President's Message
You’ve taken the first steps in opening your home-based travel business.

Successful Travel Agents Practice "CANI"
By Gary M. Fee, OSSN President

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Famed motivational speaker Tony Robbins calls this strategy CANI: "Constant And Never-ending Improvement." The great thing about our home-based business is that you don't have to turn your life upside down to learn the art and craft of selling travel. Instead, you can polish your prospecting and closing techniques, and expose yourself to new destinations, and learn the policies of specific suppliers at your own pace. If you dedicate yourself to improving yourself as a professional home-based agent by 1 percent a week -- say, by attending one OSSN chapter meeting in your area, or by registering for one online certification course -- then you'll be on your way to making continuing education a lifelong habit.

Along with OSSN's extensive network of local chapters (with more than 60 chapter directors located across the United States and Puerto Rico), we work very hard to smooth the way for you to take advantage of continuing education opportunities. For example, do you know about our special training benefits with CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) certification programs? As an OSSN member, you can enroll in any level of CLIA's training (ACC, MCC, or ECC) with a special code from OSSN that identifies your affiliation with us. That means you don't have to join CLIA separately -- and that alone will save you a lot of money as you start down the road to becoming a certified travel agent! (Want to learn more about this OSSN code for CLIA programs? Send us an email!)

This past month, you've seen articles in the OSSN Daily about our special discounts with the Travel Institute. Through June 30, you could have registered for the Certified Travel Associate (CTA) exam at a $75 savings just because you belong to OSSN. The Travel Institute offers many different courses on specific destinations and "lifestyle" segments, as well as the full Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) exam. This latest discount just ended, but watch the OSSN Daily for new discounts that will be offered later this year for Travel Institute programs.

We're proud to promote the training courses offered by Career Quest Training Center, a longtime OSSN supplier member. CareerQuest has trained thousands of travel agents over the years in classroom settings and via the Internet. Here's a link to the newest offerings from this respected continuing education organization. And, last month, we welcomed a new training company into OSSN membership: TravelAgentCampus.com. (Note: This firm is revamping its Web site, so keep checking for updates on course offerings.)

Of course, don't forget the workshops and seminars we'll be offering at our 2006 Annual Conference on Oct. 19 in San Jose. Here's the link to the conference schedule and registration information. (Remember: If you sign up for this OSSN meeting, you'll receive FREE registration for two travel agent events that start the next day: the third annual Home Based Agent Show and the fourth annual Honeymoon & Romantic Getaways Show & Conference.

At OSSN, we believe 100 percent in the need for continuing education. That's why we're proud to offer these training opportunities to our members. Do you have suggestions for new continuing education benefits we could offer? Send us your suggestions!