It’s hard to stay motivated if you don’t have goals. And when it comes to selling travel, it’s hard to have goals if you don’t have access to your sales figures. Tiers are important too. How can you climb the ladder if you don’t know where the rungs are?

Especially for home-based agents, quick and easy access to productivity reports is crucial. Host agencies should keep agents informed about tiers, commissions and year-on-year numbers, says NACTA President Ann van Leeuwen. Agents should be kept in the loop “are their and others’ sales and productivity too”, she adds.

Home-based agents will also come up against the sometimes-thorny issue of preferred suppliers. To sell or not to sell? While it’s often tough to steer a client towards a particular company, it can be lucrative. The Travel Agent Next Door, for example, gives up to 100% commission on certain suppliers, like Transat Holidays, ACV, Globus, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean cruise, Holiday House, Viking River Cruise and Manulife insurance. TTAND is very focused on preferred suppliers, says founder Flemming Friisdahl. “You simply cannot be everything to everyone.”

This month Sphere’s Host Agency Series looks at tiers and tracking reports. Host agencies also talk about their approach to preferred suppliers. We also include a look at referral programs. Taking part are Nexion Canada, Flight Centre Associates, The Travel Agent Next Door, The Destination Experts, Vision Travel and TravelOnly.

Click here for Part 3: Tiers & Tracking Reports, Preferred Suppliers and Referral Programs

If you missed Part 1 or 2:

Part 1: Commissions, Contracts & Consortium Affiliations

Part 2: Fees & Renewal Processes

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