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Transcript of Travel Agent Professional Jan. 2011
Travel AgentProfessional
4 A Sunday At the MallBy Les-Lee Roland
6 Clients for LifeBy Mitchell J. Schlesinger
22 Blogging 101By Sherrie Laskin
January 2011Issue 1
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1
Travel Agent Professional TAP
2011
Ad In
dex
64 A Sunday at the MallBy Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal
66 Clients for Life:The Dollars & Sense of Client LoyaltyBy Mitchell J. SchlesingerVice President, Sales & Marketing Voyages to Antiquity
10 Are We Obsolete?By Rusty Pickett, ECCShellback Cruises
12 2011 – A New Year & New Opportunities By Mary BrutscherFormer Host Agency Owner & Travel Educational Instructor
18 Five Hundred Twenty Five Thousand Six Hundred MinutesBy Scott KoepfVice President of Sales Avoya Travel/America’s Vacation Center
22 Blogging 101 Plain & Simple By Sherrie Laskin, ACCNACTA Chapter Director, North & East Central Florida
January
http://www.autoeurope.com/Http://www.JoinAvoya.comhttp://www.leisurepops.com/
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/http://www.trams.com/ http://www.myhosttravelagency.comhttp://us.voyagestoantiquity.com/
Auto Europe .........................IFC & 9Avoya Travel/AVC.........................15Leisure Pops ...........................19, 21
Royal Caribbean Line ...................BCTRAMS .........................................15Travel Planners Int’l .............11 & 13Voyages to Antiquity ......................3
Travel AgentProfessional
January 2011 Issue 2
Travel Agent Professional has its roots in Home BasedTrade, the first magazine of its kind, started by Joel Abelsin 2004. Joel and Lenore Abels ran Travel Trade for near-ly half a century – it was started by her grandfather, JohnS. Lewis, and her father, Sidney Lewis, in 1929, and theytook the publication over after her grandfather’s passing.
Under Joel’s direction, the company grew to be one of thetravel agent industry’s leading publications, reaching more than 45,000 agents throughoutNorth America. It spawned a famous series of trade shows and three monthly magazines –Cruise Trade, Tour Trade and Home Based Trade.
The Abels also garnered enormous respect – Joel received the Neal Award, called “thePulitzer Prize of the business press,” for his hard-hitting editorials.
On a personal note, after working with Joel for over a decade and staying with him until theend, I grew to truly care for and respect the man. He was like a second father to me. Joelwas old school, he stood by his word and believed in his work. There will never be another.
While nobody can replace this industry legend, we’re hoping that this new publication, whichreunites the original Home Based Trade editorial board, will be able to carry on his passionfor travel and those who sell it.
Ann M. Hoek
Travel Agent ProfessionalPO Box 120202
Staten Island, NY 10312E-mail:
mailto:[email protected]:
718.227.7541
Ann M. HoekPublisher/Creative Design
Bonnie WallingEditor
Meet Our Editorial BoardMitchell J. Schlesinger
Vice President, Sales & MarketingVoyages to Antiquity
www.voyagestoantiquity.com
Mary BrutscherFormer Host Agency Owner &Travel Educational Instructor
mailto:[email protected]
Rusty Pickett, ECCShellback Cruises
www.shellbackcruises.com
Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal
Scott KoepfVice President of Sales
Avoya Travel/America’s Vacation Center
www.JoinAvoya.com
Sherry Laskin, ACCNACTA Chapter Director, North & East Central Florida
www.sherrylaskin.com
Sherrie FunkCo-owner & President of
Just Cruisin’ Pluswww.justcruisinplus.com
ContributionsLee Rosen, CEOLeisure Pops
www.leisurepops.com
This online magazine is dedicated tothe memory of Joel Abels, TravelTrade's editor and publisher. Joeland his life's work may be gone, butwith your help it can live on.
Joel, meant so much to many people in many different ways. Not only was he the most
knowledgeable person in the travel industry, he was always accessible to everyone.
