For all you frequent flyers out there, how many times have you seen the safety video?  Really, on any airline you fly regularly, could recite it, word for word, couldn’t you?  However, while we all know how important it is, I just wish they weren’t so boring!

Air New Zealand saves the day!  The cure for bored folks who snooze during the ever-important safety videos?  Put naked people in the video, then people will watch.  You bet they will.  Don’t believe me?  Not flying Air New Zealand soon.  No worries, click here and see for yourself.  (No, this isn’t spam.) http://bit.ly/ftGDE

I’m meeting more and more people who are still in travel, but they no longer book travel.  I find stories of people morphing from one profession into another fascinating. 

If you were once a travel agent and are now doing something else related to the travel industry, drop me a line.  I’m compiling some stories to post here.  Send an email to contact “at” tripology.com and tell me all about it (I’ve deleted the @ sign so we don’t get spammed but you know how to send an email.

In your email, feel free to give me a little history, but not War & Peace quantity. More important, tell me what you’re doing now and how being an agent helped you be successful.

Best,

JOHN

I just (literally) got off the red-eye, returning from Vegas where I attended Vacation.com’s annual conference.

There were over 1,100 people there and while I know Vacation.com may not be your consortium, I wanted to point out some things I observed.

LAS VEGAS IN GENERAL

First, a note about Las Vegas in general; unfortunately, Las Vegas still had a very small, if any, taxi line.  This is always my first litmus test as to how things are going in Las Vegas.  Long line = more people = business is good.  Short line = less people = business is off.  What’s the good news here? It seemed better than last month when I was there and considerably better than the month before that. So, as far as trends go, I’ve seen an uptick in travel to Las Vegas and this is great for everyone.  I can’t claim to know what they paid for their rooms, but I can tell you my acceptable accommodations at Caesar’s were relatively inexpensive but not dirt-cheap either.  I didn’t go clubbing but I can tell you the gaming tables were busy from what I could see.  This makes me happy as I like to see people traveling.

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

Now, about the conference, given the economy, the suppliers were THRILLED to see 1,100 people at the conference.  Since many of us are friends, we don’t mince words about the quality of a conference.  I know I speak for quite a few suppliers when I say “Congratulations VCOM, well done!

TRIPOLOGISTS STOPPED BY TO SAY HI

I want to thank all of the Tripologists that came to see us at our booth to tell us about their successes with Tripology, especially Maryjo from Hudson Travel who came to tell me she closed two out of the five free leads she got when she joined Tripology a couple of months ago! Then she told me her close ratio so far is about 7 out of 40 (17.5%)!  Maryjo went on to tell me about her initial email process and how she gets back to leads within minutes. Bravo Maryjo, keep up the good work!

Catherine DeMichiel, CTA, with John T. Peters of Tripology, shows off her Peek device.

Thanks as well to all the other Tripologists who came by to ask questions, ask for help or simply introduce themselves.  What a wonderful Tripology family that has formed! This family too, has new members; specifically, I want to thank our Travel Industry Supporter Program participants.  These suppliers (more being added weekly) have committed to paying for Tripology leads to assist travel specialists in these difficult times. Thanks to you all.  To see the details of the program, go to www.tripology.com/supplierprogram.  

This trip to Vegas was short; less than 48 hours but it was a great experience for all. 

I know conferences take time and money and I know many are forgoing these days, but just a word of advice… these conferences and trade shows are important.  Attending one should inspire you, educate you and give you wonderful exposure.  If you can’t attend as many as you would like, be sure to at least attend a few.  Getting regular updates on the industry, as well as on products and services is critical for all travel professionals.  If you sit at home or at the office all the time, you’ll miss out on a lot of very valuable information and opportunities.

Happy selling,

John

Every travel professional is wondering how to get more leads lately and this is why they come to Tripology. 
 
However, after you purchase a lead, you can be sure the potential customer is going to check out your website. What does yours look like?  Does it look like a grammar-school student threw it together? More important, it is built correctly? Is it indexed for SEO? Is it working for you?  Is it helping you drive more leads of your own?  For most, this is all sounds rather complicated, but the folks at 2Go Media may have found a way to make it easier for you.
 
They have developed a product specifically for travel professionals, which include a customizable website with a built‐in online marketing program that requires no technical knowledge at all to manage. Once you set it up, you only need 15 minutes or so a day to update your travel deals, which are then automatically broadcast to a variety of online channels though their Pro Marketing Wizard(SM) and Deal Feeder.
 
Some of you are probably saying, “But I already have a website!” You may already have a website, but how much business does that website bring you? (And how much money are you paying to maintain it?) Are you getting calls from people that found you online during a Google search? Or from the travel RSS feed they’ve subscribed to? That’s where 2Go Media comes in. As soon as you enter deals on your website, they put those deals directly on the phone and computer screens of exactly the people who are searching for them. Its targeted marketing at its most precise, and the best part is most of it is completely automatic.
 
