Independent contractors and home-based agents face a unique set of challenges when it comes to growing their business.
At the agency level, travel agents working in a traditional setting (especially those at large agencies) benefit from the trickle-down public relations and marketing efforts of their employer. Simultaneously, at the individual level, they have access to a wide variety of tools they can use to grow their client list.
Not so for those working at home.
To help level the playing field, The Mark Travel Corp., parent company of Funjet Vacations, has rolled out a new set of tools designed to assist home-based professionals in reaching new heights. We spoke with Terry Morrison, vice president of Travel Agency Engagement at The Mark Travel Corp. to learn more.
Travel Pulse: What kinds of tools do you provide to help the home-based agents and Independent Contractors working with your host agencies market and grow their business?
Terry Morrison: The best tool that we have to offer to home-based agents is our people. We have dedicated resources working directly with HOST organizations at the HQ level, but in addition to that we have a dedicated team of inside support for the front line agents, as well. That's an investment that we have made that no other tour operator has been able to make, and we feel the 1:1 engagement that our team offers separates us from any other organization doing business in the space today.
TP: Are these tools geared primarily to growing the business (i.e. helping them with prospects, growing their social media presence etc.) or assisting them with the day-to-day operations and negotiating the often-tricky employment regulations that are unique to people working independently or from their home?
TM: The Mark Travel Corp.'s home-based agent tools are geared primarily to growing the business. We recently launched Creative Connection, which is a new tool that allows agents to create advertising content and vacation recommendations for their customers at the 1:1 level. The tool is a browser-based tool so it is accessible from any computer and browser.
Additionally, we have engagement tools that allow home-based agents to email vacation quotes directly from the booking engine and in real time for their customers. They can quote the air and hotel portion but also the excursions and the more experience-based portion of the recommendation/quote. Home-based agent tools are one thing, but the programs are a big part of what we do. Agent Bonus Cash continues to grow as the best agent rewards program in the business. Last year alone we paid more than $2 million in Bonus Cash to booking agents. Top earners earned more than $10,000. We encourage every home-based agent to sign up and start earning.
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TP: Do agents have to pay a fee for using these tools? What's on the horizon when it comes to expanding this tool set?
TM: Each of the tools that we have available for home-based agents is offered free of charge, and we are committed to that strategy for the future. We are very excited about the tools and programs that we have to offer home-based agents today, but also have the gears turning on the next set of tools that we have in mind for booking agents and home-based agents that will help them compete today and in the future. I am excited about the steps that we are taking to help home-based agents build their business with The Mark Travel Corp.
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