President's Message
A few weeks ago, W Hotels re-launched its founding philosophy.

Whatever, Whenever’ Describes Today’s OSSN Members
By Gary M. Fee, OSSN President

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Since OSSN began in the early 1990s, I've watched the growth and evolution of home-based travel agents -- from the "country cousins" nobody took seriously and nobody thought would last, to the cutting-edge home-based entrepreneurs of today who are being courted on all sides by leading travel suppliers. If you asked me, based on my experience with OSSN, to describe what qualities set you apart from other travel retailers and direct-selling suppliers, the answer really boils down to one ingredient: personalized, attentive, old-fashioned, hand-holding customer service for your clients.

You may never have a client call you in the wee hours of the morning for jogging shoes, but you've surely had clients calling you the night before their departures with worries about the hurricane that's forecast near their Caribbean resort . . . or with last-minute questions about that honeymoon cruise in Tahiti . . . or with the news that they've misplaced their cruise or tour documents at the last minute. Because you're home-based, because you're the local travel expert, and because you're dedicated to your businesses, you're able to handle those "disasters" with skill and grace.

Compare that service to other retail establishments that have regimented hours of business, or long-established store policies that aren't customer-friendly, or sales staffers who are selling shoes one day and washing machines the next. And, compare it to travel Web sites where clients have trouble speaking to a live person or getting a quick answer before they get on the plane.

That's why travel suppliers want to do business with you: You deliver hands-on service with a smile that, frankly speaking, they can't deliver via Web sites and call centers.

Here's my cautionary message to you: Over the long run, as technology improves and as suppliers explore new distribution channels to go direct to consumers, we can't let our guard down.

Every day, in every way, we must continue practicing that "Whatever/Whenever" philosophy with our clients -- even on the days when we're tired and grumpy, and our personal lives are a mess, and we've been on hold with a cruise line for an hour at a time, and we haven't gotten that commission check that we were expecting. Anita and Penney and Melody and the OSSN chapter directors and I will continue "preaching" this message around the country, so that OSSN members will continue to lead the hottest growth sector in the entire travel industry.

Good luck with your sales this month -- and, remember "Whatever/Whenever" . . .

Got comments for Gary about this article? Send them to info@ossn.com!