Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - (Page 48)

BUSINESS OPER ATIONS AGENT PROFILE Connecting With Clients Billy B. Martin has moved from training special ops for the military to a standout career selling travel BY MARK ROGERS “TO BE SUCCESSFUL, YOU CAN BE ONE OF THREE THINGS,” says Billy B. Martin, co-owner of Houston-based Let’s Travel Together. “You can be a seller of travel, you can become a specialist, or you can be a professional. Being professional requires a lot of work beyond getting a specialist certificate. That’s just the starting point. If you’re a professional— whether it’s NFL, M.D. or Ph.D.—you have to put in the work.” Martin has been singled out as North American Kiwi Specialist of the Year-2008, two-time Opal Award Winner 2007-08 and Houston’s only Premier Aussie Specialist. Martin; his partner and co-owner in the agency, Melodye Martinelli; an office assistant; and six outside agents run the company. “We work as independents, with no [corporate] affiliations,” says Martin. After 9/11, Martin retired from his previous career as a trainer of special ops for the military. As a trainer, Martin visited more than 150 countries. With the encouragement of Martinelli, Martin decided to devote himself to selling travel full-time. “I concentrate on those destinations where I feel a real connection with the people,” says Martin. In addition to his in-depth knowledge of New Zealand and Australia, Martin is also a South African FUNDI Specialist and Kenya Specialist. “Melodye and I participate in about six fams a year,” says Martin. “Although we concentrate on luxury, since that’s our main client base, we also look at products across the board so we can make recommendations to a cross-section of travelers. For us to recommend a destination, we have to have been there ourselves.” Martin is a believer in fostering relationships on the ground with the people in the destination. The agency regularly works with Goway and Down Under Travel. Martin gives an example of the kind of service he can provide his clients because of the contacts he’s fostered. This Christmas he had 16 clients on board a Princess cruise in the waters off New Zealand on Christmas Day. “Everything shuts down during Christmas,” says Martin. “We really wanted to create something special for them.” Martin fashioned a unique on-shore experience for his clients. “They went to Tauranga to attend a Christmas Day church service. Afterwards, they received an overview of Maori traditions and local history, then proceeded to Gideon’s Fields, where they enjoyed a traditional Maori feast next to a river and waterfall. There was no precedent so we designed the product.” Listening to Your Client “One of the things Melodye and I do is take the time to listen to our clients,” says Martin. “If you put your client first, the dollars will come.” Let’s Travel Together builds a psychological travel profile of its clients’ previous travel experiences and plans for future travel. “We don’t foist an itinerary on our clients. We look at it as a partnership where everyone wins—us, the client and the outbound and inbound operators. “We had a meeting with a couple who we knew were meeting with four other agencies,” he recounts. “At the end of the meeting we said, ‘It was a pleasure meeting with you, and we look forward to your decision.’ They replied, ‘We already made up our mind—we’re going with you.’ We asked them what differentiated us from the other agencies and they said, ‘You didn’t try to tell us what you wanted for us. You listened to what we wanted to do.’” I Billy B. Martin and Melodye Martinelli, co-owners of Let’s Travel Together Billy B. Martin LET’S TRAVEL TOGETHER Address: 5800 Lumberdale, Ste. #13; Houston, TX 77092 Phone: 713-681-4001 Website: www.letstraveltogether. com Affiliation: IATAN 48 | TravelAgent February 2, 2009 http://www.letstraveltogether.com http://www.letstraveltogether.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - February 2, 2009

Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 Contents Resortquest Hawaii Embraces Aston Hotels & Resorts Sandals’ Butch Stewart is Focusing on the “Now” From the Publisher Europe: Comfort, Convenience and Hospitality in Turkey Hawaii: As One Big Island Favorite Hotel Reopens its Doors, Another Nears Completion of its Enhancement Las Vegas: Encore Opens in High Style Central & South America: Buenos Aires Offers History, Fine Dining and Impressive Accommodations Caribbean: Anguilla's New and Improved Cap Juluca Cruises: Fred. Olsen Relaunches the Braemar Cover Story: Culture Crash Ski: Hitting the Slopes in Banff and Lake Louise, Canada Agent Profile: Let’s Travel Together’s Billy B. Martin Connects with Clients E-mail Marketing Tips from Cruise Executives Looking for a Positive Spin in Negative News In the Spotlight Editorial Index Advertising Index

