I have to admit, The Travel Institute staff is really a fun and energetic group of people to work with. We are a close team and do our best to make our meetings fun on both a business and personal level. I hope you also take the time to touch base and see what challenges or issues your coworkers or experiencing. You may be able to help or provide some good insight. We all bring different ideas to the table!

During our weekly Monday marketing meeting, we always brainstorm for new and fresh ideas to promote and pass along to members and other travel professionals. I wanted to share this fun new idea and encourage you to do something personal and different in your marketing messages.

We created a brand new web page that is updated monthly showcasing The Travel Institute staff and board member book favorites. This is really a great way to learn a bit more about us and also see what some of the travel industry’s top executives find interesting and helpful. If you haven’t visited our What We’ve Been Reading web page, check it out today! We have also included links to the book titles in case you would also like to purchase them on Amazon.com.

And remember, we are an Amazon.com affiliate, so with any purchase you make, whether it is on books or other items, The Travel Institute receives a portion that goes toward funding industry scholarships! It is a great way to give back without spending ANY money. So please save this link and pass it on to your friends: http://thetravelinstitute.com/amazon.

We look forward to announcing some more fun initiatives from The Travel Institute staff very soon!

Framingham, Massachusetts – The Travel Institute has scheduled its next online study group for CTCs (Certified Travel Counselors) and CTIEs (Certified Travel Industry Executives). The study group, facilitated by Mark McMullen, CTC, travel industry expert and trainer, will start on April 12 and will meet for nine weeks.

The courses covered will include Financial and Business Planning, Negotiating, Marketing Strategies, Goal Setting, Managing Change and Managing Conflict, plus a test preparation session.

The CTC certification is designed for owners and managers who will learn how to analyze new business opportunities and develop marketing strategies. The CTIE certification is designed for travel professionals in a non-counseling management position.

The study group option was created to help CTC and CTIE candidates stay motivated and set a goal for completion. Candidates also benefit from the interaction of fellow candidates from different areas of the industry. Each session will be recorded and available to attendees.

The nine-week series is affordably priced at $99 and space is limited. For more information or to enroll in the online study group please visit www.thetravelinstitute.com.

About The Travel Institute
Established in 1964, The Travel Institute serves as a community of knowledge and insight for all travel professionals. Through innovative education programs, professional certifications and customized learning solutions, The Institute fulfills its non-profit mission to promote a standard of industry knowledge and excellence. For more information about The Travel Institute visit www.thetravelinstitute.com or call (800) 542-4282.

The Travel Institute Introduces New Destination Specialist Alaska Study Group

Framingham, MA – The Travel Institute is starting an online study group on March 1 based on its Destination Specialist Alaska course. The study group, facilitated by Steven Coy, CTC, will be free and available to anyone enrolled in the course as well as all Premium members.

Participants will first meet in The Travel Institute’s new online discussion forum, followed by five 30-minute sessions that will cover the following topics: Selling Alaska, Inside Passage, Anchorage and South Central Alaska, and Exotic Alaska.

Each 30-minute coaching session will be an opportunity for participants to share what they have learned and trade suggestions about how to promote and increase sales to Alaska.

“We have had great success with facilitating CTA and CTC online study groups and many agents have requested that we hold similar study groups based on our specialist courses. This will also be a good way to help people prepare for the Alaska specialist test and earn their designation,” says Patty Noonan, CTC, director of sales for The Travel
Institute.

Anyone interested in signing up should visit http://thetravelinstitute.com/study-along-with-steven. If you would like to learn more about our complete offering of Destination Specialist courses, please visit www.thetravelinstitute.com/specialist/ds.

About The Travel Institute
Established in 1964, The Travel Institute serves as a community of knowledge and insight for all travel professionals. Through innovative education programs, professional certifications and customized learning solutions, The Institute fulfills its non-profit mission to promote a standard of industry knowledge and excellence. For more information about The Travel Institute visit www.thetravelinstitute.com or call (800) 542-4282.

Cory Andrichuk, MCC, President brandUcoaching.com
Personal Branding Coach

Cory Andrichuk is the Founder, President and Chief Business Coach of brandUcoaching Inc. Cory’s life-long entrepreneurial spirit, combined with his award-winning sales career in the travel and cruise industry and his love of technology, allowed him to launch his own coaching company, brandUcoaching Inc. in January 2009. Cory understands travel agents, their business and the new digital and social landscape! He walks the walk, and talks the talk. He’s been on the front lines, dug in the trenches, gotten his hands dirty. He’s in your arena! He’s not giving you just another sales and marketing song and dance…he’s doing for his own career exactly what he will be urging you to do for yours.

Cory coaches from real-life knowledge and experience. With close to 40 years of travel and hospitality experience, he has the skill base to help you find common-sense solutions and develop creative ideas while offering practical advice. He is part of your team. Cory coaches, motivates and challenges you to implement your goals and discover your dreams…he’s your business buddy.

