5 ways TTG's agent training initiative will boost your sales and business
Find out how joining this year’s Sustainable Travel Ambassadors programme could impact your business, from increasing revenue to helping social media efforts and boosting your reputation.
There are some incredible benefits waiting for the 20 lucky agents who join this year’s TTG Sustainable Travel Ambassadors programme, from educational workshops to exclusive fam trips and marketing assets to promote their Ambassador status. But alongside these, agents who graduated from the programme in 2023 have found it helped boost their sales and had a hugely positive impact on their business.
Here, three of the class of 2023 share five ways the TTG Sustainable Travel Ambassadors scheme could help your agency:
1. It can help boost your revenue
Increased revenue wasn’t the reason Travel Counsellor Marie Rowe applied for the scheme, but it’s been a bonus result of being an Ambassador, as her annual sales for 2023 are up 65% year-on-year.
“Whilst there are lots of reasons for that, I do think that my participation in the Ambassadors programme has played a big part in this increase,” she explains. “There’s no denying that a substantial part of the financial gain I have witnessed in the last year has come from focusing on sustainable travel messaging and the TTG Sustainable Travel Ambassadors programme is what kick-started my learning and confidence to develop my business in this area of travel.”
Similarly, while many factors influenced Earthwise Travel personal consultant Julie Breckon’s year-on-year increased revenue in 2023, she says the programme “definitely helped” boost her figures.
She found clients were “very happy” to accept the more sustainable travel options she suggested, including when she switch-sold them from the product they initially requested.
In fact, Breckon found the programme so inspirational that she’s now overhauling the product she sells. She explains: “My plan is to phase out any holidays that aren’t as sustainable, and only sell those that are as sustainable as they can possibly be. I want to get to the point where, for example, if I know a hotel doesn’t have any sustainable practices, I simply won’t sell it.”
2. It’s great for your social media
Prior to becoming an Ambassador, Annika Nickson had planned to do regular sustainability-themed posts on social media, but the programme spurred her on to make this a reality. Nickson is an independent travel consultant at Nickson Travel, part of Not Just Travel, and creates “sustainability Sunday” posts on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn each week, with the aim of inspiring and educating travellers with interesting content.
Apply now!
If you want to be one of our 20 TTG Sustainable Travel Ambassadors, apply now! Applications are open until midnight on Sunday 17 March.
She notes: “Other agents often say their clients don’t ask about responsible travel. But that’s because travellers who are conscious about sustainable travel will actively go out and look for agents that are promoting themselves as experts in that field.”
Rowe finds content about her journey of becoming a sustainable travel expert gets “way more traction than a post with a picture of a paradise island and a great offer for 10 nights in the Caribbean.”
Recalling her posts in 2023, she explains: “People were interested to see what I was doing, what I was learning, and where I was going – this content got a lot of engagement. Then they saw me highlighting ‘green’ hotel product and ethical experiences, and they connected this inspirational content with the tips and experiences I had shared throughout the TTG programme.”
3. The programme can boost your reputation
Rowe says these social posts helped her "built trust and credibility", and Nickson believes this is a huge benefit of taking part in the Ambassadors programme. She explains: “It’s another form of social proof. It’s definitely given me credibility in the eyes of people who haven’t used me before. If people see I was chosen as one of 20 UK agents for the scheme, it makes them pay more attention. That leads to increased future revenue as it validates the business as a serious one, and one clients can trust to look after their travel plans.”
Breckon agrees, adding: “Becoming a TTG Sustainable Travel Ambassador has definitely supported my level of expertise in this area, and therefore given me more credibility and trustworthiness amongst clients and other travel professionals.”
4. It appeals to new and repeat customers
Rowe believes the content she’s shared about responsible travel has inspired more people to book with her who would have previously “gone DIY”. She explains: “This is largely because it’s much easier to build tailor-made travel with great experiences when you use a travel expert, but also people are attracted to companies who are shouting about their eco credentials, and there’s often a sense of wanting to support do-gooders.
"It’s also ensured that the holidays I would have booked anyway have been better for the planet, and those experiences do tend to be more enjoyable, which in turn leads to repeat business.”
5. It will touch every area of your business
For those still unsure about whether to apply for this year’s programme, Nickson has the following advice: “I think it will have a real impact, in every every element of your business, because you become a changed person. Once you know about responsible and sustainable travel, I don't think you can ever go back – you will always think, how can I make this trip better? The Ambassadors programme is something that will influence everything, from the top to bottom of your business.”
So what are you waiting for?
Would you like to become a TTG Sustainable Travel Ambassador? Apply now to become one of the class of 2024!
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