Adapt and prosper

Thirty years ago, Peg and John Haskins bought Viking Travel Service in La Grange, Ill. It was a solid business, but Peg soon became aware of a core group of customers who lived across the street at a retirement center. While they booked their family trips with Viking, when they wanted to travel as a group they walked to the local community center and talked with a tour coordinator there.

Those folks were just wonderful, she recalled. They would stop by and have coffee in our offices. But I was losing them.

To capture more of those seniors travel dollars, Haskins started offering some tours of her own, mostly day trips and some short overnights in the surrounding area.

Today, that department is called Shared Adventures and has grown into a $2 million group business. Viking works not only with seniors but with affinity and specialty groups, including churches and banks, throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.

We do everything from an architectural cruise in Chicago to longer trips, such as Door County, a resort area of Wisconsin, she said. We do a lot of business in gated communities in our area. The tours help to build long-term relationships with customers. The Internet is great, but people are still interested in doing business with someone locally, as long as they can get good value and they trust you.

The group department helped the agency weather industry upheavals in the 1990s, when many full-service agencies closed, said Peg, who concentrates on marketing and management at the main office while John takes care of financial matters from the Naperville, Ill., office. (He also is chairman of the ASTAPAC Governing Board, which raises money for ASTAs lobbying efforts.)

A focus on cruises also has helped the agencys bottom line. In the late 1980s, when the cruise industry started booming, the Haskinses realized that the agency lacked a strong cruise department. They acquired a local cruise-only agency, Ship Shop, which provided Viking with an established clientele and two cruise agents. It also got Haskins thinking about a different way of running the agency.

At that time, all of our agents did a bit of everything. We didnt have specialists, but we learned thats really a better way of doing things. Let those who really know how to sell something have free reign and give them good support.

The agency, with $12 million in annual sales, now operates seven divisions staffed with specialists. In addition to Shared Adventures and The Cruise Shop, there is Golf Links, Family Vacations, Leisure Travels, Alaska Vacations and Italian Travels.

Group business adds many benefits to an agency, including providing needed revenue during low season, attracting new customers and, most of all, generating higher profit margins, she said.

You can mark up the group tours and make a unique package, Haskins said. You can cost it at 25 people and have all your expenses paid, and if you get 35 people, its all profit.

Groups are also a good way to capture new clients. Many of Viking Travels customers learned about the agency through a tour. The agency enters their contact information in its customer relationship management database, and customers receive direct mailings based on their preferences and demographics.

One of the best selling tools the agency has going for it is its main office. Six years ago, Viking Travel outgrew its original office space in a building in La Grange, where it was located for 27 years, and moved to Westmont.

The new headquarters is only four miles from the old location, both in affluent Chicago suburbs, but it has made a world of difference.

We worked with a designer to create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable, Haskins said. There are no brochures displayed. There are big windows and beautiful landscaping. There are sofas. Its like a living room. We encourage people to come in, and we offer refreshments and a place to relax.

The more elegant space has helped woo more upscale clients.

Everyone says we have the most beautiful travel agency they have seen, Haskins said. All the agents feel that its great coming to work. We feel like all we have to do is to get our clients to come inside, have a seat and well sell them. Weve matched our environment with the type of clients we want.

Ultimately, Haskins said, the key to the agencys success comes down to a simple business philosophy.

You have to adjust when things change. You have to adapt to change and take control.

Think youre a good candidate for an upcoming Agent Life? Contact Laura Del Rosso, Agent Life editor, at [email protected]. Include your agency name, agency location, telephone number and e-mail address in the message and put Agent Life in the subject line.

Perfect Itinerary

Touring the monasteries of Armenia

Levon Travel of Glendale, Calif., has specialized in travel to Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and the Middle East since 1960. The agency operates branches in Armenia and Georgia and handles leisure and business travelers as well as church groups and art students interested in the religious history and art of the region. Lori Titizian, tour director, said a seven-day tour of Armenia focusing on Christian history is one of the agencys most popular programs. The following is the first five days of the tour.