That means CEOs, politicians, industry leaders and travel agents. He had the keenest
mind, a great memory and a sense of loyalty that never would be compromised. And I
cannot forget his wit, which reminded me of Groucho Marx. I remember when he was
handing out prizes at a CRUISE-A-THON, and he started to read from a sheet of paper
describing a 2-night stay somewhere. He stopped in mid-sentence and said, “This is a
lousy prize, I’m not giving it out. Let’s find something better.” I have been a self-educat-
ed travel agent for over 15 years, always Home Based. I read every trade journal and
went to many CRUISE-A-THONs to gather more knowledge. When I moved into a new
community four years ago, my homeowners association was not pleased that “anyone”
would be working out of their home. When they threatened me with a lawsuit unless I
closed up my business within 60 days, I was appalled. I remembered some of Joel’s edi-
torials about the Home Based. I gathered some old issues, contacted Joel and was sur-
prised that he took the time to talk to a simple Home Based agent. Then, with ammuni-
tion in hand, I demanded a meeting with the board of directors of the association. I laid
out my case, so succinctly that within five minutes, the board backed down totally. Joel
even took the time to contact me afterwards just to ask how I did. I told him that not
only did I win, but the Governor of Florida had also set up a task force to assist others
who had problems with homeowners associations. Joel asked me to write about it. My
first article in Home Based Trade was “Look Out Big Brother, Here Comes Your Big
Sister.” That one piece led to monthly articles and has expanded to my Flips and Flops
column, and becoming a motivational speaker. And finally, going to the stage to accept
the Finalist Award in the Travel Agent of 2006 election. Joel opened many doors for me
— as for so many others. Joel has mentored every agent who has read Travel Trade
and Home Based. He has instilled in me not just to do the best for my clients, but also
to share the best with other agents. Lenore was his true love. To see his face light up
when he talked about their long time romance is the picture I will always remember.
Joel was a “Purrrrfect Gentleman.”
— Les-Lee RolandReprinted from Feb. 2007 Home Based Trade with writer permission
Joel M. Abels Legend In the Travel Industry
April 1927 to January 2007
Visit www.voyagestoantiquity.com
By
L
es
-L
ee
R
ol
an
d
January 2011
Maybe you saw the
segment on the TODAYshow about a couple who
got married at the bride’s
favorite store
— T.J. MAXX
When she took the idea for the ceremony to the head peopleat the store, they offered to throw her wedding. They knew the
value of the publicity for their store, as well as the chain of stores
throughout the country.
The bride walked down the aisle next to the shoe department, and
admits she even stopped for a second when she saw a pair of wed-
gies on sale. .
Travel agents should learn from this episode and find ways to think
out of the box.
Consider the popular women’s fashion store, Chico’s, always locat-
ed in a shopping center or a strip mall. Okay, it’s not a travel suppli-
er…or is it? A Sarasota, FL branch offers a seminar on how to pack
for an 18-day trip using just a carry-on.
Women sign up for this event — held on a Sunday at 10 a.m. - and
these are women who like to travel. And we all know they are the
decision makers for the family travel. Also, according to statistics,
women outlive men — especially in Florida — which means that
lots of women travel together.
Each attendee wears a tag with their name as well as the destination
4 A Sunday
Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal
5
Travel Agent Professional
they want to visit. Chico’s welcomes travel agents to
attend, to hand out info, to network, and to share
their expertise. This cross-marketing with an
extremely popular retailer is a win-win.
Look at the opportunities here, and picture this: You
have a group booking, and you invite your clients to
Chico’s to learn how to pack for their adventure
and to hand out their documents. Perhaps you
arrange for a drawing for a gift card. Chico’s gets
new clients, you have a unique way to hand out the
documents. And all of this happens when the store
is closed, so your invitees feel really special. Hey,
Chico’s even provided the refreshments!
Or another choice is to invite your prospects — both
for clothing and travel — and use the same scenario as
above. And if you don’t have a Chico’s in your area,
move — or find something close to it in your area.
We’ve been told that marketing with bridal salons,
florists, and other vendors can bring referrals. Usually
you have to leave flyers on a counter or bulletin board,
and hopefully you get a phone call or
E-mail response. Linking to these retailers can be
rewarding, but the clothing store/travel agent con-
nection is much more hands-on.
In this case, where the retailer encourages the trav-
el agents to participate, the sales are greater. When
I attended the seminar at Chico’s as a customer, I
saw a travel agent from another office, armed with
handouts. Both of us worked the room with no
competition. She got her leads, and I got mine. Plus,
the store earned a lot of revenue on clothing sales.
