Selling Travel September 19

FOUR-SIGHT
29
Our columnists
Having the
support of a
consortium has
allowed us to
grow quickly
AT VENTURE Travel we are regularly visited
by reps from numerous different sectors of
the travel market.
What is great about these visits is that we
not only get to meet with suppliers who
we regularly book with but also suppliers
whose product we hadn’t considered selling
or had little knowledge of.
The fact that these companies take the
time to come and talk to us face to face
shows how lucky we are as agents to be
in an industry where help is always at
hand – whether you need to improve your
product knowledge or find solutions to any
problems you may have.
Although it might feel like it sometimes,
you are never actually on your own.
This leads me into my next point, which
is about being a member of the Global
Travel Group, a consortium for independent
agencies. The team has been amazing in
supporting us grow the business since
starting two years ago. Before we launched
they provided us with a two-week training
course, running through all the systems,
suppliers and back office programmes they
offer. We still have regular contact with
the Business Development Manager and
the Commercial and Finance teams, which
makes running the business much easier
for us. Having such great relationships
with Global and our suppliers is something
we really value – without their support
we wouldn’t have been able to grow the
business as fast as we have done.
THE ONLINE AGENCY
BEN & HUGH
Venture Travel, Mold,
North Wales
I HAVE to start by addressing the sad news
about the collapse of Super Break. They were
a great company with some fantastic staff. I
hope they all find new jobs soon.
On a more positive note, the Yorkshire
Travel Ball was a roaring success – and
thank you to Selling Travel for sponsoring
the magician. We raised £4,500 in total,
which was split between the Greek Cat
Welfare Society, Soi Dog Foundation, SOS
Wildlife, Starlight Barking Trust and Santorini
Donkeys. We also donated £500 to Cancer
Research in the name of Rachel Dawson from
Millhouses Travel in Sheffield, who sadly lost
her own battle in June. I’m already preparing
for next year's bash, which will be held on
July 16 at The Village Hotel, South Leeds.
I think training is vital for travel agents and
should be done on a regular basis as things
are changing all the time. In the past it was
something you did as and when a rep called
in. But why not open late once a month to
allow for staff training, and arrange a rep to
come in and update you on their products?
There's also an abundance of online
training programmes which can be done
when time allows – these are particularly
important for homeworkers.
I still think one of the best training tools is
to go on a fam trip. It allows you to paint a
picture to your customer, which makes it so
much easier to sell.
Training keeps us progressing
professionally, which leads me to my thought
of the month: 'Don’t be afraid to go out on a
limb, that is where the fruit is.'
Why not open
late once a
month for staff
training?
THE HOME WORKER
Sandy Murray
Sandy's Travel Escapes
James experiences
the AmaMagma
Ben and Hugh with the
Global Travel team
Sandy at the Yorkshire
Travel Ball with Jessica
Pook from Selling Travel
Next month:
Tui aren't going to
scrap brochures
after all. But are
they integral to
selling travel?
Su
sellingtravel.co.uk