Travel Agent of the Day Thursday November 8th, 2007 - Melody Hagerman
11/08/2007 11:11 a.m.
Melody Hagerman Destination Specialist (DS), Master Cruise Counselor (MCC) How long have you been in the business? What inspired you to become a travel agent? Do you have a passion for travel? Did you do anything else before becoming a travel agent? Are there any great perks that come with working in this business? What are some of the perks? Any great discounts? What about upgrades? Do you take a lot of vacations? Do you go alone or do your friends and family tag along? Favorite getaways to head off to on your own? Do you inadvertently work a lot when you are on vacation? - scouting hotels, activities, tours and sites? How many clients do you have right now? Do you limit how many clients you can work with at one time? Do you work with a partner? Office or home? Websites such as, Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity have given the opportunity to travelers to book trips without a travel agent. Have you found this to be a problem for you? What are you doing to convince travelers that a travel agent is a better option? If a traveler asks you, "Why should I use a travel agent," how do you respond? Have any travelers given you any horror stories of experiences they had trying to book a trip on their own? Do you have any tips for the listening travel community? What's the most exciting trip to book right now for you? What would you say is your most popular destination request right now? Why do you think that is? There's a lot of buzz about specialization these days, and how destination expertise is still a great value proposition for travelers. Why do you think agent specialization is important to have when travelers are trying to book the trip? What does it mean to be specialized to you? Does specialization actually mean focusing on a handful of things? How specialized is too specialized? Is this possible? A popular trip request has been requests for flight only quotes. Do you believe that a good agent can up-sell these requests to full trips? How would you go about doing this? If someone were to call and ask you for once in a lifetime vacation idea, what would you suggest?
Melody joined the Tripology network back in April of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com.
"About 20-25 years."
"I traveled most of my life. And I owe a lot to both of my parents that traveled and took me with them as I was growing up.
"Yes!"
"Other than schooling and a music degree, I spent most of my time traveling."
"Yes, there can be."
"To me, it isn't just getting travel discounts but also the satisfaction of my clients and making their travel dreams come true."
"There are some but not as many as there have been in the past."
"I get good hotel up-grades."
"Not as many now, as I am working with group travel and most of the time I escort these types of trips."
"Sometimes alone and sometimes I travel with friends."
"My favorite is Greece. I specialize in Greece so I spend quite a bit of time there."
"I think it is always important to find new information on locations even if you have been there several times. I always try and find out as much as possible about the area that I am visiting. I am always looking for new hotels, activities, and tour sites to see."
How else do you review hotels that you may not have been to?
"I look to the Star Index an also the travel advisor on the internet. I usually check out at least 2-3 references."
"At least 100 or more. I deal with lots of groups."
"Yes, I can only work on so many at one time. I have to organize and be as detailed as possible on a daily basis."
"No"
"My office is out of my home."
"Not really, it works in my favor, as many people search the internet they find out limited information about their trip and they realize in the end they really want to talk with someone that has traveled and been to the location they are looking at."
"Stressing the point that the internet is a great resource, but it is always good to talk with someone that has been there and can direct you in the right direction."
"Again, telling the client that I may be able to give them some direction on where they are visiting and be helpful in shaping the trip to accommodate their needs. A travel agent is a person that you can talk to especially if you need help. You can't very well talk to anyone on the internet if you have a problem."
"Yes, when they have tried booking their own trip, they have thought everything was confirmed and then come to find out that it's not leaving them with no reservations for a number of reasons."
"Be there for your clients, even though they are going to the internet sometimes, be service oriented and helpful. So it takes a few more minutes out of your time, your clients will remember that when they book travel again."
"My group bookings for the next few years traveling to Egypt and Greece."
"Cruising, as it is a good value for what you get."
"This is true as 80% of my business is due to my specialization. That is why I work so hard at it."
"Knowing what I can offer my client and know how to get them the best value out of their trip and help them find what they are looking for."
Is it focusing on only 1 thing and traveling there every year?
"Somewhat, I do make it a point to travel at least once a year to keep up-dated as much as possible. I do try to expand into other areas, but not all at once."
"Yes and no. It depends on the type of trip being planned."
"You can never know too much."
"Yes, again it is how you market yourself. Even if the passenger just wants air only and dosn't want to use the rest of your services at the time of booking, they may find that they are going to need you in the future too."
"I would ask them if they need any other services such as: hotels, cars, tours, etc. And that they should remember me on their next travel venture, since I can service all of their travel needs."
"I would ask them what they really want to do, their dreams, and what they are expecting from a vacation. I would want to find out as much as possible from the client and really listen to what their needs are."
Tags: travel agents of the day
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