And while you’re there, wear a name tag with your
agency logo, or perhaps a pin saying “Tell me about
your Bucket List.” You’ll be surprised at the num-
ber of strangers who will start a conversation
with you.
And kudos to both Shari and Annette, employees
at Chico’s who provide personalized customer
service that is rare in today’s retail market and
they furnished a forum for the agents and the
attentive audience. They were so adept on what
they did, this could easily be a segment on a local
news show, but that’s another marketing idea.
After leaving Chico’s, a few steps away was Williams
Sonoma — the great store that offers everything
for your kitchen and your palate. At this location,
on most Sunday mornings, again, before the shop-
ping mall even opens for business, Williams Sonoma
offers a free cooking seminar.
I put on my chef thinking cap to suggest to the
manager that perhaps they can focus on items
from one country, and I could bring info on pack-
ages to that location. We’re setting up a date for
tapas and a visit to the Picasso Museum. It that’s a
success, than it’s Thai food. Just be sure to suggest
a menu to work with items that the store can sell.
Going to my car, I passed Home Depot, nah…no
ideas there… and I went home.
I guess our job is not just a nine to fiver — it is a
seven day round the clock, open to new opportu-
nities wherever you go. And by the way, I bought
six outfits that will fit into my carry-on.
At the Mall
6
By
M
it
ch
el
l
J.
S
ch
le
si
ng
er
January 2011
Mitchell J. SchlesingerVice President, Sales & MarketingVoyages to [email protected]
Let’s start with the basics. If you don’t do this now, but have actually have thedata somewhere, make sure you have an organized file for each and every one ofyour clients reflecting:
All of the trips they have booked with you;
The number of days of each trip;
The ticket cost per person for each trip;
The destinations to which they have traveled;
The categories of travel (cruises, tours, FIT) booked;
Types of accommodations purchased;
The time intervals between trips purchased;
Special requests they have made when booking trips;
Personal information you know about them;
All social and civic organizations to which they belong;
Hobbies, passions etc in which they are involved;
Birthdays and anniversaries of all family members;
Contact information for siblings and relatives (irrespective of where they live);
The names of everyone they have ever referred to you.
Clients for Life:
The Dollars & The concept of “Clients for Life” is simple andstarts with understanding just how essential your
clients are to your business success. The key word
is essential. With the absence of a loyal client base,
it is very difficult to build a thriving, long term busi-
ness. This series of articles will focus on the impor-
tance of client loyalty and the myriad of steps
required to ensure that you are achieving this and
benefiting from it financially.
7
Travel Agent Professional
One of the great clichés in the busi-
ness world is; “Failing to plan is plan-
ning to fail.” And while it is a cliché, it
is one businesses great truisms.
Regardless of which software system
you use, or just create files in your
computer, if you are not accumulating
the information above, you are plan-
ning to fail. This information is the
lifeblood of your business because of
what flows from it.
For those with very up-to-date records,
you have the ability to calculate the
value of every one of your clients in
terms of their impact on your annual
revenue. And the impact they provide
not only comes in the form of their
own travel, but much more importantly,
the business they refer to you.
Think of client loyalty like a legal
pyramid scheme. Every time they
refer someone to you who books a
trip, it creates another branch system
on a tree with the next generation of
referrals from the original ones. This
is crucial, as it costs significantly less
to generate business via repeat and
referral clients compared to the cost
of generating brand new customers.
A theme of this series that will be
repeated over and over and over is
Sense of Client Loyalty
(continued on page 8)
January 2011
the concept of managing your clients’ travel over
time. This is all about your focus on their demo-
graphics and psychographics which are inextricably
linked to what they buy and when they buy it, and
how that changes as they age and go through the
various stages of life. The travel they purchase
when they are in their 30s with two young chil-
dren at home will be very different than what they
will want 25 years later as empty nesters. It is up
to you to effectively manage the travel purchase
pattern year after year and decade after decade.
Of course, this presumes that you performed the
necessary steps to insure that they will still be
your clients as time passes.
This attempt to inject concern comes from three
specific standpoints. The first is simple. If you don’t
dote on your clientele, they have no real reason to
be loyal to you, or consider you “brand centric”as
a service provider and therefore purchase trips
from other agencies. The second, are all the out-
side sources playing siren songs to your clients
attempting to lure them into purchasing their trav-
el through alternative resources. This includes not
only other agencies, but more obtrusively, product
suppliers attempting to enhance their direct sales.
