One person's threat is another's opportunity. I don't know who
said that. I think I just did. In any case, it's true.
Take the Internet. You may regard it as a competitive threat
that makes it easier for nontraditional travel promoters to sell
travel on line, or as another way for customers to get too smart
for their own good. But you also could regard the Internet as an
unprecedented resource for you to get smarter than your clients and
even do more business.
Ben Pinsky of Tops 'N Travel in Winter Garden, Fla., has got the
idea. Ben was among the first to register for TW Crossroads. But he
did more than just log on; he began reading our bulletin board
messages, and he joined the fray.
Sean Moore, one of our bright young "Webbies," had asked on
Crossroads' Internet bulletin board how travel professionals were
integrating the information available on the Internet into their
operations, and Ben answered. What he wrote bears repeating:
"At our agency," said Ben, "we'll often do a Web search and
condensation for our clients who have already bought a trip. At
this time, we don't actually charge a fee for this service,
although that may happen in the future. What we're trying to do is
justify the service fees that we already charge and hopefully prove
to our customers that we can and will service them better than any
other travel provider (other agencies, airline direct, television
and Internet all included).
"It's been our experience that while there are a great number of
travel information providers now available, a majority of travelers
prefer to have us manage that information for them. After all, one
of a travel agent's main functions is information management.
Sources and amounts of information seem to be growing exponentially
these days. Why can't I reengineer my business philosophy to take
advantage of the fact that I'm much better at sorting the 'wheat
from the chaff' than the average traveler?
"So far, we have had very positive response from those travelers
who have requested destination information from the Web. I think
it's another way we can hold personal relationships and guarantee
repeat business."
Here's a travel agent who isn't sitting around wailing about how
the world has changed or how technology is replacing humans. He's
recognizing that technology is only as good as the people who use
it, and he figures that his experience will make him a better user
of travel information on the Internet than his clients are. What's
more, he sees an opportunity to add value to his business by
"reengineering his business philosophy."
We hope that many other travel professionals will recognize the
potential power of the Internet and harness it to their
advantage.