This article originally
appeared in the March issue of AGENTatHOME magazine. Subscribe here to receive your free copy each month.
Elite, the rewards program for ALG Vacations’ top agency
producers, continues to expand, evolve and enhance its benefits. The plan lets
advisors sell the best ALGV brand that makes sense for their customers – and
agency – without worrying about how it will impact their earning status, said
Jim Tedesco, vice president of sales.
Elite advisors earn rewards that help them sell more. They
may receive access to special fam trips and early-access invitations to
register for Ascend (the annual conference) or other in-person events. They
also qualify for indestination rewards trips where they receive extra
education. Each level has a “pick your perk” entitlement, enabling them to
select the reward that they feel will help their agency the most.
Selling Affiliated Brands
Adding to the earnings potential, sales for affiliated
brands – Amstar (a destination management company) and Hyatt Inclusive
Collection – are weighted toward the Sapphire Select and Diamond Preferred
Rewards levels.
The more transfers, excursions and Hyatt Inclusive
Collection resorts an advisor sells, the more rewards they will earn.
Growth has been the story for Elite since it was launched a
few years ago – both in number of participants and in the value of the
benefits, Tedesco said. There are now six membership levels: Sapphire, Sapphire
Select, Emerald, Diamond, Diamond Preferred and Crown Jewel.
Sales Team Assistance
The company’s sales team is focused on helping rewards
members reach their next level. “Travel advisors have exceeded our expectations
in moving up from year to year,” Tedesco said, adding that 100 new agencies
joined the program in 2023.
The most recent addition to Elite is the Crown Jewel tier,
which was designed so the top 20 individual offices supporting ALGV brands are
recognized in additional ways.
“We appreciate the partnership with them and know that
production levels they produce do not happen overnight, nor do they happen
without strategy,” Tedesco said.
The Top-Tier Elite
The Crown Jewel tier includes virtual meetings with ALGV’s
executive team, additional recognition on the reward trip, extra agency promo
codes and an invitation for every owner into the company’s Milwaukee office for
a Crown Jewel Professional Development Day.
“We want them to meet our leadership and have the ability to
talk to the people leading the teams they work with every day,” Tedesco said.
Most importantly, ALGV will bring advisors and executives
together to talk strategy and share ideas, “allowing ALGV to gain feedback on
how it can be a better partner as a result of where they feel the business is
going or the strategies they feel they will need to have in place for 2024,” he
said.
The Waves Point Program
In addition to the Elite program, ALGV also offers the WAVES
points program. Advisors earn WAVES points based off each dollar that they
sell. Throughout the year, ALGV runs promotions where they can earn extra WAVES
points selling particular resorts, destinations and airlines. WAVES can be used
toward personal travel, merchandise or in-destination gifts and upgrades for
clients.
“New in the last few years is our WAVEMAKER program, which
consists of the top 1,000 WAVES earners. These advisors earn added perks just
for them,” said ALGV’s Jim Tedesco. “Those in the top 50 will also qualify for
the WAVEMAKER reward trip, where they can learn more skills like photography
and social media training, as well as network with their advisor colleagues.”
Tedesco recommended that advisors reach out to their
business development managers at algvacations.com/bdmfinder.
ALGV wants to play a part in every agency’s success, he
said, which sometimes is just getting an owner to make their first booking in
VAX (the leisure travel marketplace) and start the education process. Other
times, it’s to get them to start earning Elite levels. “We are here for all of
it,” Tedesco said. “It’s an honor to play a part in the agencies’ success.”
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