2Go Media has its roots in the travel industry ‐ company CEO is Mike Egan, former CEO of Alamo Rent A Car, which makes them uniquely familiar with the specific needs of travel professionals. Their product offers targeted marketing 24/7/365, and at just $499 a year ($399 if you already own a domain) it’s a virtual bargain compared to other forms of advertising. Learn more at www.2GoMedia.travel.

Dear Tripologists,

By now, you’ve probably seen our emails and press release about the new Travel Industry Supporter Program, but I thought I’d reiterate how this new tool can be a significant new source of securing free leads for you.

The concept is simple:

1.       Buy a lead through the typical buying process

2.       Book the travelers using a product offered by a participating Travel Industry Supporter

3.       Get reimbursed by the Travel Industry Supporter for the cost of the lead

Current Tripologists can go to their Dashboard at www.tripology.com/agent  and access the “Free Leads from Travel Supporters” section for complete details.

We’ll compile a list of your requests for reimbursements at the end of each month and have each participating supporter verify booking status.  We then commit to have the funds credited to your account by the 15^th of the month, so if you request reimbursement for a June booking, we’ll have your funds credited in your account by July 15^th.

We’re excited to offer you this new tool and will continue to bring you new programs that enhance your Tripology experience.

For additional details on the program and to view participating Travel Industry Supporters, go to your Dashboard or access www.tripology.com/supplierprogram. Note that we will continuously add new supporters, so stay tuned!

If you have any questions regarding this new and exciting program, email us at contact@tripology.com or call us at 800-924-0722.

Thank you for your continued support!

Veronique

Negotiating (or bargaining) is such an important part of every-day life in so many cultures. Not ours though, unless you’re at a flea market or garage sale. Sure, if we’re going to make a large purchase, many folks know how to price shop, but I’m talking about bargaining for everyday items and services.  This makes a lot of people nervous because they’re scared of being rejected or embarrassed.  

Having been so lucky to travel to and do business in places where such activity is commonplace (like Cairo, Turkey and many others) I’ve certainly done my fair share of bargaining in both business and the local bazaar. Plus, negotiating is part of business and if you’re in business, you find yourself negotiating every day. So, about a month ago, I thought I’d try negotiating here…in the US…for as many products and services as I could in a month as an experiment with an easy-to-track metric; save big bucks, then I would keep doing it. Frankly, I was amazed at the results.

Here is the list of things for which I negotiated in the past month.

1)    Dry cleaning. Both my wife and I are professionals and the dry cleaning bill is significant. Since we know what our average weekly spend is, we guaranteed that amount to the dry cleaner in exchange for a 15% discount, plus free pick up/drop off service.

2)    Lawn care. We signed a weekly (seasonal contract) with a company who cuts lawns and got a major discount on the “spring cleaning” and got the fertilizer treatment thrown in.  We also promised we’d strongly consider them for snow removal, pending the quality of their summer work and he quickly offered a discount if we signed up now.

3)    Hotel.  I obviously stay in NYC quite a bit. Since I could guarantee 100 room-nights, I negotiated the rate for a discount and room upgrade.  

4)    Fence for the house.  This is obviously a large purchase (and one that I’ve yet to make) but I’m finding the disparity in quotes amazing for the same exact product. Right now I’m working on getting the best rate and picking from what I think are the most reputable companies.  I’m a big believer in “you get what you pay for” so the cheapest bid isn’t necessarily getting my business, but “value added items” (like throwing in an extra gate) will.

5)    Persian carpet for the house. Don’t imagine some very costly, very large carpet; this was more of an area rug.  This guy was good though. An Iranian carpet salesperson on Madison Avenue has to be good right? We went toe-to-toe over a two-day period (yes, I did the “that’s too rich for me” and walked out routine.)  In the end, I think I got a good deal.  It looks nice and it was fun to buy.

6)    Shoes. I got a pair of shoe-trees thrown in.  Mind you this wasn’t at a name brand store, but I was in NY and I saw a pair of shoes I liked in the window. Shoe trees retailed for $15 but likely cost them $1.73.  Hey, it was something.

7)    Mother’s day gift. I paid full price because love has no limits though I did get rush shipping thrown in from the vendor.  Obviously, I didn’t *need* rush shipping because I’d thought of the mother’s day gift months ago, but they offered and I didn’t want to be rude and decline.

You can go too far. 

There is clearly a “tipping point” when it comes to price.  Negotiate too much and the service or quality of the product or service will go out the window. This holds true especially for travel.  Sure, if you’re a business traveler and can guarantee 100 nights at a hotel, you’ll get a deal. 

Want the best value for leisure travel? Consumers should use a travel specialist who’ll do all the negotiating for them.  Travel specialists need to make sure they list all the things that are included in the price so the consumer is aware of all the “value added items” in the quote.  This often includes things like transfers, domestic airfare, connecting airfare, travel insurance, etc.  Plus, while you’re at it, hotels have all different types of rooms so I always encourage leisure travelers to use a travel specialist when booking a vacation because apples to apples comparisons are tough with travel. The biggest benefit of using a travel specialist is peace of mind; with a travel specialist you can be sure you’re getting a good value and that someone will be looking after all the important details of your trip.

Happy negotiating.

