Travel Agent - August 6, 2007 - (Page 44)

Agent Exchange How Do You Train Your Agents to Be Successful? We asked: What agent has been your best success story lately? How have you developed your staff of agents? philosophy can be an adjustment for new employees. “We try to help alter their perspective to see themselves in a much more important role than order-takers. It’s all about service and product knowledge. Our clients now expect this. If they don’t get it, we find out about it very quickly.” Bob Lyons VacationTime Travel Columbus OH Bob Lyons of VacationTime Travel in Columbus, OH, says Brenda Doner is one of his most improved agents. Doner has been one of Lyons’ agents since 1997, starting out with no sales background. “She has Jeffrey Anderson America’s Vacation Center/American Express Escondido, CA “Chuck and Nysie Campione, or ‘Team Campione,’ are one of the most successful home-based husband and wife teams at AVC,” says Jeffrey Anderson. “We’ve been ecstatic to watch their sales skyrocket over the past months. Their success is due to their remarkable team structure, consistency, persistency, and always having a game plan. We have an extensive support system for our agents; the support staff-toagent ratio is better than 10 to one. By providing independent affiliates with customer care, agent care, accounting, marketing, public relations, and technology support, as well as training opportunities through America’s Vacation Center University, we have created an environment where affiliated agents, like Chuck and Nysie, have time to do what they do best—sell!” Anastasia Mann “We have had some great success stories with the agents setting excellent goals and going out and making it happen,” she says. Jennifer Doncsecz VIP Vacations, Inc. Whitehall, PA Jennifer Doncsecz is president of VIP Vacations Inc., a Whitehall, PA home-based agency with 14 outside sales agents. “I offer incentives to motivate my employees,” she says, such as trips. Doncsecz acknowledges that she is the actual top producer for her company, although one employee is a consistent standout. “My top producer, and the agent who wins every incentive contest I put out there, is Erin Koutsoubis,” says Doncsecz. “I consider her my protégé.” Joining VIP Vacations three years ago was Koutsoubis’ introduction to selling travel. “Erin wasn’t jaded by commission caps and 9/11,” says Doncsecz. Describing her as a self-starter who brings business to the agency, she notes that Koutsoubis married into a Greek family and has embraced the culture, joining a variety of Greek organizations. “Greeks travel together in groups,” says Doncsecz. “They have extended families. Erin regularly books groups of 15.” — Mackenzie Allison, Daniel Butcher, Jennifer Merritt, Mark Rogers Bob Lyons blossomed over the years,” he says. Most notably, Doner booked a trip for World War II veterans to England—a trip that some more seasoned agents did not want to touch. “She did unique things for them in addition to travel arrangements,” Lyons says, including having wreaths made for the vets to take to the cemetery and place on the graves of their fallen comrades. “Now she’s not afraid to take on anything.” Jami Sales CruisingCo.com Seattle, WA At CruisingCo.com, the method is to establish a strong degree of professionalism from the very beginning through “unparalleled training and mentoring,” according to Jami Sales, president of CruisingCo.com. “Our training program is done from their home offices and spans two months, including both group training and one-on-one feedback,” she shares. “Training opportunities are available at least twice a month, plus our admin team offers every agent the chance to participate in a peer group of agents at like levels in their careers.” The groups set goals for themselves and are accountable to one another for meeting those goals by their next phone meeting. Anastasia Mann Corniche Group West Hollywood, CA Anastasia Mann, chairman and CEO of the Corniche Group in West Hollywood, CA, says her agency is very fortunate to have a very low attrition rate, which she attributes to schooling her employees to think like consultants, not agents. “We exist to guide and advise our clients and offer services and products that we deem to be the best [for] their needs,” she says, a 44. TravelAgent August 6, 2007 http://CruisingCo.com http://CruisingCo.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - August 6, 2007

Contents Editor's Letter News You Can Use Cover Story - Passports and Visas: What Clients Should Know About Them EUROPE: Capella Debuts Two Properties This Year LAS VEGAS: The De-Theming of Luxor HAWAII: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea Renovates CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA: Cruising the Panama Canal Lavishly CARIBBEAN & BAHAMAS: Bahamas’ Grand Isle Resort & Spa News and Notes Meet the U.S.V.I.’s Tourism Commissioner CRUISES: Defining Regent Seven Seas HOTELS: InterContinental Harbor Court Baltimore Agent Exchange Luxury Travel Expo Update Ad and Edit Index Classified Marketplace People & Places

Travel Agent - August 6, 2007

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