KHM Travel Agents Kickstart Their Businesses at First Boot Camp of 2018
Written by: Guest on March 06, 2018
Last week, KHM Travel Group hosted its first Boot Camp of the year, February 28-March 2. We had 40 agents from around the country join us for three days of valuable skill-building and business development sessions, to give them the confidence needed to kickstart their travel agency.
Day One of Boot Camp was held here at home office in Brunswick, Ohio. This allowed agents to be introduced to our team members, and see where and how their host agency operates. As always, the event started with welcome remarks from our Director of Agent Development and Engagement Marie Smith.
Following that, our staff led sessions to introduce our Supplier Relations team, discuss how agents can build on their past and passion, and familiarize themselves with the basics of myTravelCRM, our client management system.
“Boot Camp far exceeded my expectations. I had been to other training sessions in my life, but this one was superb,” said agent John from Texas. “The staff, Marie, Chantelle, Bill, and anyone from KHM who was there gave 120% effort to make sure we learned as much as we could.”
The afternoon sessions reviewed other essential aspects of running a travel business, including establishing a marketing mindset, choosing the right supplier, and the resources offered by Travel Leaders Network, our consortium.
That evening, agents were asked to prepare their 30-second commercial to share with the group and gather feedback about the next morning.
Attendees continued to develop a foundation for their agency on Day Two, which was heavily focused on cruising. Along with presentation from Chris Schutz, our BDM at Carnival Cruise Line, Bill Coyle also led a hands-on cruise booking workshop.
Two of the most important facets of running a travel business, compliance and building a business mindset, wrapped up the rest of the afternoon.
“Boot Camp makes a world of difference,” said agent Annalee from California. “I went from feeling unsure and alone to supported, confident, and organized. Thank you KHM for a wonderful experience.”
The day wasn’t over yet! After that evening’s roundtable discussions, members of our staff were available to provide agents the opportunity to have more personalized instruction on launching a business, booking engines, working in myTravelCRM, branding, and marketing through Facebook.
Friday was no less jam-packed. Not only did agents learn about sales and qualifying clients, they also reviewed their geography knowledge of Mexico and the Caribbean. We also had Charles Sylvia, VP of Membership and Trade Relations for Cruise Lines International Association here to share all the ways our premier membership with CLIA benefits our agents.
Before lunch, agents heard from our Preferred Supplier The Mark Travel Corporation on how to best sell their brands, which was followed by a hands-on VAX VacationAccess workshop. After a short overview of what to expect next, we said farewell to the agents and sent them on their ways!
We hope each Boot Camp agent left prepared to take their business to the next level, and establish themselves as true travel professionals! It was a pleasure hosting you, and learning more about your businesses last week.
View more photos of our February Boot Camp event in our Flickr album!
Registration is now open for our special Florida edition of Boot Camp at Club Med Sandpiper Bay in April! Visit TravelAgentMeeting.com for more details on Boot Camp and all of our live events.
Our New Agent Boot Camp is just one of many opportunities KHM Travel Group offers its agents. We invest our time into developing the best travel agent education, tools and support to give agents the knowledge and confidence needed to build successful businesses.
For our free Travel Agent Information Guide that will answer your questions about starting your own home-based travel agency, fill out the form on the right or call 1-888-611-1220.