Home-based travel agents who have entered the industry in the past few years and found success often have one thing in common: they thrived in previous careers that involved customer service or sales. Sometimes, when they've had experience in both service and sales, it's a perfect fit.
Janet Noblett of Dreamtravel4you in Tampa is one of those home-based agents who says it was her years in customer service and sales, in her case as a real estate agent, that laid a solid foundation to operate a travel agency.
"When I was in real estate, I always set myself high goals and achieved every one of them. It was strive and achieve, and it's the same thing in travel."
Noblett worked as a real estate agent in Atlanta for 17 years before she and her husband decided to move to Tampa to be closer to family. It was 2007, just as the national real estate market crashed. Noblett took a department store job selling fine jewelry while she thought about her next career move.
For years, she planned cruises and land vacations for family and friends and loved the process of research and the travel itself.
"I was a travel agent's dream client. I would call them and tell them the ship I wanted and the cabins. I learned everything I could about every trip."
Her entry into the travel industry in 2014 was a natural next step from handling travel for family and friends, she said. After researching several host agencies, she landed with Florida-based Outsideagents.com, a subsidiary of Cruises and Tours Unlimited, and opened her business.
"I spoke to Chad [Burt, co-owner of Outsideagents and Cruises and Tours Unlimited], and it was a gut feeling that it was the right fit," she said. "They made me feel like the most important person, even though they have 4,100 other agents. They have always been available to talk to me and are my cheerleaders. I couldn't have been as successful without them."
Noblett, a self-described "Type A personality," started by completing several supplier training courses for certifications. She promoted herself as a cruise specialist and then expanded to all-inclusives as a second niche. Her business is now 55% to 60% cruises, and the rest is land vacations.
The first step in building her business was to contact her previous real estate clients to let them know she was available for their travel bookings. She also set up a stand at a local farmers' market and started administering a Facebook page for small businesses in the Tampa Bay area, which introduced her to the community.
Noblett said she quickly focused on serving her clients 24/7 with such attentive customer service that they wouldn't consider booking online.
"It's tough to compete with online companies on price, but it comes down to customer service. My clients know that if they are traveling out of the country and have a problem they can always reach me; I'm always available."
She said she has retained loyal clientele by making them feel like family.
"I'm not going to book a cabin for a client that I wouldn't book for myself. People tell me that the way I handle their travel is as if I'm going on the trip with them. That's how much they feel I care."
Noblett has climbed to the top tier of her host agency's producer list and is on track to double her income in 2016 over 2015. She has never looked back and is thrilled with her career move.
"I made more money in real estate, but I enjoy this so much more."