CHERRY HILL, N.J. -- To hear travel agent Nancy Zebrick tell it,
business on the Web couldn't be better.
The New Jersey agent closed her All Destinations storefront in a
shopping mall here on Nov. 1 to focus 100% on her Internet
business, moving to a local industrial park complex. She said she
will end 1997 reporting some $3 million in sales -- of which 70%
were initiated through the Internet -- well above the $1.8 million
that she reported in 1996.
Based on recent growth, Zebrick's accountant estimated she will
sell between $5.8 million and $6 million in 1998, almost entirely
from transactions initiated through her Web site, at
http://www.alltravel.com.
In addition, Zebrick sells high-end cruises, spas and resorts
through the site, traditionally considered the most challenging
segment of the business to sell over the Net. Zebrick attributed
her success to a formula devised through lots of trial and error
during her three years on the Web.
The agent opened her storefront in a busy mall in July 1994,
selling predominantly corporate travel and converting to leisure
when the first pay caps hit the following February. By August 1995,
after reading about the Internet in the Wall Street Journal,
Zebrick "took the ball and ran with it."
At the time, Zebrick couldn't find a local Internet service
provider, so she selected one in Washington, paying long-distance
charges for access. The former dietician and meeting planner said
she knows very little about this "technology stuff," though she
tosses about terms such as "java script" and "ethernet" with
ease.
When Zebrick joined the Web, "I could see that retail travel in
the traditional sense was not growing," she said, "and I could see
that the Internet probably was," she said. Her first site was
developed by her "computer whiz" nephew.
Zebrick started reading "magazines that computer people read"
and registered with all the search engines. Then she waited for
business to take off. It didn't.
Zebrick said in the beginning "most of the e-mail had 'edu'
attached to it," meaning the inquiries were predominantly from
students and cost-conscious professors. The slow start was
compounded by some of her employees who had "a traditional"
approach to business, and who told her the Internet "is not the way
to sell travel'. So I ended up letting them go and hiring agents
who went against the grain," she said.
Last January, when the Internet portion of the business started
growing "by leaps and bounds," Zebrick moved the Web division to
the industrial park complex. She credited the boost in traffic to
links with innovative, popular sites, such as One Travel, at
http://www.1travel .com, rather than linking with pricey providers,
and to honing her selling strategy.
Her decision focus on the Web was a reflection of how business
was faring, but it also was due to the "gloom and doom" attitude of
most agents, she said candidly. "I didn't want to start charging
fees and I didn't see any future in the traditional approach."
She blamed her storefront -- with its continuous call-in/walk-in
requests for air tickets -- for diluting her focus on more
lucrative products. For a small agency, Zebrick has invested a
substantial sum -- $75,000 in recent years -- on technology.
But she is an advocate of the efficiencies that can be achieved
through technology and the Internet. Indeed, the biggest mistake
she made, Zebrick said , was "not closing the retail shop
sooner."
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CHERRY HILL, N.J. -- Travel agent Nancy Zebrick reports one sale
for every seven e-mail requests originating from her Web site, up
from one in 20 when she was less focused in her selling
strategy.
Although most major travel providers on the Web offer air fare
searches, that function does not exist on Zebrick's site, at
http://www.alltravel.com. She believes air-only is a money-loser
for agents. (However, she is Airlines Reporting Corp. accredited
and issues air tickets.)
The All Destinations site is geared to a particular type of
traveler: Spa and cruise buffs will find plenty of interest.
Prospective clients complete an e-mail form that asks general
information about travel plans, including air. Leads are disbursed
to specialists in the office and at home, who total the equivalent
of five full-time employees.
All Destinations responds with a quote via e-mail, phone and
postcard within 24 hours. The ball is then in the client's court to
call one of the toll-free numbers.