PS. If you’re a travel agent and you think you have what it takes to be a Tripologist, visit www.tripology.com/agent to find out more about registering as a travel specialist with Tripology.

Just when you’re saying “hey, things might be looking up…” we get this; the Swine flu.  For those of you in the industry, you’ll recall what SARS did to us.  This is a very fluid situation, changing by the minute.  As for right now at time of this writing, we’re not at SARS type status.

I’m not a big fan of panic.  Unnecessary panic has the potential to paralyze travel and further America’s ongoing economic crisis.  However, travelers, like all citizens, should heed the advice of experts when determining how best to manage health concerns.

Since you might be looking for more information, I thought I would pass on what the US Travel Association  reporting.  Here’s their press release from 4/27.  Again though, information is changing as fast as someone can type, so keep checking the US Travel Association site for updates.

Lastly, here’s what ASTA, via SmartBrief writes.  If you don’t get SmartBrief, you should. 

§        Health officials warn travelers about outbreak in Mexico
An outbreak of swine flu in Mexico has prompted health officials in the U.S. to advise Americans against nonessential travel to the southern neighbor. Swine flu has been linked to more than 150 deaths in Mexico. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has raised its alert level for global pandemic flu. However, the WHO has recommended keeping borders open and is not issuing any travel bans. Read the State Department’s Travel Alert for Mexico. The Wall Street Journal (4/28) , The New York Times (4/28) , Yahoo!/The Associated Press (4/28) Bloomberg (4/28)

It is amazing really.  You wouldn’t believe how many times I get the question (from the press, from potential investors, from friends and yes, from FAMILY) “Why should I use a travel agent?”

Really?  So you want a reason? How about 117 of them? You think you want to want to book your vacation on your own? We hear this all the time.  We’re so happy that so many consumers come to our site each month. 

Forrester just updated some research to indicate that 26% of online travelers would rather use a good offline travel agent if they new where to find one. Enter Tripology.  We’ll help you connect with these folks.  They’re tired of trying to make their vacation fit into some online booking engine. They want you, so be sure to take advantage of our leads.

And as for why someone should use a travel agent, we started asking consumers why they ended up at Tripology. The answers had the same themes; the value of time, the need for expertise and trust.

I happen to think there are over a hundred good reasons to use a travel agent. 117 actually. So, I’m going to start listing them, five or six at a time.

In no particular order:

1. A travel agent will be your Advocate
If your customer has a problem during their trip, a travel agent will act on their behalf.  You’ll help re-book flights, get them on the next train or rearrange their itinerary or direct them to the local authorities so they can get a new passport.  Whatever might go wrong, you the travel agent, are there for them.

2. Easy, One-Stop Shopping
Consumers spend so much time researching their trips these days, but in the end, they want a travel agent to handle every aspect of their trip from the air reservation to your accommodations, sightseeing, dining arrangements and so much more. 

3. Travel Expertise
Unfortunately, people think being a travel agent is easy. I hate that. Travel agents are experts / specialists in all sorts of destinations and travel types.  A good travel agent, a real travel specialist can put together an awesome unique itinerary that most consumers couldn’t even dream about.

4. How valuable is time?
Like I stated above, many people come to Tripology after (ready?) weeks of doing research online.  Yep, they spend days or weeks on really neat sites like TripAdvisor, AOL, Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, and the other millions of sites Google sends you to etc.  All of these are really great, but smart consumers will want to talk to someone about your trip.  Someone as in a real, live person.  Someone to sweat all the details. I keep telling people to save themselves the headache (likely a migraine) and let a travel agent do all the work. I tell them they should concentrate on packing and bringing the right amount of clean underwear.

5. Options
If you’re like me, you love to pick from lists.  You love options. I get to make my own decision but someone else did all the hard work putting together a list for me. Right? Well, I tell consumers all the time that travel agents offer options and prices from travel suppliers worldwide, giving them (the consumer) the ability to make their own travel decisions.  

6. Value
Not “Cheap” but value. If you want cheap, then sure, hit the web and take risks. In life and especially in travel, you get what you pay for? For me, “cheap” once meant a hotel with bedbugs, so I’d rather get value any day.

So that’s the first six.  There are 111 more that I can think of off the top of my head.

Happy selling.

John

Hello all.  I’ve been traveling and I’m sorry there haven’t been too many posts.  I was in Atlanta for TravelCom.  It was a wonderful conference. The US Travel Association (formerly TIA) did a great job, especially in light of the economy.  (Are you a member? If not, you should be. Go to www.ustravel.org) I was posting tweets from the conference so I hope you had the chance to read those.  If not, be sure to follow us at www.twitter.com/tripology

I’m most happy to announce that we won the “Innovator of the Year” award.   

John T. Peters accepts the "Innovator of the Year" award at TravelCom in Atlanta

So thanks for helping us win this award.  Keep up the good work!

Happy selling.

John

Our 800 number (1-800-924-0722) is currently down for maintenance.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause while we upgrade our system.  If you need to contact us, please call 212-213-4204 during our normal business hours (Monday-Friday 9am-6pm EST) or you may email us: contact@tripology.com

Thanks,

Team Tripology