The third is financial. For the better part of the
past 20 years, through a litany of educational
venues, there has been a consistent effort to con-
vey the concept that your clients are like an annu-
ity. Just as investments grow and generate incre-
mental interest income, the same can be said of
longtime clients as they age.
As they reach empty nester status and get into
their 50s & 60s, these clients begin to travel to far-
ther flung destinations, spend more time traveling,
purchase more expensive travel alternatives, travel
more frequently and book their trips well in
advance of the actual travel. All of which results in
commissions which continually grow over time like
interest on investments.
I wrote this first article presuming that those of
you who are reading it and have gotten to this
point, are divided into two main groups. The first
group has the information above and either real-
izes now or is calculating immediately and will
quickly recognize the actual value of existing
clients. The second group is likely in some form of
panic because they do not have the above informa-
tion in an organized fashion and are not taking full
advantage of what value their clients provide. The
goal is that anyone in group two is making a
promise to move into group one.
The notion of “clients for life” is simply that your
clients are worth more to you as they age both in
terms of repeat travel and referrals. It is your chal-
lenge to retain these “client annuities” as they con-
tinue to book travel through their lifetime or lose
this lucrative business. It is just common “sense”
to protect these dollars.
8One of the great clichés in the business world is; “Failing to
plan is planning to fail.” And while it is a cliché, it is one
businesses great truisms. ‘ ’
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A friend of mine recently posted a link on Facebook from
the Huffington Post titled, “You’re Out — 20 Things That Became
Obsolete This Decade” by Bianca Bosker. Number two on her list is
travel agents. I don’t know what planet this lady is living on, or what
she considers a vacation, but there are numerous other studies that
state that use of a travel agent is on the rise, due the complexity of
booking a significant adventure.
10
By
R
us
ty
P
ic
ke
tt
,
EC
C
January 2011
Are We
Obsolete?
Rusty Pickett, ECCShellback Cruises www.shellbackcruises.com
She states, “The proliferation of sites like Kayak,
Orbitz, Travelocity, and Hipmunk, which have
empowered consumers to find their own fares
and easily book their own flights, together with
the rise of Web sites and apps that give travelers
the information they need to plan their own itin-
eraries, have changed the travel industry in drastic
ways. The days of recruiting a travel agent to book
flights, find hotels, and organize tours are on their
way out - and already gone for many.”
I certainly don’t disagree with her about booking
flights and the one night/several night hotel stay,
which most of us probably want our clients to do
anyway as there are only a few dollars in commis-
sion resulting from most of these types of book-
ings. Her statement on tours, however, is just nuts!
When was the last time you saw one of the
major Internet booking sites advertise cruises and
tours? I think it’s been years. Based on her state-
ment, I guess her idea of a good vacation is a
Holiday Inn Express in Orlando (not that I have
any problem with Holiday Inn Express!)
If you haven’t thought about why your clients
should use you, it’s worth taking a few minutes to
do so. Here are some ideas from a flyer that
Vacation.com produced for its member agents to
include with information we send out to clients:
• It’s a travel agent’s job to know the world’s
greatest destinations inside and out to provide
exceptional counseling to our clients;
• Our expertise will save our clients time and
effort in planning that next great adventure;
• We have access to discounted and limited time
offers as well as exclusive offers not available to
the masses on the Internet;
• We can customize vacations through use of
amenities and options many may not have even
thought of;
• Most importantly, we are an advocate for our
clients. Try and get some personalized service out
of an internet site, when plans go awry!
The major Internet sites have created the percep-
tion (which some sages consider is 90% of reality)
that they are cheaper. They don’t want the public to
know the truth! We need to keep our travel agent
tool bag full of the latest tricks and make sure our
clients know just exactly how valuable we are, and
we need to keep reminding them of that fact!
Happy New Year!
Travel Agent Professional
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Contact information for Mary ismailto:[email protected]
http://issuu.com/action/page?page=1
12
By
M
ar
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Br
ut
sc
he
r
January 2011
AsI write this article, it is a few days before Christmas.
After leaving the office, I ran to the grocery store to get the
ingredients needed for a Christmas Eve family get-together,
Christmas dinner and a few necessities. Wow! I was hit with
sticker shock! I can’t believe how much the cost of feeding a
family is going up — predictions for 2011 say that we could see
an increase in food costs of as much as a whopping 20%!
