Turning "Home-Base" into "Power-House"
By Anita Pagliasso-Balamane
OSSN Western Regional Manager
Author of "How I Made A Small Fortune as a Home-Based Travel Agent"
www.redticketproductions.com

On a regular basis I am asked "Can you really make a living running a travel business from home?". The answer is definitely yes, but, only if you are willing to really get serious about marketing yourself first and your business second. Too many of us get started thinking that all you need to start a travel business is to go to travel school. Not that that schooling is not useful…this is the best place to expand your education about travel destinations and also obtain the tools and the expertise to further enhance your professionalism.

If you want to take lessons from some of the best marketers out there, take a look at what your neighborhood realtor does. On the average, a person moves only once every 7 years. Knowing these statistics does not deter the realtor to market you from the first day you move into your new home. You will get post cards, recipes of the month, calendars, market updates, community events updates, list of recommended services, newsletters and even post cards with homes marked "sold" in bold letters across the advertisement. Now why would they waste the paper, printing and stamp to show you a property that was no longer available? It is their way of sending you a testimonial of one of their successful transactions. All of this correspondence has one thing in common…it will surely include a picture of the realtor. Why? So that their name and face will become familiar to you. Not now, not 2 years from now, but in 7 years when you become that statistic and are ready to sell or buy. They are positioning themselves so that their name will be the first to pop up when thinking about who you will want to work with during your real estate transaction. They are investing their efforts and advertising money in your future business.

Translate this into the travel business. How often does the average person take a vacation? Once a year, right? Does that mean that you only should contact them once a year? No, with today's travel marketplace, you need to be first and foremost in their thoughts when it comes time to plan their vacation. You need to remind them frequently why you are valuable to them. List what you can do for them that the internet cannot. Solicit testimonials from your clients and include them in a monthly newsletter.

Find that neighborhood realtor and become marketing partners. For example, I targeted the homes at a particular County Club community. I was given an excel database from a realtor who was also targeting the same high-income demographic area as I was. In return I gave her discount travel coupons to put in her "Welcome Baskets". To get the attention of the new neighbors, I put the coupons in envelopes that are made from maps and on the outside of the envelope I created a sticker that says, "Welcome to beautiful Silver Creek Valley Country Club…NOW GO AWAY!!! These coupons went into the baskets of all new owners of million dollar homes!

Target Market your business into specific geographical areas and areas of your expertise. Believe it or not, I learned this business strategy from a window washer!!! I hired this company strictly because his advertisement went out specifically to my housing development. He detailed what he could do that they competition couldn't, what his past experience was and he knew the prices by the names of the models of the homes. This told me, he knew what I needed and what my requirements were. He was a "Specialist" in my neighborhood. When my daughter wanted to utilize his services, he politely refused saying that he only worked in my community and that was how he could provide the great service and pricing. You see, if he went outside of his targeted circle of expertise, it would cost him time to learn the new market and time to get to the new market. He knew that by focusing his business on what he knew the best, namely my neighborhood, and not straying outside of his area of expertise would be the key to his success.

Based on your specialty, here are a few target areas for you to consider.

• Country Club Homes
• Gated Communities
• High Income Areas
• Senior Centers and communities
• Mobile Home Parks

Your very own neighborhood is the best place to start. Become "The neighborhood travel specialist."

When I meet a potential client for the first time, I do not bring supplier brochures with me. I first will interview them to find out what they expect from their travel experience. I will ask where they have traveled in the past. What type of hotels did they stay in? This will give me a good idea of whether to look for Holiday Inns or a Four Season Hotel. There are many questions. All to bring in a trust and to show that I am listening and concerned about booking them with the right products and experiences. I do, however, bring my portfolio and my brochure. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of creating your own brochure. Yes, your own brochure. We are so used to handing out the supplier brochures and selling their products, we forget that we are the number one product that a consumer will consider when placing their travel business somewhere. I want them to first feel the confidence in me to trust that I will do everything in my power to provide them with a vacation experience that will bring wonderful memories to last a lifetime.

When creating your brochure, make sure to list all of your accomplishments. Are you at CTC? Make sure you tell them what it took to get those 3 little initials. Do you belong to a Chamber of Commerce? Mention what separates you from the internet. List you areas of expertise and most importantly, include testimonials from clients.

 

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