DAY 1

Clients arrive in Yerevan, Armenia, and check into the Armenia Marriott. After breakfast and rest, they board a motorcoach for a city tour, including a visit to a museum of ancient manuscripts, the memorial of the 1915 genocide, the Kiev Bridge, government buildings, the main square, the opera house and the Erebuni Fortress and Museum.

DAY 2

Clients take a day trip to visit the Hripsime Virgin temple, an architectural masterpiece from the 7th century, and the Cathedral of Echmiadzin, the oldest Christian temple in Armenia, which dates to 303.

DAY 3

Clients take a day trip to Khor Virap Monastery, a complex of ruins of the ancient capital of Armenia and the site where Gregory the Illuminator, the Armenian saint who established Christianity in Armenia, was confined in an underground prison. At the summit of the monastery site is a view of snow-capped Mount Ararat. On the return to Yerevan, clients stop at Noravank, another monastery complex, this one with tombs and buildings from the 4th century. It was reconstructed in 1999.

DAY 4

Clients embark on a day trip to Haghartsin Monastery, built in 1248 with lavish stone carvings and decorations. From there, its on to Lake Sevan, its peninsula and the Churches of Sevan, an austere and majestic area. The lake is a stunning site with turquoise water and sandy beaches. Churches and monasteries that surround the lake date back to 874.

DAY 5

Clients tour the Geghard Monastery, carved in solid rock in the side of a mountain in 1215, which is one of the spiritual and cultural centers of the country. Hundreds of carvings and caves surround the monastery, where tour participants attend a medieval concert. Clients return to Yerevan for a tour of the National Art Gallery.

The Perfect Itinerary is an example of an itinerary an agent crafted his or herself, not available anywhere else, but can be duplicated by other agents to sell to their clients. To send an example of an itinerary youve customized, e-mail to [email protected] with Perfect Itinerary in the subject line.

Hand In Hand

Discovery Cruises discovers a match in N.Y. agency

Discovery World Cruises and TravLtips, a travel agency in Flushing, N.Y., share a niche. Since 1967, TravLtips has sold sailings on freighters, small ships and lines with exotic and longer itineraries. The cruise line sails to the far corners of the world on its sole ship, the MV Discovery.

Each year, the TravLtips books groups on the Discovery, creating air-sea packages that include escorts and onboard tips. The agency has about 25,000 customers who receive regular mailings from the agency.

These are not traditional cruisers, said Brian McLaughlin, reservations manager. These are people who enjoy longer cruises, up to 100 days. They like more eclectic cruises and smaller ships. Were not in the seven-day Carnival or NCL market.

In January, TravLtips sold a 104-day cruise from Buenos Aires to Nassau via Antarctica, the South Pacific and the Galapagos on the Discovery. In 2007, the agency is planning to combine four of the lines cruises in Europe, creating a package and promoting it in a brochure as a unique product.

TravLtips markets exceptionally well, said Mark Flager, Discovery World Cruises vice president of sales, marketing and passenger services. They are creative promoters, and their clients are intrepid travelers. Its a very good fit for us.

The unique products are promoted in the agencys magazine, which is published four times a year and includes stories written by customers. TravLtips then follows up with direct-mail promotions.

Were not a no-frills retailer but concentrate more on value and price rather than parties and recognition events, McLaughlin said.

We give Discovery a lot of exposure in our mailings, and they give us a lot of support. Its a good match between the type of passengers we have and the type of product they have.

Hand in Hand highlights successful examples of agents and suppliers working together. Send suggestions to [email protected] with Hand in Hand in the subject line.

Daltons Corner

The erosion of training

By John Dalton

One of the most important functions of any company is training. To prepare management and employees to be proficient and to execute is the foundation for any successful business. Insurance, pharmaceuticals, food and many other industries give training a high priority, knowing the impact it has on their profits. 

Their training is carefully crafted to ensure the right programs are created that will directly contribute to their business strategies and goals. The education of their employees is never-ending.

They understand this business principle: If your product or your service is the same as that of your competitor, your employees had better not be.   

Over the past few years, travel industry training seems to be headed in the wrong direction. There are two trends that are responsible for the erosion of training. 

