President's Message
In the Sports World Commentators say athletes say “Snatched Victory from Jaws of Defeat” when they win very closely contested, hard fought-games.

Ten Second-Class ways to Fail
In the Travel Business
By Gary M. Fee, OSSN President

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Here's my "Top Ten List" of the most foolish ways some outside sales agents (including seasoned veterans!) shoot themselves in the foot in the way they present themselves to the world at large:

Number 10: "Free" email addresses.

In the "early days" of the Internet -- the late 1990s! -- no one cared if local businesses relied on email accounts from Yahoo, Hotmail, and other no-cost email providers. Nowadays, though, it's critical that you establish your own professional presence on the Web, starting with your own unique email address. Now that anyone can set up a Web address with Network Solutions or GoDaddy or Yahoo or other providers for as little as $10 a month, there's no excuse not to direct your email to "john@tucsontravelcenter.com" or "sue@thebestcruisesever.com" instead of a free Internet address. If you want to be taken seriously as a travel professional, you must move in this direction as soon as possible.

Number 9: "Spam" blockers that delete incoming email.

Yes, email security is very important. At OSSN Headquarters, we spend a lot of money every year protecting our computers against inbound viruses and other email threats. Having said that, there is such a thing as too much blocking! The quickest way to lose a customer is admitting that you lost his or her email confirming an anniversary cruise or a grandchild's graduation trip. Use only reputable, reliable anti-spam software that lets you peek inside a "spam" or "junk" folder to fish out email that should not have been blocked.

Number 8: AOL email.

Again, I'm writing this message to share my experiences, not to castigate any agents who absolutely love their AOL! I must tell you, however, that we get more complaints about AOL email addresses than every other Internet service provider combined. AOL is designed to serve the needs of consumers -- not business owners. One of AOL's worst features for business usage is that replies don't contain the previous threads of communication, in many cases. Please consider relegating your AOL account to personal use only.

Number 7: Home phones that double as business lines.

Yes, I know that "bootstrapping" when you start out as a home-based travel agent may mean sharing a phone line until you can afford a second line that's dedicated to your travel business. The minute that you can throw the switch on that second line, you must! Customers look dimly on calling the phone number for ABC Travel and hearing dogs and children and the nightly TV news in the background as they're trying to book their next vacation ...

Number 6: Busy signals on your travel agency line.

With today's inexpensive telecommunications services, there's absolutely no excuse for your clients to get a busy signal when they call you! In most parts of the country, you can add voicemail services from your phone company for as little as $3 to $5 per line per month. If you're not sure it's worth the cost, ask yourself whether your customers would get a busy signal if they called Expedia or Travelocity or a cruise line directly ...

Number 5: Answering machines that use tapes.

It's the year 2005. Can you even buy cassette tapes for answering machines these days? Digital answering machines that never suffer "scrunched" or scratchy tapes start around $40. Again, you may have to make do until you can do better -- but make it one of your goals to digitize your travel business as quickly as you can afford to do so.

Number 4: Answering machines that lose memory (and messages) if the power goes out.

It's an ancient rule in the travel business: It only takes one lost message to burn bridges with even your most loyal customers.

Number 3: Fax machines that squeal in the ear of clients when they call.

In the 1990s, fax machines could share your phone lines because they were still newfangled devices that amazed everyone. Now, they're old-hat technology. Replace your stand-alone fax with e-fax software -- or, if you prefer having a traditional fax machine, install a separate line for it.

Number 2: Fax machines that must be turned on in order to receive a fax.

How many times will your clients (or your preferred suppliers) try to send a fax to you if it's not turned on 24/7/365? How many times, that is, before they will turn to your competitors?

And, finally, Number 1: The complete absence of any type of Web site for your travel business!

OSSN strongly recommends reputable Web developers like Primary Hub who can turn out full-service sites for OSSN agents at very reasonable rates. If you skip McDonald's for lunch once a week, you can afford your own Web site these days! Even if it's just a "brochure" site with four or five pages total, it's worth the investment to set yourself apart from your competitors.

I'm sharing these thoughts not to criticize home-based agents -- but to energize you instead. We're competing in strong company these days, from direct-selling suppliers to Internet travel agencies that spend millions each year on TV ads with roaming gnomes and Star Trek captains. We simply cannot afford to present a second-class image if we want to compete!