Thursday, 30 November 2017
At Travel Counsellors, we’re committed to helping our people take to control of their future and achieving their ambitions. This commitment is reflected in the ongoing support and training we provide, and that doesn’t end after your initial induction. We’re constantly developing innovative new initiatives to enable you to reach your goals and maximise your potential, whether you’ve been running your business for 6 months or 16 years.
Pioneered by Global Sales Director Jim Eastwood, our recently launched ‘Accelerator Programme’ is just one of many new initiatives available to Travel Counsellors. Speaking at our Global Annual Conference, Jim said: “We wanted to make sure that as we grow as a company, those Travel Counsellors who want to grow their businesses have a programme they can enter in to and take their businesses forward. Our aim is to motivate and inspire you to continue your journey to a ‘Future Without Limits” and we’re facilitating that through our Accelerator Programme.”
Taking part in our ‘Accelerator TC Panel’ at Conference, four Travel Counsellors participated in the pilot of the programme shared the impact it’s had on their individual businesses…
Charlotte Helstrom – Travel Counsellor since 2009
“I decided I wanted to take part in the Accelerator Programme because I wanted to take my business forward. The modules have really helped me, and the time management aspect was one thing that really stuck in my mind. I’ve learnt to manage my time and make sure I do things in a set way each day. Once the kids went back to school after the summer holidays, doing that really helped me get under control and get my business going in the right direction.
I’ve come across some hurdles, like picking up the phone and speaking to my customers, so I spoke to Karina in Business Development and she talked me through it and I’ve started using things like the ‘reconnecting with customers report’ [a report provided to Travel Counsellors to help them identify customers who have not yet booked with them this year]. It is tools like that which have really helped me and I’ve picked up a lot of enquiries from it.”
The result… Charlotte’s commission grew by 60% during the programme and she became a ‘Gold’ Travel Counsellor [a status awarded to Travel Counsellors when they reach a high level of commission]
Mike Bridges – Travel Counsellors since 2007
“I joined the Accelerator Programme because my business was more or less standing still, but it was my own fault. The programme has allowed me to restructure my business and having that structure in place has given me the focus, not only in my business but in my personal life as well, to concentrate on what I want and what’s good for my customers”
The result… Mike had a 47% increase in his commission during the period in which he took part in the Accelerator Programme!
Lynde Lee-Opperman – a Travel Counsellor in South Africa since 2009
“At the beginning of the year, I realised I needed to change where I was in terms of my business. I was in a comfort zone and my goals weren’t big enough; they were goals I was going to achieve whether I tried or not, so I was looking for something to help me and this programme came along.
I put everything into it and there were some challenging tasks – some of them really put you out of your comfort zone. But it taught me a lot and I’m glad I did it. I now have goals, visual goals all around my office walls, and every time I reach one it’s amazing! No matter how small it is, it makes me feel more confident in myself.
For Lynde, a ‘Future Without Limits’ is “Bucket list holidays with my husband. That’s a big a goal so to achieve that I need to ‘up’ my business. This year, I’m very much on par with what my goal was and next year it’s quite a bit higher, so hopefully, I’ll make ‘Gold’ too.”
Jo Baldwin – Travel Counsellor since 2013
“When I started the year my goal was to get a better work-life balance. I was three years into running my own business, this is my fourth year, and I felt like I was doing too many hours in the office. I started this job to have a better work/life balance so that’s what I’ve been trying to achieve. When the Accelerator Programme came along I thought, this looks really awesome, I’m sure that’ll be really beneficial to my business. So, I started it and it’s tied in really well with my goal to get a better work-life balance because of the time management aspect of it, the wellbeing, the mindset – it’s all really helped the way that I do the day to day running of my business. Now I feel like I’ve got so much more control.
I started the programme in June and in September I made Gold. I’m actually working less hours in the office than I ever have in the last four years and my business is doing better than ever – and it’s just because I’m working so much more productively when I’m in the office and all the tips and things we had to do as part of accelerator, they really benefit your business.”
The result… Jo achieved her goal of achieving a better work-life balance and achieved our coveted ‘Gold’ status.
And what does a ‘Future Without Limits’ look like for Jo? “Well, I’m living my dream already. Being a Travel Counsellor has given me more than I could ever have hoped for and the future holds great things. I’d love to do a million in sales in a year – that’s one of my targets, it always has been. I do believe that whatever you decide to do, you can 100% do it.”
Check out the highlights of our Annual Conference 2017 to get a glimpse of what you could be part of next year....
