Build YOUR OWN Brand, not your host agency's

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Build YOUR brand. NOT your host agency's

You heard right - The CEO of a Host Agency is telling to focus on building YOUR brand, and NOT your host agency's brand.

Am I crazy?

Well, yes - but that's beside the point ;-)

The point is that when you become an "independent travel agent" (a home-based travel agent), you're doing so to have 'your own business', right?

(Buying a "travel agency franchise" is a different story ... and it's NOT what I'm taking about here)

So, if you're building your OWN business ... shouldn't you be building your OWN brand?

Duuuh!

Ok.... obviously, you agree.

But, here's what happens in the majority of cases:

You decide to become a travel agent
You join a host agency
Your host agency gives you business cards with THEIR "branding"

Your host agency gives you a web site which looks exactly the same as the web sites they've given 500 other agents, and which promotes THEIR brand

Ouch!

There's actually a host agency out there that helps their agents get a discount on a car, and the car is "branded" with the host agency's logo. (By the way, their agents love this, and it's presented as a 'benefit' of their affiliation. - Good for them .......for the host agency, I mean)

At first, promoting 'mainly' your host agency's brand doesn't seem like a problem.

.. BUT...

Think about it this way:

What would happen if - for whatever reason - you decided to leave that host agency?

If all you've done is promote THEIR brand, their logo, their identity ... well... now you have to start from scratch in creating a new "brand association" in your clients' minds.

Most host agencies treat their "independent agents" as "independent sales reps", NOT as "independent business owners".

So, it's UP TO YOU to ensure that - if you join a host agency - you build YOUR brand.

Why is this so important?

Because the 'brand' is one of the most important assets for ANY business (just ask "Nike", "Trump", "Coca Cola", "Ford", "Apple").

No wonder host agencies use their agents to build the host agency's brand.

At Vacations Internationale, our host agency, we do things differently: We actually help each independent travel consultant build THEIR brand, their "asset" .... an asset that can grow in value and which could actually attract buyers for their businesses in the future.

Allow me to illustrate:

If you took 6 different pictures of six "different" web sites 'owned' by 6 different agents affiliated with 'regular' host agencies, it would look something ike this:

They're ALL the same!
Regular host agencies basically FORCE their agents
to compete head on with each other!

... on the other hand ....

Here are 6 different pictures of six different web sites owned by 6 different agents affiliated with OUR host agency:

And the self-branding doesn't stop at their sites.

Their OWN business identity is carried over to their flyers, their business cards and all promotional materials they use.

So, whatever you do ..... regardless of which host agency you work with: BUILD YOUR BRAND!