Harvard of Hosts

PHOTO: Susan Ferrell of Travel Experts. Courtesy of Travel Experts.

As the number of independent contractors continues to grow at a rapid-fire pace, so too do the number of host agencies hoping to cater to them. In today’s increasingly crowded host agency marketplace, however, 26-year-old host organization Travel Experts, a true granddaddy in the field, continues to shine.

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“We started out slow back when being an IC [independent contractor] was an oddity,” says Susan Ferrell, Travel Experts’ owner and president, who founded the host agency in 1989. “Early on we had to educate agents as to what being an IC meant, and we’ve added people slowly and steadily over the years.”

In Ferrell’s view, that slow and steady growth is the key to Travel Experts’ ongoing success. “Like an Ivy League college, we’re rock solid,” she says. “We didn’t just pop up and sign on thousands of agents and just explode. We’re just slow, steady, solid and stable.”

A Stable Environment
In an industry where the one constant is its perpetual state of flux, Travel Experts’ stability is one of its key selling points. “There are a lot of agencies being bought out, acquired or merged, and agents are asked to sign new contracts, which represents upheaval to their work lives, throwing them off kilter,” says Ferrell. “It’s hard to do business when you’re being faced with those kinds of changes.”

By contrast, Travel Experts has operated under the same ownership for its entire history, with stable fees and programs.

Unquestionably, of course, one of Travel Experts strongest selling points is its long-standing relationship with Virtuoso. “Because we host the cream of the crop of agents in the country, we do a lot of high-end leisure business, so it follows naturally that we’d partner with a consortium that is at the top of its field with high-end leisure suppliers,” says Ferrell. “The relationship is really important to us, and our agents are encouraged to participate in everything and anything related to Virtuoso.”

In addition to taking advantage of the consortium’s highly regarded lead-generation program, many Travel Experts agents also serve as Voyager Club hosts. “We also encourage them to attend regional meetings as well as the annual Travel Week,” says Ferrell. “We had about 100 agents attending Travel Week last year, which was huge.”

Early in its relationship with Virtuoso, Travel Experts, which is considered to be the largest pure host agency in the Virtuoso fold, was forced to endure criticism from some of the consortium’s other members who took issue with the host agency’s 100 percent commission plan.

“Host agencies — and particularly one that offered its members 100 percent commissions — were considered a threat to a lot of other Virtuoso members at the time, and quite honestly, we had a rough go of it at first,” says Ferrell.

That, however, is far from the case today. “The perception of how Travel Experts does business has changed, and we’re a valued member of Virtuoso and one of their top three agencies as far as volume,” she says. “People got to know us, and they saw that we operate on a transparent level and that what we offer is a great program for certain agents.”

Ferrell is quick to point out, however, that Travel Experts is not for everyone. “I get inquiries all the time form people who are not experienced enough in the industry and don’t have the clients to support our fee,” she says. “They might be okay with our monthly fee for three, four or five months, but then they start to struggle because they just don’t have the sales to support the fee long-term.”

Conversely, Travel Experts is ideally suited for seasoned agents specializing in high-end leisure travel. “I’m looking for people who are well established with a solid book of business that can support our monthly fees and stay with us long-term,” she says.

Long-Time Affiliates
“I’ve got people who’ve been with Travel Experts going on 21 years — so if agents have the business, our program is so simple and works so well that they can be with us forever.”

They stay, she said, because of the quality, simplicity and transparency of Travel Experts’ programs, and the collegial environment the host agency promotes (see sidebar).

“Most independent contractors who join us recognize an immediate jump in earnings, so the move is clearly a good one for them,” Ferrell says. “The bottom line is that people join us for financial reasons, but they stay with us for personal relationship reasons.”

Last year, Ferrell said Travel Experts, which hosts 325 agents and boasts an annual sales volume of more than $250 million, added 42 new members and expects the same sort of membership growth this year.

Over the past several years, Travel Experts has also experienced double-digit sales growth, and Ferrell sees no signs of a slowdown going forward. “Our sales and membership are up substantially,” she says. “The economy is bouncing back and our people are busier right now than ever. Clients are having a good year and they’re wanting to spend money.”

Furthermore, Ferrell notes that client feedback illustrates that increasing numbers of travelers understand the value proposition that travel agents bring to the table. “There’s a whole new level of respect for travel arrangers,” she says. “Our people are working wonders and creating memories for their clients, and the clients appreciate it.”

A primary attribute that Travel Experts’ agents share is their ability to forge strong relationships with their clients, says Ferrell. “They all love people and they love helping make people’s dreams come true.”

From Ferrell’s perspective, the ability to build relationships is by far the most important quality for any agent hoping to succeed in today’s business environment.

“Above all, this is a relationship industry and they have to be able to be friends first and a travel advisor second,” Ferrell says, adding that other skills can always be acquired. “You can learn about destinations and how to make a booking, but you have to like people and want to help them. That has to give you a thrill.”

For more information on Travel Experts, call 800-274-2544 and visit www.homebsetravel.com.

Travel Experts History
Back in 1989, when Susan Ferrell launched host agency Travel Experts, she expected a certain degree of competitiveness among member agents. Nothing, she says, could have been further from the truth.

“Independent contractors are hungry for the collegiality of a network of peers who share the same business philosophy and dedication to their clients and are happy to give and share advice and recommendations,” says Ferrell, owner and president of Travel Experts.

To facilitate that need, Travel Experts’ RFI platform enables agents to share information and offer advice with their colleagues. “All of our people have personal contacts around the world and they’re very willing to share them,” says Ferrell. “They know the answers that they get are pulled from their colleagues’ personal Rolodexes.”

Simply put, the archived platform enables agents to capitalize on the resources of the Travel Experts brain pool. “For instance, if you want a driver in Rome, you can query ‘Driver Rome’ and you’ll get all the questions and answers that have been posed for the past six or eight years,” says Ferrell. “It’s a huge resource, with answers coming from people who know what they’re talking about.”

Addressing Agents’ Needs
Travel Experts also offers agent back-office systems that are designed to cater to the needs of its agents. It uses Grasp Agent, a browser-based commission reporting application, which works with current accounting back-office systems, automating and running multiple reports to determine commission payments to agents. Agencies can control access to the system, enabling ICs to see only their data, which eliminates the need for printing and distributing individual reports.

The end result is a much speedier turnaround and more accurate reporting. “We have made sure our back-office systems work flawlessly so that there is no interruption in the money in/money out,” Ferrell says. “When systems work as they should, that leaves more time for us to pay personal attention to the finer points of communication, education, help and support.”