Summer School
by Penney Rudicil, ECC

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This summer, my 11-year-old is enrolled in Spanish and self defense. My 19-year-old is working on her internship training program with Enterprise. My 79-year-old mother is taking a class in stained glass and computers! In our household, we believe that education is the key to being successful regardless of age!

In our agency, we know this to be true! Our agents have many certifications, and this give them the knowledge to better sell a product or destination. Also, our clients have more confidence in our abilities and recommendations.

Many of us in the industry are independent contractors or business owners; therefore, we are not only the travel agents, but also the receptionist, bookkeeper, advertising/marketing rep and all-around gopher. So, who has time for additional schooling or education? The answer is simple: A professional and successful travel consultant will make time for it.

Thankfully, the travel business has been steadily increasing over the past few years. Finding the time to attend traditional classroom training may be difficult for a lot of travel consultants; however, continuing education has many faces. You can attend a live conference or workshop, do an online webinar, complete a self-study course, or participate in various fam trips.

For years, suppliers have been doing seminars and trade shows in a number of cities to teach us about their products, updates, and changes. However, many of them are changing their methodology and doing more online trainings and live webinars. This type of training is more cost effective for the supplier, and agents are finding them very convenient as they do not have to drive to the venue or take time from the office.

OSSN is now offering a variety of supplier webinars for continuing education, and many of these will be recorded for viewing at a future reference. For a list, please visit the OSSN Web site. [NOTE: You'll find a link to the Webinar schedule on the first page after you sign into www.OSSN.com as a member.]

Suppliers and tourist boards have self-study courses that you can take either online or in print. These will help you to become familiar with products and destinations, but at your own pace. Some that are currently available are:

Carnival Cruise Lines
Holland America
Norwegian Cruise Lines
Disney College of Knowledge
Pleasant Holidays
Sandals (CSS)
Marriott
Cancun (CTI)
Magic of Mexico
Aruba (ACE)
Las Vegas
Puerto Rico Expert Program

We can read, attend seminars, and watch videos -- but another very important part of learning is experiencing. Participating in familiarization trips is an excellent way to learn more about a destination or cruise ship, as well as the networking you get with other agents on the fam. The Jamaica Tourist Board has a saying, "Once you go, you know," which is so true.

Becoming a Specialist

In the travel industry, you can choose to specialize based on your interests or niches. You can become a Cruise Specialist -- CLIA offers several programs, including the Accredited, Master, or Elite Cruise Counselor training. Several of the cruise lines now offer their own specialist programs.

If cruising is not your passion, you may want to specialize in a destination such as the Caribbean, Alaska, Disney, or Europe. The Travel Institute has many courses available, as do the tourism organizations and suppliers.

At one seminar I attended, the featured speaker was talking about education and being a specialist. He mentioned that many agents list their credentials on their business cards. He went on to explain that, if you have more than one "specialist" designation that are not related (e.g., honeymoon specialist and Sandals specialist), that makes you a generalist, not a specialist.

The speaker went on to make the point that, if you were ill and needed to see a doctor, you could go to a general practitioner for most of your needs. However, if you have a problem or need specific advice, you would seek a specialist -- a physician who is trained and educated in this specific field. After all, if you had a skin rash, you would go to a dermatologist, right? Now, how much confidence would you have in this doctor if, when you arrive, you see diplomas or credentials stating that he is also an orthopedic surgeon, an ophthalmologist, and cardiologist. Although these are all wonderful fields to specialize in, they are not related -- and, therefore, having one doctor try to know everything about each would be nearly impossible.

The same can be true with travel, or so it can seem to a client. Sure, we should have as many educational courses, certifications, and designations as we can feasibly get -- but that does not mean you necessarily need to list them on your business cards or advertise that you are a specialist in all these areas.

Business cards are very reasonable to produce today, so why not have several sets? You may want to have some specifically for cruise clients, another set for honeymoons, maybe a set for family vacations, and still another or corporate or incentives. Put the necessary information on each set -- but, this way, if you are talking with cruise clients, you can give them your card showing that you are a Master Cruise Counselor, a Small Ship Specialist, Celebrity Certified agent, etc. You can do the same with any niche or specialty.

Now, if you have a company brochure, and you should, you should list ALL of these credentials there. That's because a company brochure is usually about the agency and not a particular agent, so you can make it seem broader. State something like "Our staff/travel consultants have the following certifications ... "

Making Time -- Setting Goals

Although we are all very busy, we know education is important. Invest the time in your future as a travel consultant. Hopefully, you have a business plan, a marketing plan, and sales goals. You need to have educational goals too!

Each year, I choose a couple of conferences that I want to attend. I choose two to three destinations that I want to focus on and learn more about. And, I choose a certification program that I want to complete. I actually write these goals down and put a target completion date for each one in my calendar. This helps me to stay on task.

Just like life, there will be bumps and changes in the plan, of course. There will be other programs or fams that come up throughout the year that you may choose to participate in, so you may have to adjust your calendar. But, keeping a calendar will keep you on target.

Do you have your calendar?

Penney Rudicil is OSSN's Eastern Regional Manager based near Nashville, Tenn. You can reach her at tnossn@comcast.net.