President's Message
When we launched the Outside Sales Support Network (OSSN) almost 20 years ago, the cutting-edge technologies in 1990 were clunky desktop computers and thermal-paper fax machines.

Home-Based Agents Take Charge!
By OSSN President Gary Fee

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Now, OSSN agents carry smartphones and laptop computers, they store client records online or in thumb drives, and they manage their six- and seven-figure travel businesses from their homes.

This trend of taking charge surfaced throughout the OSSN 2008 Year-End Survey that we released a few weeks ago. (You'll find the complete results at this OSSN.com page. You should definitely click on this link when you can, and take a long look at the responses. They tell the story of home-based agents have transformed the travel agency community in just 19 short years.

Check these highlights (taken from the responses of more than 1,000 agents):

• Two out of three OSSN agents have been in business at least five years - or more. Many suppliers have the impression that home-based agents are newbies. And, certainly, OSSN always welcomes brand-new agents into this field! But, the truth is that today's home-based retailers are very experienced and professional in their approach to selling travel, as this statistic shows.
  
  
• One in four OSSN agents responding to the survey converted from a host agency relationship to their own home-based agency set-up in 2008. Of course, host agencies offer many advantages to both brand-new and longtime outside agents, but we're seeing an ongoing increase year over year in OSSN members setting up their own shops and booking codes from home.
  
  
• Two in five agents changed their niches last year. No grass grows beneath the feet of OSSN agents, who have shown a strong willingness historically to enhance their skills and training to jump into new travel specialties.
  
  
• More than half of the surveyed agents use TRUE codes. We're very proud of the progress OSSN has made with developing the TRUE program - the travel industry's largest booking ID system that's designed and managed solely by working travel agents. (Stay tuned this month for some exciting news about TRUE, by the way!)
  
  
• Two in three agents have client databases. As many OSSN members have grown their "books" of business over the years, they've turned increasingly to computer databases to store and sort and promote to current clients, past travelers, and new prospects.

You'll see many more interesting tidbits in the 2008 survey results, but one overall trend is crystal clear: OSSN agents have grown over the years - in sales volume, in experience, in professionalism - to become THE dominant force in travel retailing these days!

Gary M. Fee is president and founder of the Outside Sales Support Network (OSSN), North America's largest trade association for home-based travel agents. He may be reached at info@ossn.com.

(Credit: OSSN)