Let's All be the LONGSHOT Winners!
by Melody Fee, OSSN Vice President

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We've all heard time and time again, that it is our service and, indeed, that is for sure! Making our customer feel is if they are the most important part of our business and that their needs are our utmost concern is what will put us in the "lead" as their travel agent of choice! But there are times when our business can get so overwhelming, that we really have to juggle alot of tasks so that we can put our clients first in line. So I guess what I am hinting at is that we have to really work AT our business, not just IN our business.We have to work at showing our clients what sets our agency apart from others. We have to be diligent at making our client feel "priceless" and that is a feeling they will never get by booking a cruise online. There are so many times when I decide to check my email in the evening and then I see a client asking for information on a cruise AND they want to travel only a few weeks away from the date of their request. And although I would sure prefer to close that email and come back to it tomorrow, I know that the reservation centers are still open and that space is limited for "close in" cruise availability. So, yes, I dial the phone and check availability before I snuggle in to get comfortable for the evening….and low and behold…there WERE a FEW cabins remaining. Once I type them an email at 8 PM (knowing that I can only hold the cabin for 24 hours due to the fast approaching sailing date) I hope they respond to me as quickly as I responded to them. AND if my extra attention to their needs pays off, I feel very fortunate to have "won" their business once again. It is a race for sure!

But working AT our business means more than just working late at night. Working AT your business in so much more that just working IN this business. It also means working smarter ALL day long. It means knowing how to delegate tasks that keep you from selling travel. If you are working from home, are you really staying focused on your business for a maximum amount of hours? Or are your activities so numerous each day, that you can barely make time to make a new contact each day? What about making several new contacts every day? Impossible? Working AT you business means making sure you delegate a certain amount of your time to developing NEW business, not just following up on repeat clients.

Are you keeping distractions at bay, so that you can concentrate on marketing ideas and selling travel? It may mean realizing that you could also profit more IF you developed an outside sales force to also sell travel under your agency's "umbrella." Are you really implementing the tools that will allow you to succeed? What database management program are you using? (see OSSN's Tech Survey in this issue)..or have you just been talking about using one for the last several years? As I questioned earlier, are you working AT your business or just IN this business?

We may be operating like a "longshot" in the race to small business success if we are not using the business tools that are readily available, but with a little more training, organization and determination, we all have the opportunity to be true "Hall of Fame" members in the travel industry.

OSSN would love to hear about your success stories in getting your business on the "right track." We know that we have A LOT of successful home-based professionals that Have really seen great success in their "Run for the Roses!" If you would like to share some of your successful promotional and marketing ideas, or success stories about how you organized your business to ensure more profitability, we would LOVE to share them with OSSN members across the country! You can email us at info@ossn.com with your success stories! We'll see you in the winner's circle!