2011 – A New Year &
New Opportunities
Sometimes, it seems like everything is goingup except our take-home pay, and we wonder
how we can possibly survive. Well, I am here to
tell you that, YES, YOU CAN! You must beproactive and when things change, change with
them. Roll with the flow.
How can you address the concerns your clients
have in these uncertain times and close the deal?
It can be done. Let me give you an example.
In 2001, I ended up temporarily out of the travel
industry. I had closed my agency down and moved
my clientele with me to another agency located in
downtown Charleston, SC. I became the manager
there and things were going well. Of course, we
all know what happened next — 9/11.
The agency had so many cancellations that the
owner had to let every single employee go —
myself included. I managed to hang onto a few
groups who were cruising the following year and
had decided to not cancel, but instead to wait and
see how things shaped up.
I accepted a temporary position working for one
of the nation’s largest health insurance compa-
nies. I enjoyed the job and the people, but I
(continued on page 14)
January 2011
missed the travel industry. So, in February of 2002, facing not
only the aftermath of 9/11 but also the SARS and norovirus
outbreaks, I reopened my host agency. However, I knew I had
to shift my focus from what I was doing to something that
could help address the fears of my clients. Cruising had excel-
lent prices and I knew it was a great opportunity to go after
the corporate business and close-to-home travel.
I’m happy to report that not only did my business do well that
year, but it was one of the best years ever, as was the next
year. In fact, I did so well that commission on just one of my
groups exceeded $30,000!
This is another one of those difficult years. Look at theconcerns of most travelers right now:
Air travel. Let’s be honest. Air travel is a pain. Itis frustrating and a hassle. Some people are intimidated by the
x-ray machines and pat downs. They are paying extra for bag-
gage. The list of consumer gripes goes on — but they still
need to fly in order to accomplish their dream trip. It’s up to
you to do research, address their concerns and calm their
fears. Numerous independent studies have been done on the
x-ray machines, so do some research on these studies and let
your customers know about them. Depending on where the
clients are going, look into pre-shipping luggage. You might also
suggest a closer destination or port.
Confusion. A lot of people are still unsure ofwhether or not they need passports or travel insurance, as
well as what they can and cannot take on planes and ships.
Take the time to talk to them and explain everything, and put
it in writing! Not only can they review what they’ve been told,
but have them sign a statement or a copy noting that they have
received the information.
(continued on page 16)
Ready… Set… Go mark your calendar for Technology & Marketing University 2011. No matter what tools you rely on to run your business, TMU has something for everyone:
every
knowledge on the hottest industry issues
and technology
investment to finish first.
Save the date: May 17-19, 2011
MGM Grand, Las Vegas
www.sabretravelnetwork.com/tmu
16
January 2011
Money is tight, so find your customers something
they can afford! You may not get a high commis-
sion right now, but make your customer happy and
send them some place that’s fun and offers relax-
ation that they can afford now. When they can take
that dream vacation, chances are they will come
back to you. Another option is to book them far
enough in advance that they can make payments.
Look for current or unusual trends and sit down
and make a plan, create proposals and go after the
business! Don’t sit and wait for it to come to you,
or you may just be disappointed. The most suc-
cessful agents are those who not only offer excel-
lent customer service and product knowledge,
but go after the business.
Look for what provides the best commission for
you and the best perks for your customers! If you
own an agency and you are not affiliated with a
consortium, I highly suggest you start investigating
the benefits offered by today’s consortiums. I hap-
pen to know there are some pretty good ones
out there that offer a big bang for the bucks!
If you are an independent contractor and it seems
like you get no support from your host and are
hard pressed to think of any benefits that you are
receiving by your affiliation with them, change
hosts! Again, there are some really great hosts
out there. In fact, I even affiliate with a host and
have done so since selling my host agency.
Make January and February, 2011 two of your
busiest months. It’s wave season and it’s time to
look at a new way of doing business. Don’t give
up on an idea just because you think it will not
work. You will never know unless you try.
When you do try, if it doesn’t work the first, sec-
ond, or third time, try it a fourth time. It was
about my sixth try that gave me the huge group
of 436 passengers on one cruise. It was some-
thing I had never done before, didn’t have the
knowledge, but I sure thought it would be great if
I got the business.
