You don’t have to be following a yellow brick road or falling down a rabbit hole to wish you were home. Being at home can easily include your work life. In 2011, more than 34 million people worked at least part of the time from home. Becoming a home-based travel agent is a great way to join that growing number! And, there’s no better company than Cruises Inc. with which to do it.
Cruises Inc. began hosting home-based travel agents 30 years ago. We have solid, proven experience in providing the right training, marketing, technology and support for people who want to begin, continue or enhance their home-based travel agent career.
For the beginner, our start-up training features hands-on opportunities to learn the basics of making bookings, researching travel options and creating vacation packages that entice prospective vacation shoppers to become loyal clients. Beginning home-based travel agents also learn effective marketing skills and are provided with technology that allows them to market through email and social media. They are supplied with real-time pricing and inventory access to the major cruise lines and favored-partner access to land, hotel, shore excursion and Select Air packaging. New home-based travel agents are guided in adding to their revenue with private-label travel insurance designed to protect their clients’ vacation investments. The goal for newcomers is a solid foundation for becoming a successful home-based travel professional.
The just starting out Cruises Inc. home-based travel agent is never alone … even though they work from the seclusion of their own home. Our staff of almost 100 support professionals is available by phone, chat and email to answer questions about customer care, marketing, technology and individual agent needs.
As the home-based travel agent becomes more proficient at selling travel and providing customer service, an affiliation with Cruises Inc. offers continuing opportunities for growth. Training is ongoing at no additional cost. Our suppliers and training staff provide our home-based travel agents with ongoing webinars and informational meetings to increase their product knowledge and industry expertise. As our home-based travel agents grow they often begin to focus on specific market segments and our award-winning marketing department creates year-around targeted marketing to match those needs. Often, social media marketing is a part of the agent’s outreach. The Cruises Inc. technology staff provides hands-on assistance and written instructions for agents to publish blogs and add our Cruise Finder widget to e-marketing sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Ongoing access to support expands to include weekly meetings for those who wish to network and assistance with creating and marketing group travel.
An experienced home-based travel agent will often enhance their growing client services with a focus on a niche market. Cruises Inc. has marketing, training and support for a continuously growing list of niche markets such as:
•River cruising
•LGBT market
•Family travel
•Luxury travel
•Destination-specific travel
Some of these niche markets are supported with separate personalized websites that allow the home-based travel agent to reach out beyond their physical location to a nationwide audience of potential clients. Cruises Inc. also offers the home-based agent incentives for growth through a graduated commission structure and a Circle of Excellence program that recognizes and awards top-producing agents.
So click your heels together, or make your appointment for tea with the rabbit, and join us at Cruises Inc. as a home-based travel agent. After all, there’s no place like home!
Terri Maldonado is a Cruises Inc. Recruitment Specialist. Cruises Inc. offers you the flexibility to work when you want, where you want and how often you want, all from the comfort of your own home. How great is that?