The first is the quality of the training programs being offered to the agency community by suppliers. Almost all training exclusively consists of product training.

Hundreds of sales seminars are conducted monthly for agents by suppliers. The content normally comprises self-serving travelogues focused on destinations and product. 

When the training is completed, agents know more about the supplier and the products to present to prospective travelers. What is completely overlooked is providing the sales techniques to persuade people to purchase those products.

Many suppliers offer certification programs for agents. Many of the programs consist of reading about a destination, company, products and trivia. Then there is that difficult, 10-question, open-book quiz and, of course, a certificate that proves to the world that the agent is now an expert. The sad part is that this is considered training.

The second trend is that agency managements arent seeking training that will make them more profitable. Suppliers are providing a lot of the basics required to generate revenue. Computer skills, product knowledge and quick references are needed. But those items mean nothing unless they result in new and repeat clients.

Other than CLIA and a few others, where are the quality training programs to provide agents with a multitude of sales techniques? How about a few programs offering basic marketing practices? We are in the people business, and yet what training has your staff attended that has prepared them to master the art of customer service?    

Perhaps the biggest void in the agency community is basic management skills. How many courses related to managing personnel have been offered to your agency?  How many managers (owners and other management positions) have been trained to effectively manage their responsibilities? 

Are they prepared to establish realistic goals for their department and individuals, utilize specific reports to measure the progress of the goals and conduct reviews with their staff in a consistent, timely manner? Do they supply everyone with people skills to constantly improve the service level of the agency?  Do they have the ability to create programs to generate revenue and control costs?

After reading this much, I think you will agree there is a tremendous need for quality training in our industry. New directions are required to compete for the disposable dollars the public has to spend.

Many industries are chasing the same elusive consumer dollar. Those prepared to execute the actions that will provide higher levels of customer service and attract consumers to purchase their products or services will reap the rewards in the years ahead. Quality training is what will separate the winners from the losers. 

We as an industry must focus on the training we need to properly manage our businesses more effectively.  Agency managements must require suppliers to provide sales and marketing programs in their training if both are truly training for profits. 

We are all responsible to stop the erosion of training as quickly as possible. Today would be a good day to start.

John Dalton is an industry consultant, trainer and speaker. He can be reached at (336) 431-1596 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Five Things

How to attract media attention in your town

1. Tell the media about trends.  Are you noticing new honeymoon trends, cruises to new destinations or a different population asking about group tours? The newspaper in your town or city is always looking for stories on whats new or changing in local spending patterns and lifestyles, said Marcia Yudkin, a Goshen, Mass.-based marketing consultant, seminar leader and author of Six Steps to Free Publicity. Either send them a formal press release or just call the news desk and ask who handles travel and lifestyle stories.

2. Create a photogenic event. Any activity thats colorful and lively, perhaps involving animals or children, will have appeal for TV and newspaper reporters hunting for stories. For instance, set up a lecture on pet-friendly travel and invite people to bring their pets, or have a poster contest for kids with a trip to Disney World as a prize. 

3. Offer yourself as an expert. Any time theres national news relating to your industry, reporters look for local authorities and business people to give their story a local spin, Yudkin said. Send a letter to newspapers and radio and TV stations in your area describing your experience, expertise and the kinds of news events you could comment on. Enclose several business cards, which theyll undoubtedly add to their Rolodex.

4. Write letters to the editor. Be careful with this one, warned Yudkin. Make sure the issue on which you are inspired to comment is a relatively nonpartisan one, such as more funding for music in the schools or free holiday-season parking downtown. Still, taking a stand in favor of a community cause makes people more likely to want to do business with you, most of the time. Letters that are 300 words or less are more likely to get published than long letters.

5. Think up unexpected holiday tie-ins. Before Mothers Day, suggest a story on mother-daughter trips or things to think about in planning a gift trip for ones mother. For Veterans Day, create an itinerary for visiting sites of military significance, and so on. Remember, positioning yourself as a source of ideas makes you a trusted source that your local media will turn to again and again, said Yudkin.