If I can do it, so can you. Make 2011 your most
profitable year yet!
If I can do it, so can you. Make 2011 your most
profitable year yet! ‘ ’
Happy New Year!
Travel Agent Professional
CST
# 20
1666
4-10
Fla.
Sel
ler
of T
rave
l Ref
. No.
ST3
6781
© 2010 Avoya Travel/America’s Vacation Center
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Five HundredTwenty Five Thousand
Six Hundred Minutes
http://issuu.com/action/page?page=1
18
By
S
co
tt
K
oe
pf
January 2011
Scott KoepfVice President of SalesAvoya Travel/America’s Vacation Centerwww.JoinAvoya.com
Even if you are not familiar with the musical Rent, you have
probably heard the signature song from this revolutionary rock musi-
cal. 525,600 minutes are in a year and, as the song goes on, it questions
how do we measure the value of that time? We all know that time
management is a continuing challenge, but it may be the most impor-
tant skill for success in any career.
(continued on page 20)
What is LeisurePops?Leisure Pops is a point-of-
sale, merchandizing software
application that runs on an
agent’s desktop and helps
travel agents to sell more
preferred suppliers, more
add-on products and more
upgrades.
Leisure Pops runs in the
background on an Agent's
desktop and then “Pops” or
reminds an agent via a pop
up message of opportunities
to better serve their client
— as well as make more
commissions.
Lee RosenPresident, Leisure Pops
Leisure Pops: A New Application from an Old Friend
For more information go to www.leisurepops.com
• Sell more preferred suppliers.
• Sell more add-on products.
• Earn more commissions.
• Better service your clients.
The Power of Pops
20There are many experts who now think the term
“time management” is actually passé, as we can’t real-
ly manage time at all. We all have access to the same
number of minutes in a year and so that number can’t
actually be managed. However, what we do with
those minutes and the decisions we make in how to
make best use of those minutes will be what sepa-
rates us from each other and our goals or desires.
Even the terminology of “balancing our time” is
considered wrong these days. Most of us have been
taught to balance our priorities and our time
between work, family, friends, fun and more. The
simple truth is that those areas will never be in bal-
ance. For most of us, we spend more time working
than we do with our family. Yet, a recent survey
found that over 90% of people said family was their
first priority.
So, if family is our top priority, but work is our top
time user, then if our goal is balance, we would be
considered failures. I don’t think that is the right
conclusion and I agree that the word balance is not
the right term for how we spend our 525,600 min-
utes. Trying to balance time spent to priorities will
not only be an exercise in futility, but also will cause
depression.
As we begin a new year and many of us make resolu-
tions (such as to stop procrastinating!), now is the
time to set the best way to determine how you want
to spend your time. I will once again rely on the
lyrics to this beautiful song, as it asks what the “mea-
sure” of a year is. Is it the things we do, the places we
go, the sales we make, the achievement of our goals?
Those are all important and can certainly be a part
of your plan, but the real important measurement of
the time you spent is, just like the song says, LOVE!
For those of you who think I am too over the top
here and way too sentimental, then consider this
tough love! When all is said and done, love is the
main thing we should strive for as the legacy of our
own 525,600 minutes. But this is not all emotional
blabbering, as it applies to our businesses and how
we spend time there.
If we spend all of our minutes processing transac-
tions and crossing items off of our To Do lists,
then the end result may not bring the true
achievements you want. You are in the travel busi-
ness, but actually you are in the people business. If
your focus is on loving your clients, then they will
love you in return, and all of the sales and business
goals will follow from there.
So sing these lyrics below and ask yourself, as you
set your resolutions, how to measure your year.
525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear.525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life?How about love? How about love? How
about love? Measure in love.Seasons of love.
January 2011
By
S
he
rr
y
La
sk
in
,
AC
C
January 2011
http://issuu.com/action/page?page=1
Sherry Laskin, ACCNACTA Chapter Director, North & East Central Florida www.sherrylaskin.com
Unless you’ve been living in a cave without Wi-Fi,
chances are you’ve heard and read about the importance of hav-
ing a blog. But do you really know what a blog is and how to
start one? Travel agents and other business people tell me they
know about blogging, would like to have a blog but don’t have a
clue where to begin.
