Since Travel Impressions sells exclusively through retail travel agents, we’ve been paying a lot of attention to the home-based agent segment of the market. It’s more than just a movement at this point. Many savvy agents have gone independent and are working from home or remotely. Indeed, collectively home-based agents now produce too much sales volume for suppliers to ignore.

While home-based agents can rid themselves of the burden and cost of back office operations so they can focus on just selling travel, we know it’s easy to build a home-based travel business. Once you leave that storefront, there’s added pressure to get out there and sell.

Home-based agents can employ many different tactics to market themselves and boost their sales, from networking on social media to hosting theme nights. Some focus exclusively on groups to earn larger commissions on bookings. But regardless of your approach, one thing remains constant: It’s up to you to get your name out there and everything else hinges on your ability to make sales happen.

At Travel Impressions, we combine the volume purchasing power of our large organization with the high-touch approach more commonly associated with smaller, more boutique tour operators. Travel Impressions engages with travel agencies of all sizes, including individual home-based agents. When we look at home-based agents, we don’t see them in terms of sales volume, we see an opportunity to develop partnership.

Our training programs ensure that home-based agents have the knowledge and tool set they need to succeed, while our promotions provide incentives to help close sales in this competitive environment. In particular, our Dedicated Vacation Flights are an equalizer, helping home-based agents compete with larger retailers and online travel agencies with advantageous pricing, especially when purchased in conjunction with a complete vacation package.

Dedicated Vacation Flights feature early morning departures, which maximize clients’ enjoyment of their very first day at the destination, and almost every flight is nonstop. In many cases, these exclusive flights are the only nonstop option to the vacation destination. In the client’s eyes, you receive all the credit for time and money saved, so there’s a strong customer retention value to our Dedicated Vacation Flights as well.

To sweeten the deal for our independent partners, we recently started offering 5 percent commissions on all Dedicated Vacation Flights, ensuring home-based agents are amply rewarded for their sales. The commission is applicable across the board, whether booked as part of a vacation package, as an Impress Me Deal or an air-only booking.

Dedicated Vacation Flights visit popular vacation destinations throughout Jamaica, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. They are available from more than 20 gateways, including Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Lansing, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Rockford, Salt Lake City and St. Louis.

Other programs, such as our Dimension Series product knowledge and training tool, help home-based agents become veritable experts on many of the resorts and destinations we sell so they can sell with confidence and impress their clients.

In a nutshell, my message for home-based agents is that being independent doesn’t mean you’re all alone. Travel Impressions is here to help you every step of the way. Our products are backed by our award-winning customer service. And our bulk purchasing power with top suppliers means you don’t have to worry about hitting sales targets to gain access to special rates.

So while the burden is still on you to brand and promote yourself, we’ll back you every step of the way so that you can hit a home run every time you go to bat for your clients.