Written By: Steve Hirshan, Senior Vice President of Sales Support – Avoya Travel
Avoya Travel has had a historic start to 2018, and we couldn’t have done it without our staff, supplier partners, and the Independent Agencies in the Avoya Network™. Avoya and the Independent Agencies in the Avoya Network closed 2017 with record-breaking sales and the fastest network growth in company history, and we continue to gain momentum and accelerate growth as the year continues.
Though we’ve celebrated many exciting things this year, here are the top 5 highlights we want you to know about our year so far.
5. Education and Professional Development Expansion
Due to popular demand, we recently expanded our Avoya Mastermind Academy program to provide Independent Agencies in the Avoya Network with more tailored education and support based on sales and industry experience. New courses and more dates than ever before are being offered in 2018 as Avoya increases its investment in helping Independent Agencies grow their business success to record levels.
The expansion includes three Academy levels, each designed to maximize an Independent Agency’s success based on their individual business through results-driven professional and personal development education. Content for these events ranges from best practices, mentoring, and coaching tailored for new-to-travel Independent Agencies to help increase early success, to building basic sales foundations, to more advanced content that focuses on suggested strategies for continuing individual growth and business expansion.
“With the Mastermind Academy program, Avoya Travel is focused on strengthening the long-term viability of Independent Agency success within our unique business model and providing education that encompasses both professional and personal development to encourage continued growth,” says Tammie Richie, Associate Vice President of Avoya Mastermind. “Avoya Travel continues to invest in its Shared Success model and remains committed to supporting travel professionals in delivering exceptional vacation experiences to customers, growing sales, and building successful Independent Agencies.”
4. New Partnerships
Earlier this year Avoya created a first-of-its-kind partnership with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) to elevate its online travel education offering. With education in selling skills, customer service, cruising, geography, and more, the CLIA courses are designed to give new-to-travel Independent Agency owners in the Avoya Network the knowledge and foundation needed to achieve early success with their Independent Agencies.
In addition to receiving the education needed to start a travel business, this partnership gives agents affiliating with the Avoya Network the opportunity to receive their CLIA membership at a discounted rate, to earn CLIA certifications, and more additional CLIA perks. Our recent partnership with CLIA, in conjunction with the education Avoya offers and access to Live Leads™, has allowed entrepreneurs new to the industry to hit the ground running – booking more exceptional vacations and achieving early success.
Toni Gayle, owner of The NUtravel Agency, an Independent Agency in the Avoya Network, says, “as a new travel professional, I found the CLIA education program to be necessary and very informative. The program provided me with the preliminary resources to be very successful in earning an income as a travel agent.”
Although this is a new program, average commissions earned in the first sixty days for new-to-travel professionals joining the Avoya Network in 2018 is already outpacing that of new-to-travel Independent Agencies who joined the network in 2017.
3. Award-Winning Recognition
Avoya was honored with two gold Travvy Awards this year, for Best Host Agency and Best Host Agency Website, which acknowledge Avoya’s industry leadership, innovation, and its thriving Shared Success™ model. Avoya helps Independent Agencies in the ever-growing Avoya Network sell much more by offering first-in-class resources, including the patented Avoya Live Leads program, award-winning technology, unmatched agency support and education, exclusive supplier offers, innovative marketing, and American Express Travel benefits. Avoya is the only travel company to win Gold Travvy Awards in both categories since the award program’s inception.
Additional recognitions that were received by Avoya this year so far include being named MSC Cruises’ Partner of the Year, and the American Express Travel Representative Excellence Award for the seventeenth time. The annual American Express Representative Excellence Program awards the top 25 performing agency members in its Travel Network for outstanding sales achievements, leadership, dedication to customer service, and commitment to the values of the American Express brand. Avoya attributes its continued success to the company’s commitment to Integrity and Professionalism™ and its Shared Success model that enables success for travel professionals, customers, and travel suppliers.
2. New-To-Travel Agent Success
Avoya continues to see an increasing number of new-to-travel agents joining the network, as our efforts to drive greater awareness to the business opportunity in the travel industry continue.
In 2016, Avoya launched a New-To-Travel program that was created to help those with an entrepreneurial spirit, a love of travel, and a passion to own and operate their own business a clear, affordable path to achieve what for many has been a lifetime dream. Since then, the Avoya Network continues to grow in double to triple digits year after year.
Today, over 50% of Avoya’s Network growth comes from travel professionals new to the industry, and their early success continues to grow. New-to-travel Independent Agencies, on average, reach sales levels of experienced Independent Agencies within their first 9 months, with many seeing great early success within their first 60 days. This growth only continues to accelerate with exclusive access to the world-class resources and support Avoya offers.
1. Record-Breaking 2017 Sales Success & Continued Momentum in 2018
Avoya celebrated tremendous double-digit sales increases and triple-digit network growth in 2017 and honored more Independent Agencies as top producers than ever before during our annual conference this year.
New performance-focused technology and marketing capabilities are helping drive 2018 sales to outpace 2017’s record-setting year. This growth is a result of Avoya’s latest innovative programs and strategies that are successfully reaching and connecting more travelers with Independent Agencies in the Avoya Network to plan more vacations than ever before.
These ongoing successes reflect Avoya’s commitment to helping Independent Agencies achieve business success in the travel industry. With access to all the marketing, technology, support, and educational resources that Avoya offers, Independent Agencies in the Avoya Network are able to focus on sharpening their sales skills and product expertise to accelerate the growth of their business.
Looking to the Future
We’re also very excited for Avoya’s future as we continue our legacy of innovation for the future of vacation planning and continue investing heavily in the growth of the Avoya Network, new technology, marketing enhancements, and our staff. Positioned at the height of our strategic investments that improve on the Avoya model and strengthen our platform, Avoya is poised to drive record-breaking sales performance and to continue elevating our award-winning support for the Independent Agencies in the Avoya Network to promote maximum business success.
Find out what Avoya is up to now and our plans for the future.
If you’re interested in learning more about our recent developments and announcements, the business opportunity in the Avoya Network, and how to join the Avoya family, contact us at 888-320-4670 or visit www.JoinAvoya.com