Does the mere mention of widgets, plugins and platforms put
you over the edge? If you read this entire article, I promise you
will be able to go forth and prosper into the brave new blogging
world. You will be a blogger.
A blog = “web log.” Basically, a blog looks like a website butwith one big difference: it’s interactive. You very easily add new
information to your blog and so can others in the form of a
comment or they can even upload their videos from the vacation
that you sold to them! A blog is simply an online journal.
Once your blog is set up, you log in, type about something of inter-
est to your readers, post it and that’s it! Sound simple enough? It is.
Keep reading and I will tell you how to start a blog, plain and simple
Before we get to the nuts and bolts, it’s important for you to under-
stand why you need to have a blog. If you’re like most travel agents,
you probably have a static website; one of those cookie cutter web-
sites that you pay a company $19.95 a month for someone else to
maintain a travel offers box on your website. If you are lucky you
might be able to maintain one page on your own. Nice, but….
Do you consistently send out a personalized email newsletter
once or twice a week to all of your clients? If you do, how many
of your clients actually read all of it? They have to sift through
Blogging 101
Plain & Simple 22
TAP’s new blog... We would love to hear from you...http://blog.travelagentprofessional.com/
23
Travel Agent Professional
the information which takes time. You have to
invade their space, catch their attention and hope
they don’t hit “delete.”
What a perfect world it would be if your clients
looked forward to getting the updates to your blog
that they have asked to receive! This is what blog-
ging is all about. I call it passive marketing. A short
and timely article every day or so keeps you in front
of the competition and in the top of their minds.
Where to begin. First, you need to think up aname for your blog; for example, Ziggy’s Travel
Tidbits. Next, you need to register your blog name
with a blog host. The two most popular free blog-
ging “platforms” are Blogger and Wordpress.
With a free blog account, your blog name, if available,
would look like: ziggystraveltidbits.blogspot.com or
ziggystraveltidbits.wordpress.com.
Go to Blogger.com or Wordpress.com, signup for an account and create your blog name.
Time elapsed: five minutes. You now have a blog. In
five minutes you have opened the door to become
an author, blogger, travel expert and web designer.
And you haven’t done anything complicated!
Next step: follow the arrows or directions to the“Post” page and start to write about something.
Maybe a news blurb about the return of fuel sur-
charges on Princess and Cunard. Have a large family-
based clientele? Write about the arrival of the newest
Disney ship. Three to four hundred words are fine.
Find a photo online (usually from the cruise line’s
website or one of your own) to accompany the
article and upload it to your new blog. It’s almost
like a paint-by-numbers kit. The best feeling is
when you hit “publish” for the first time.
Suddenly, you can view your blog as the entire
world sees it. Pretty cool, huh.
Of course now is where you can get a bit creative.
On both Blogger and Wordpress you can choose
from a variety of fonts, themes, colors and add-
ons. Right now we are just creating a basic blog to
get you comfortable with it. Keep it simple. You
can change all of the creative options at any time
without losing your posts. It’s fun to try different
themes once you have a couple of posts uploaded.
If you don’t like the way it looks, click “undo.”
To recap, here’s what you need to do: 1. Think of a name for your blog
2. Sign up at either blogger.com or wordpress.com
and register your new blog name.
3. Follow the easy-to-do directions to type and
post to your new blog.
4. Press “Publish.”
5. Breathed a sigh of relief at your new accom-
plishment. It’s that simple!
That’s all there is to having your very own blog
site. It’s free, easy and fun to do. The first time
that someone leaves a comment for you, I guaran-
tee you’ll be elated.
In future articles, I’ll explain about paid blogs, tell you
how to get people to read your blog, the do’s and
don’ts of blog-marketing, getting the search engines
to find you and making money from your blog.
When your new blog is set up, send me the link at:
[email protected]. I’d love to read it! You
can check out my blog at www.cruisemaven.com.
SAILING 11 SHIPS TO EUROPEAN DESTINATIONS IN 2011 Royal Caribbean is looking forward to bringing 11 or our ships to Europe, Dubai and the Mediterranean this year. Clients will experience the best of each, from Rome’s Coliseum to Venice’s romantic gondolas, and only unpack once. Visit CruisingPower.com and book your clients now.
WHERE HISTORY WAS BORN.WHERE MEMORIES ARE MADE.
©2010 Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Ships registered in the Bahamas. 10021866 • 12/22/10
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