What Does a Viaggi “Independent Contractor” Travel Advisor Do?
A home-based travel advisors job is to help the client find the best value for their money. Not the cheapest deal... no one wants to stay at a cockroach infested hotel in the wrong part of town. The travel advisor first finds out how many people are going and their ages. If the trip is outside the USA you will determine whether or not the clients need passports or visas. What destination they want to visit, dates, and the resort, hotel, cruise and room preferences. Also any special needs of the clients.
After some research, the advisor presents one or two cruises or land vacation packages to the client. If the client agrees to the package and price, the advisor collects the credit card information from the client and passes that information on to the supplier, resort or cruise line.
The suppliers don’t pay commissions to us until the client comes back from their trip. So if you sold an Alaska cruise for July to a client in March, you would not get paid for a few months. The reason for this is the client might not go due to illness, and if the clients don’t go, you don’t get paid.
How Do Home-Based Travel Advisors Get Paid and How Much Can You Earn?
Clients do not pay you commissions. We do because you are bringing us sales. Each cruise or vacation supplier sets their own commission rates that they pay us from 5% to 30% but most pay 10% to 16% excluding taxes or fees. Then, you get a percentage of the commission that we earn from each supplier.
The average commission is $200 to $500 for a 7-day cruise or vacation for a family of four. Honeymoon commissions usually range from $500 to $1,000. Commissions from booking groups can range from $1,000 to $50,000. So how much money you make, depends on how many of these types of vacations you sell each year. It is not impossible for full-time home-based travel advisors to make a six figure income.
Travel Advisor Education
Cruises International will provide all the training you will need to become a travel advisor. Our travel advisor courses provide the knowledge and skills necessary to become professional and knowledgeable.
You will never wonder what to do next because our AWESOME support team will be available to help you through anything.
What Skills Will I Use?
“Skills” - you already have them, or we’ll teach you.
Along with the courses offered, the following personal skills can only enhance your chances of becoming successful.
- Sales and Marketing Skills – Everyone you know takes a vacation sooner or later. Be the one that arranges their travel!
It is hard to overstate the importance of sales and marketing skills. New travel advisors can’t wait for their first sale, but you must actively market your services first to get clients. Your most important asset is your database. A database is simply a list of people and their contact information... Start with people in your circle of influence…everyone you know, your family, your friends, your neighbors, your clubs, organizations and church or temple. Then you’ll need to grow it by attracting new clients. Keeping detailed notes on client preferences and past travel by using our tools can help you suggest new itineraries and destinations they might not have previously considered. We can help give you ideas on how to do all of this.
Cruises International provides free email marketing programs to your database, as well as suggestions on how to grow your database. A personalized website is also available. - Computer and Communication Skills
Basic computer skills are necessary. You’ll be trained on reservation systems and databases. Familiarity with social media like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Pinterest can help you market your services. We have Social Media Training. At the very least, you should be comfortable with Microsoft Word, Email, and Copy and Paste.
Clients will often communicate with you through email, so good grammar skills are also needed. Good math skills are important for calculating fares and timetables. Learning your geography is also important, as your clients may travel all over the world. You will learn your geography by selling. The more you sell, the more you learn. - People Skills
People persons who love to help other people and make dream vacations come true. People who love to travel themselves make the best advisors. Excellent communication skills and being detailed oriented are abilities all travel advisors need. Being able to “paint the picture” verbally sells the cruise or land vacation, instead of just reciting details.
Rarely, you may work with upset travelers whose plans have been suddenly altered and you’ll need patience and sensitivity to deal with their problems. The ability to think logically when planning itineraries and a belief in the importance of good customer service will help you.