Cory has also embraced the concept of business social media five years ago and has taught thousands of Friends, Followers, Fans, Connections and Circle’s the value of connecting their personal brand with others via business social media.

Learn more about Cory Andrichuk by visiting his website at www.brandUcoaching.com and through his many social channels:

Facebook www.facebook.com/brandUcoaching
Twitter @brandUcoach
Linked In http://www.linkedin.com/in/coryandrichuk
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/coryandrichuk
Blog http://www.coryandrichuk.com/

Gary M. Pollard, CTC
President, Ambassador Tours

Gary M. Pollard is President of Ambassador Tours in San Francisco. Founded by his parents, Stan and Leone Pollard, in 1955, Ambassador Tours is a full-service travel agency specializing in affordable vacation travel to all parts of the world.

Gary knew at an early age that he wanted to be part of the family business. So, after a couple of years of college, he joined the business and the folks made sure he started at the bottom – in the mail room – where he coordinated the mailing of cruise and tour brochures. Not long after, Gary graduated from Echols International Travel School.

In the ensuing years, Gary held a wide variety of jobs of increasing responsibility, covering all aspects of the business and eventually taking over the daily operations of the business with his brother, Bruce Pollard, in 1995. Finally, in 2003, his parents officially turned the reins of the company over to him, appointing him President, with overall accountability for Sales, Marketing and Operations. Now, more than 50 years after its inception, Ambassador Tours remains a leader in the travel industry, working hard to offer the best prices, best service and the best possible vacation for every travel interest.

Gary has served on advisory boards for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruise Line, Crystal Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and currently serves on the advisory boards for Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) and Club Med. Gary is also actively involved in his community, serving as Board President of the Foster City Youth Baseball Association, President of the San Mateo High School Athletic Boosters, and a Committee Member of the Foster City Park and Recreation Citizen Advisory Committee, and past President of Peninsula Temple Sholom. Gary earned his CTC in 1988 and became a life member in 1989.

Gary has sailed on more than 40 ships. He resides in Foster City with his wife, Chris, and their two sons, Bryan and Marcus.

I’m sure you have heard before that social media is not your standard marketing tool. It’s interactive, very casual and often misunderstood. Yet, it has the potential to do great things at a very low cost – but only if you play your cards right.

The art of being social takes some skill, but not the ones most people think of in business. To demonstrate what I mean, here is my roundup of five skills that can be great in many marketing situations, but need to be used with caution on social media:

1. Salesmanship
Selling skills are a must in many situations, but not when it comes to being social. Consumers visit social media sites to hang out, decompress and be entertained. Successful social companies are the ones who can offer casual conversation that encourages a relationship rather than a direct sale.

Think about it: how would you start a conversation at a networking event? With your latest deal or with casual chatter? Talking about your latest travel adventure, incredible destinations, fun travel facts, your team or asking your readers for input are better ways to engage and enchant. The sales will come later once your audience is convinced that you are a great person or company to deal with.

2. Stealth
Being stealthy may be great for Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible, but not so much if you are trying to woe customers. An active presence is the secret to winning people over. This means posting often to keep the conversation fresh and ongoing.

My rule of thumb? The shorter the message, the more often you need to post. For instance, here are some recommended minimums for popular channels:

Blogging: 2-4 posts per month
Facebook: 1-2 times per day
Twitter: 3-8 times per day

3. Self-promotion
Leave the infomercials and 30-second elevator pitches at the door! No one likes a bragger, so use this skill with restraint. You will get much better results if you focus updates on your reader more than yourself.

Does that mean you can’t EVER mention yourself? No. It’s good to highlight important accomplishments, but make sure they actually qualify as important – and don’t make it the only thing you talk about for weeks on end.

4. Writing
Writing? Really? How can writing skills be bad?

In all honesty, writing skills are something everyone should develop. But what I’m talking about here are the people who write too much and say very little. You know those people. The ones who write novels in the form of Facebook posts (because you can now), blog copy that goes to the moon and back or tweets that require a link to read the entire thing.

Practice the art of being concise and getting to the point. On that note, on to our last skill…

5. Focus
Having goals and a direction are crucially important to an effective online presence. However, social interactions are fluid discussions and can often take a turn you didn’t expect.

Be flexible and adapt as it makes sense. Things happen and circumstances change. It’s ok to adjust the focus and go off in a different direction if you need to.

Sheila Heustess accepted the position of Vice President, Travel Industry, Merchant Services Americas, American Express, in October, 2011. In this capacity, she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s relationships with key partners in the travel industry in the U.S.

Ms. Heustess joined American Express in 1994 in the Strategic Relationship Group. She has held a variety of executive positions since joining the company, including having responsibility for relationships with key merchants in the restaurant industry and responsibility for a portfolio of travel companies, including airlines, hotels, and car rental companies. Before joining American Express, she spent over 9 years at Delta Air Lines in a variety of sales and marketing roles.

