Jill
Noble holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, so she knows a thing or two
about mental health. And as a home-based travel agent and owner of Cruise Therapy
Travel, she also knows very well what a vacation can do for someone’s state of
mind.
“Any
kind of vacation is a good form of therapy,” said Noble. “It takes you back to
your roots and is relaxing. I like to say I'm writing prescriptions for
travel.”
Noble
started her agency in Flower Mound, a suburb of Dallas, after leaving a
director of marketing position for an Internet company four years ago. She
wanted a more flexible work schedule to take care of two small daughters.
Noble
has long loved cruises — her wedding took place on a cruise ship — so it was a
natural specialty. After “a lot of research” into host agencies and how best to
set up her own operation, she chose Travel Planners International (TPI), a
large, Florida-based host agency.
For
the last two years, Noble has volunteered as Dallas-area ambassador for TPI's
T.E.A.M., the host agency's program that promotes local networking and
education among its independent agents. About four times a year, Dallas-area
TPI agents meet for an evening of socializing over dinner, agent education and
supplier training.
It's
been an important benefit of TPI, said Noble. “I've met other TPI agents that I
can lean on for support. It really helps with feelings of isolation that some
agents have. I've never really felt isolated and the T.E.A.M. meetings helped
with that.”
The
meetings have also served to introduce the agents to local business development
managers of TPI's preferred suppliers. It's a common complaint among
independent agents who are aligned with a host agency based in another
geographic area: they are often not served by their local business development
managers because their sales are recorded at the host's head office.
After
four years of operating Cruise Therapy Travel, Noble said she has reached
nearly $500,000 in annual sales, 75% from cruise sales and most of the rest
from her other specialty: all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica and Mexico.
She
has generated most of her business from the local community, helped because she
also owns an online business directory for local business people that reaches
thousands of Flower Mound residents. She's promoted Cruise Therapy Travel to
the directory's subscriber base using weekly newsletters.
“Because
of my background, marketing has never been an issue for me. I already knew
about CRM [customer relationship marketing] because I had that online business
directory. And, I have experience in writing press releases so have used that
and gotten press exposure on CNN. That got me more business and referrals.”
Still,
there are some improvements in her business that Noble is planning. One is to
get more organized.
“Because
I just jumped right in with no experience in working at a brick-and-mortar
travel agency, I didn't know about the infrastructure of an agency. My goal this year is to have everything [client contact information, etc.] electronic.”