaccurately claiming commissions on international flights despite applying only to domestic ones. Unfortunately, the issue came to light only after the carrier audited the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) report—nearly two years later. By…

We have previously discussed the need to train clients. Let's revisit the discussion. It is not an exaggeration to indicate the success or failure of your travel business will depend on the extent to which you are capable of taking charge of your client relationships and professionally leading them into behavior conducive to traveling safely and well. Top travel professionals train their clients to be good clients. Training your client assists both you and the client to achieve optimal results from every travel planning effort.At the outset of the relationship, these great travel professionals set expectations. They explain to their clients the services that a travel consultant performs and how the client benefits…

The growth of sites such as Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay have so revolutionized the stock photography landscape that giants like Getty Images, which now owns Unsplash, and Canva (Pixabay and Pexels) are now major players. It all seems most attractive. A no-cost registration gives the travel professional millions of images to use on their website, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms without laying out any money at all. It is the best of all worlds for the travel marketer.

Or is…

In home-based businesses, sales professionals have been stricken with a disease called "quit-itis." Although most people desperately want to succeed, they let their fears and misguided beliefs hold them back only to convince themselves that the logical next step is to give up. But it doesn't have to end this way for you.

The statistics that you might want to tattoo on your forearm are these: After a prospect initially rejects a proposal, 50 percent of salespeople stop calling on that prospect. An additional 25 percent stop calling the prospect after they gather enough confidence only to be rejected for a second time. Here is the clincher: The majority of sales—80 percent—happen after the fifth contact. Your tattoo will look something like this: 50-25-80.

By helping you…