Eastern Regional Manager Speaks Up for OSSN
by Penney Rudicil

Recently a travel consultant asked me ‘why should I join OSSN and do I need to attend the monthly meetings’… it didn’t take me long to start listing the many benefits and soon several agents had gathered and we had a very nice discussion going.

If you are looking for education, networking, and growth in your business then OSSN is the right choice. There are many travel industry associations that we can belong to, but none compare to OSSN.

As the director for Tennessee, I host monthly meetings. My members are a big part of the planning of our schedule. Together we discuss what suppliers and topics we would like to explore and we have also traveled on fams together.

If you are an OSSN member and are not attending as many meetings as you can fit into your schedule, you are really missing out. These meetings are great educational opportunities, a chance to meet and build a relationship with your local District Sales Managers, or hear about a destination directly from the tourism boards. Other topics could include working with a host agency or going solo as an independent contractor, consortiums, or tax advantages.

Probably one of the most important reasons to become an active part of these meetings is the networking! I have met so many wonderful agents (and friends) from attending these meetings, I learn from them and we share many things like marketing ideas, forms, as well as information and photos from fams/ships/destinations that we have attended.

Some of our most productive meetings are the ‘agent share’. This is a meeting where we may not have a speaker or topic, but open with any updates regarding OSSN, any upcoming events and then open the floor to agents to ask questions and share information. We all walk away with a renewed look on this ever changing and exciting industry that we are a part of, and usually a full belly too (meeting at a local favorite restaurant).

Of course, OSSN has many members who do not have the advantage to attend LOCAL meetings, but they are always trying to establish more and more chapters nationwide. If you do not have a local chapter and are interested to help get one going, you should contact OSSN to see what the opportunity is for you as a director. Yes, it takes some organizational skills and you must be computer literate to some degree so that you can communicate with your chapter members effectively. But it has surely been a rewarding experience for me. But I also know that OSSN members who are located in more remote areas also gain great benefits from OSSN due to the ongoing communication from the main OSSN headquarters and the services and tools they offer to members nationwide.

I could go on and on but you need to be the judge, visit http://www.ossn.com/calendar.asp to find out when and where the next meeting near you is. If there is not one listed, contact your local director or you can email me at tnossn@comcast.net.

In closing, I will share with you a testimonial that I received today:

Penney, becoming a member of OSSN and getting a TRUE ID is the best thing I ever did as an agent. I've been amazed that all the suppliers accept the TRUE ID number, and I get all the commission myself. I'll be relocating next week to a warmer climate, to Arizona. Wish I could make your next presentation, but I'll be contacting the Arizona people once I'm down there. Take care, and thanks for getting the word out about Outside Sales Support Network. I wouldn't have known about it had it not been for meeting you at a travel presentation in Nashville.

(sent to Penney by Alicia Gray, Great Escapes Traveler)

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