Wednesday, 6 June 2018
It is believed that nearly a third of Travel Agents are working as an ITC and this moment is growing. This is growing in momentum
Travel News Weekly recently conducted a survey among those working as an ITC to find out what attracted them to go on their own. The results were published in the 6th June 2018 edition.
THE BENEFITS OF WORKING AS AN ITC
* Flexible working hours;
You decide when you work and the hours you work
83% of our Travel Counsellors believe that this is one of the single biggest benefits
Working from home or any other location. This can include from a park, whilst watching your kid's sports game, from your favourite coffee shop. You only need an internet connection and Travel Counsellors are fully mobile – they can take a laptop with them or use a Smartphone or ID to make their bookings. All TC’s have TMA (at no additional cost to them) which gives them the ability to work from anywhere.
* Being rewarded for the effort you put in;
It is no secret that our Travel Counsellors work hard, but they also reap the rewards of their efforts. Often this is one of the biggest grips from Travel Agents that they put in so many hours, work weekends, public holidays, after hours and see little reward for their efforts and often their salaries are capped.
As a Travel Counsellor the sky is literally the limit when it comes to earnings, we help our TC’s to keep their operational costs down, we ensure that we give them the tools to make more money whether that is from Phenix our in-house dynamic packaging systems that allow them to access TC exclusive product 24/7 with great commission margins or through specially negotiated commercial deals.
* More time with family or time to do the things that mean the most
Working from home gives you time to incorporate the things that mean the most to you in your day. Working from a retail agency means you leave home at the crack of dawn to avoid the traffic or it means wasting hours in the traffic on the way in and on the way home. If an emergency happens that means you are stuck in the office often late at night, this can mean locking up on your own, driving home late at night or been forced to make alternative plans if you have missed the public transport.
* Travel Counsellors are able to structure their day in such a way that suits them
Some get up early and work through emails and then they get the kids up and ready for school, they get to drop them off and then to go to gym then come back home to get a few hours dedicated work in (with little to no disruptions) then its back to school to do the school run, with homework and sports on the go. Whilst working dinner can be on, along with washing, and it's having the freedom to get these things done so that you can enjoy some family time, but still being available to your clients. Some TC’s might choose to work later in the evening after the kids are in bed to respond and to call clients.
Travel Counsellors is not just appealing to those who have young families – other TC’s love it as they have time for themselves, they can meet a friend for lunch, do personal admin things done in times where there are fewer queues. It's about taking all that needs doing and juggling your own time frame with no limits.
* Working your own way
You will not have a boss over your should checking what you are doing, what you have done or what you will do next. You are your own boss so you answer to yourself.
As a Travel Counsellor you are not told the hours you will work, you can decide when you want to go on leave, you can decide to take the day off, you are free to sell the product that is right for your customer, we don’t limit you by telling you that you can only use one operator.
* No monthly targets
Travel Agents every month have the pressure of meeting growing sales targets and covering the cost of their seat.
Travel Counsellors don’t force you to hit monthly targets. We give you all the tools at your disposal to be the best that you can be. We do believe that working as a Travel Counsellor that you should be earning more than what you did when working in a retail agency.
You set your own goals and Travel Counsellors will do everything that we can to help you to achieve them.
* Saving time and petrol by not having to sit in traffic
This is a huge benefit not just on your budget but also for your own sanity
* No salaries to pay
You don’t have the pressure to take care of anyone else, as a Travel Counsellor you can simplify your life and stick to what you do best – selling travel. All you need to do is to focus you, your needs and what you need to earn.
* Writing your own salary cheque
The sky is the limit, every month you can give yourself a pay rise. There is no limit.
* Developing valuable relationships with clients
When working in a retail agency there is often pressure, to get the client in and out of the store as quickly as possible so that you can move onto the next client.
But not with Travel Counsellors.
With no directional selling – this means our Travel Counsellors will sell what is right for the customer, this builds loyalty and trust.
We encourage our Travel Counsellors to take the time to build trusted relationships with their customers. They get to know them and become trusted friends. We provide them with tools so that they can discover what their clients are looking for and then we give them the marketing to support this. Happy customers = customer loyalty = repeat business = referrals.
* Can decide to go on an educational or not
Travel Counsellors can take advantage of the many educationals on the go. They can even write off the cost of it against tax. And you don’t have to wait for your turn either.
Take leave whenever you wish, you are the only person who says no, is you.
Working as an ITC and as a Travel Counsellor means that you can go on leave whenever you want, you are never told no, you are not limited to only go when it suits the company.
Travel Counsellors have the systems set up in place, where they can have a buddy look after their business, or the TC can choose to take their business with them and to still be available to their clients, it’s the TC’s choice.
Travel Counsellors also protects the Travel Counsellors business meaning that no other Travel Counsellor make take another Travel Counsellors client, this means TC’s freely help and assist one another.
More than 1,800 Travel Counsellors have taken advantage of these benefits, if they sound good to you and perhaps you would like to learn more then get in touch.