She holds a BS in Marketing from Arkansas State University and currently resides in Atlanta.

Two weeks ago Nolan Burris kicked off our Friday Five blogs with a post titled, A Rose By Any Other Name? In it he makes the case that “whether your title is agent or consultant, it’s what you DO that matters.  But, it’s also important to be perceived in the right way.”

As I read it, it made me think about how we often divide travel sellers into two categories: home-based or those who work in a traditional office environment.  But, are the training needs of each group really any different? When all is said and done, whether you work in an office, out of your home, or meet your customers in their office or home, success often depends on key skills such as customer service, selling, marketing and product knowledge.

I’ve been around long enough that I can remember a time when the term “home-based travel agent” never even existed. It was a world before commission cuts when most people worked 9-5, sold everything, were salaried and “Mom and Pop” agencies were everywhere.

As times and circumstances changed, many newcomers to the industry started working out of their home selling travel, joined host agencies and the phrase “home-based travel agent” was born. Fast forward to today where there are now so many different variations of how and where people work.  Now both veteran travel agents and newcomers work at home – full time, part time, or a combination.

Can you think of any other industries where the term “home-based” is used like we do in the travel industry? This past summer when we were looking for new office space we went to a real estate office and the person there directed us to one of their realtors who worked from home. I wondered if in real estate they used the term “home-based “real estate agents. When I drive to work, I pass a dentist who has his office in his home. I wonder if he thinks of himself as a “home-based” dentist?

I also wonder if some day we may even see the term “home-based travel agent” gradually disappear and people who sell travel will simply be referred to as travel agents or travel consultants, regardless of where their “home base” is. So, like Nolan said, “whatever title you choose to use (or I would add wherever you choose to work) it really is what you DO that matters.”

Putting a bit of effort in understanding and marketing to this group of 76 million people is sure to yield some terrific results as it represents the best traveled, best educated, and richest segment of society. Here are five important characteristics that distinguish Boomers from other travelers:

1. They look for authenticity in their travel experiences: This is where the travel professionals’ expertise can really pay off. But, as Boomers are more skeptical than their parent’s generation, they’ll question the legitimacy of what’s put in front of them such as multi-ethnic dance shows, arts and crafts, guides, etc. They’re more questioning than older travelers but more accepting than younger ones so make sure your products and your marketing feature the real deal.

2. They seek a unique balance of activity and relaxation: They’re not satisfied sitting on a bus being shuttled from museum to temple to museum. Boomers want intellectual, emotional and physical engagement balanced with some time doing nothing relaxing on a beach or at a spa. They want more activity and involvement than many older travelers but not quite as much as younger ones. Travel professionals can help Boomers find that balance in their travels.

3. They perceive the world differently: Every generation holds views shaped by important events that occurred during their formative years. Boomers’ childhood memories of other nations include the USA-USSR Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Iran Hostage Crisis, the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and the CIA’s involvement in Chile, Argentina and Central American countries. Many Boomers won’t travel to these countries because of their political views while others can’t wait to explore these once-forbidden regions. You need to be aware of the history, of their perhaps outdated views of safety, etc. and thread carefully until you know your clients’ feelings.

4. They’re better traveled: Unlike earlier generations of travelers, Boomers didn’t wait until retirement to hit the road. Chances are they traveled before starting a family, during or after college and as part of their careers. If they traveled a lot for work, they used their air miles to take vacations abroad their parents could only imagine. These are very well traveled customers who have a better sense of what they want than older or younger ones. Travel pros have to begin conversations about their needs at a different level and quickly realize the depth of knowledge the clients have to avoid offending them.

5. See themselves as special: This is because they’ve been told that they are unique and special for the last 65 years by marketers, social scientists, their parents and grandparents. No generation before has been treated this way and now they’ve come to expect it in all services they purchase. While you may think you’re treating them special, it may not be enough compared to what your competitor is doing. Certainly impeccable service and a deep understanding of your customers are a good start, but to serve Boomers you also need to make a commitment to really getting to know them.

Each of these five characteristics impacts how you market your offerings to Boomers. If your main customers have been older travelers in the past, sedate tours with little involvement may be a turn off to Boomers. On the other hand, if your offerings have attracted a very young market segment but you’d like to attract more Boomers, you may want to reconsider how you communicate your products to them.

On Wednesday, February 15 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, I’ll be giving a webinar for The Travel Institute on Capturing the Most Important Baby Boomer Travel Market. This webinar is free for Travel Institute members and space is limited to the first 100 participants.

Doris Gallan is President of Baby Boomers Traveling and provides training to The Travel Institute as well as a monthly column to Friday Five. You can subscribe to her newsletter, 360° of Travel, where you’ll also find other resources for travel professionals. She also speaks regularly on travel, Baby Boomers and marketing. Email Doris directly for more information.