Home Based Travel Agent Basics: Mini-Course - Part 4

Home based travel agent mini-course: Part 4: Is Being a Home-Based Travel Agent For You?

Who should get into the travel agent game?

Now that I've been in it myself for a while and know how easy it is to get started, to make sales, to make bookings, and to make money, my answer is simple and straightforward: Everyone!

After all, even if all you want to do is save money on your own travel for business and pleasure, becoming a home-based travel agent is one of the best way to do just that.

If you're eager to start a fun, moneymaking home business, you'll find that becoming a home-based travel agent can be done quickly and cheaply.

In fact, most people who take my home study course are so excited by the possibilities that they start their travel agent career rolling even before
they've finished the course! It's that easy to get started.

In the meantime, however, consider these good solid reasons for joining the thousands of people who are having fun and making money in the home-based travel agent lifestyle:

Are you a traveler? If you love travel yourself, you have already mastered a major challenge for anyone in sales -- you know your product. It is now a relatively simple matter to translate the knowledge and enthusiasm you already possess into powerful sales presentations that will bring you your first bookings and steady repeat business. In addition, you'll start saving money on your own travel instantly.

Are you looking for a low-investment part-time business? Look no further. As I've already said, and explain in detail in my home study course, you can become a part-time home-based travel agent today. And your initial investment can be absolutely zero (okay, maybe you'll use a stamp or two and make a few phone calls). I made my first several bookings with no business card, no stationery, no nothing!

Do you need a flexible schedule? Here's a business that allows you to set your own hours like few others. You can chat with folks at work or call them at home at night. Work full-time one week and scale back the next. Whatever schedule works best for you, you can design a travel business to accommodate it.

Are you a teacher?  Many opportunities in the part-time travel field are aimed specifically at teachers. Moreover, teachers have more free time than many other professionals -- free time that can be both a boon and a curse. As a part-time travel agent you can use your free time to sell travel and take advantage of it too!

Do you have a built-in audience? Teachers do. They can reach their students and their students' parents. But other professions also offer their practitioners access to large groups of people -- ministers, accountants, salespeople, beauticians, the list goes on. All of these people come in
contact with many people in the course of their work, people who are often prime prospects for any travel business.

Do you belong to a club or organization? Clubs and other affinity groups represent superb opportunities to make major sales. If you get ten people in your club to go on a cruise with their spouses, that's a $30,000 to $40,000 sale.

Are you a small businessperson? If so, why not make travel an add-on to your existing product line? Everyone who comes into your shop can learn about the travel opportunities you have to offer. If you send catalogs or brochures to your customers on a regular basis you have already paid for the postage to send them a flyer about a great bargain on an upcoming tour or cruise. Or why not offer discounted travel to your employees as an extra benefit? You'll forego some or all of the commission, but the goodwill you generate will be hard to beat.

Do you travel on business? Many people who travel on business pay their own way and then get reimbursed by their employer or client. As a travel agent, you can earn a commission on every bit of that travel. If you own your own business and spend a considerable amount of money on travel, then the prospect of saving 5% to 7% on your travel expenditures should make your bottom line sit up and take notice.

Are you in sales? If you are, you've probably already thought of a dozen ways you can prosper in this sideline. Your existing sales skills will fit perfectly in a home-based travel business and you no doubt already have a large and ever-growing pool of prospects.

Are you retired? Perfect. Not only do you now have the time to devote to learning about travel, but you are an integral part of the largest and fastest growing market for leisure travel. You can make a handsome income, and enjoy some wonderful fringe benefits, just by specializing in the travel interests and needs of folks just like you.

Are you home with the kids? Here's a way to make a bit of extra money at the same time you're burping and diapering. Much of your business with customers can be conducted on the phone; your friends probably won't mind if you're bouncing junior on your knee while you talk to them. You can use baby's nap time to get on the phone and call the travel suppliers. It's a perfect scenario for the homemaker or househusband.

Are you committed to a full-time career? If you are not sure, you can test the waters for a minimal investment. If you find you love the travel business as much as you thought, great! You'll be ideally situated to maximize your income potential. If, on the other hand, you decide the travel business is not for you (it's not for everyone), you have the option of continuing on a part-time basis or getting out altogether without having spent a small fortune discovering you've made a wrong career turn.

Are you sure you want to work in an agency? Many people thrive in an agency atmosphere, but many become bored and disillusioned with the rote work that taking orders and working the CRS often involves. The strategies outlined in my home study course will show you how easy it is to progress to the status of an agency owner -- without the huge upfront investment and high overhead. In the process you will put yourself in a position to earn many times what you would make as an entry-level inside employee.

So, you see, just about everyone has a good reason to become a home-based travel agent, but there are still some reasons to think twice before you jump in with both feet, as we will see in Part 5 of this mini-course.

----------------------------------------------------------------------