Travel Agent - February 2, 2009

Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - (Page CW1) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - (Page CW2) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - (Page CW3) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - (Page CW4) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 (Page Cover1) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 (Page Cover2) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Contents (Page 1) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Contents (Page 2) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Contents (Page 3) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Resortquest Hawaii Embraces Aston Hotels & Resorts (Page 4) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Resortquest Hawaii Embraces Aston Hotels & Resorts (Page 5) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Sandals’ Butch Stewart is Focusing on the “Now” (Page 6) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Sandals’ Butch Stewart is Focusing on the “Now” (Page 7) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - From the Publisher (Page 8) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - From the Publisher (Page 9) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - From the Publisher (Page 10) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - From the Publisher (Page 11) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - From the Publisher (Page 12) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - From the Publisher (Page 13) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Europe: Comfort, Convenience and Hospitality in Turkey (Page 14) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Europe: Comfort, Convenience and Hospitality in Turkey (Page 15) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Europe: Comfort, Convenience and Hospitality in Turkey (Page 16) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Europe: Comfort, Convenience and Hospitality in Turkey (Page 17) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Hawaii: As One Big Island Favorite Hotel Reopens its Doors, Another Nears Completion of its Enhancement (Page 18) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Hawaii: As One Big Island Favorite Hotel Reopens its Doors, Another Nears Completion of its Enhancement (Page 19) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Hawaii: As One Big Island Favorite Hotel Reopens its Doors, Another Nears Completion of its Enhancement (Page 20) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Hawaii: As One Big Island Favorite Hotel Reopens its Doors, Another Nears Completion of its Enhancement (Page 21) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Las Vegas: Encore Opens in High Style (Page 22) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Las Vegas: Encore Opens in High Style (Page 23) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Las Vegas: Encore Opens in High Style (Page 24) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Las Vegas: Encore Opens in High Style (Page 25) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Central & South America: Buenos Aires Offers History, Fine Dining and Impressive Accommodations (Page 26) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Central & South America: Buenos Aires Offers History, Fine Dining and Impressive Accommodations (Page 27) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Central & South America: Buenos Aires Offers History, Fine Dining and Impressive Accommodations (Page 28) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Central & South America: Buenos Aires Offers History, Fine Dining and Impressive Accommodations (Page 29) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Caribbean: Anguilla's New and Improved Cap Juluca (Page 30) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Caribbean: Anguilla's New and Improved Cap Juluca (Page 31) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Caribbean: Anguilla's New and Improved Cap Juluca (Page 32) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Caribbean: Anguilla's New and Improved Cap Juluca (Page 33) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cruises: Fred. Olsen Relaunches the Braemar (Page 34) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cruises: Fred. Olsen Relaunches the Braemar (Page 35) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cruises: Fred. Olsen Relaunches the Braemar (Page 36) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cruises: Fred. Olsen Relaunches the Braemar (Page 37) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cover Story: Culture Crash (Page 38) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cover Story: Culture Crash (Page 39) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cover Story: Culture Crash (Page 40) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cover Story: Culture Crash (Page 41) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cover Story: Culture Crash (Page 42) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Cover Story: Culture Crash (Page 43) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Ski: Hitting the Slopes in Banff and Lake Louise, Canada (Page 44) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Ski: Hitting the Slopes in Banff and Lake Louise, Canada (Page 45) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Ski: Hitting the Slopes in Banff and Lake Louise, Canada (Page 46) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Ski: Hitting the Slopes in Banff and Lake Louise, Canada (Page 47) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Agent Profile: Let’s Travel Together’s Billy B. Martin Connects with Clients (Page 48) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Agent Profile: Let’s Travel Together’s Billy B. Martin Connects with Clients (Page 49) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - E-mail Marketing Tips from Cruise Executives (Page 50) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Looking for a Positive Spin in Negative News (Page 51) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - In the Spotlight (Page 52) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - In the Spotlight (Page 53) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - In the Spotlight (Page 54) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - In the Spotlight (Page 55) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - In the Spotlight (Page 56) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Editorial Index (Page 57) Travel Agent - February 2, 2009 - Advertising Index (Page 58) 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