Every day we are asked what it takes to join Cruises Inc as an independent vacation specialist.
Of course, there are tangibles like:
- A Windows-based computer
- High speed internet access
- A dedicated phone line
- A comfortable chair
- The start-up fee of $249 to $349
These are all important but it is the intangibles that we are really looking for during our discovery calls.
Intangible qualities are part of who you are … they aren’t learned. These are the qualities we are looking for and what they translate to when the travel entrepreneur becomes a travel professional.
- A passion for travel
…this is the primary quality a travel entrepreneur exhibits. Destinations are fascinating to them and they
live vicariously through the experiences of others as well as absorbing
everything they can about the world around them. They don’t have all the answers about a
destination or mode of travel but are driven to find them. Maybe even to the extent of going overboard
with details! - A self-starter with a strong work ethic. This person doesn’t need assigned hours or a boss watching over their shoulder. They will treat each day, each customer and each travel planning request as their own personal adventure.
- A problem solver … the very nature of the travel planning research means looking for the best match
between client and potential adventure. - Friendly and eager to learn. The potential travel professional asks lots of questions but also listens to the answers and plays them back in some way that indicates understanding.
The best practice for a novice travel agent isn’t demonstrating what they know … it is gathering all the clues their prospective customers give them about what would make their vacation dreams come true!
Computer skills are also important in today’s travel business. Being a home-based travel professional doesn’t limit your ability to research, make bookings and share the world of possibilities with your customers. Internet access and the ability to use a computer to create accurate, visually entertaining and complete descriptions of destinations, promotions and travel recommendations are part of the vacation specialist’s daily activities. Simple computer skills like ‘cut and paste’ and moving a picture from an internet page to an email will be used regularly. Thus, the use of Word, Excel and Outlook are important skills to have.
Please contact us to sign up for an informational webinar to learn more about becoming an Independent Vacation Specialist with Cruises Inc. We offer this webinar twice every month. You’ll learn more about our program and what it takes to be a travel entrepreneur in your own home-based business.