Family-Focused on Building a Strong Foundation for Your Travel Business

Written By: Melissa Land, MBA, ACC Marketing Coordinator – Dugan’s Travels

 

 

A Mom with A Mission…

When Dugan’s Travels began hosting agents over 20 years ago, it as with the idea that women should be able to have it all: to raise their children while working at a job that they enjoy. A new mom at the time, Jennifer Dugan left the corporate travel agency at which she was employed, and set out to make her own way in the world – a way that would allow her to truly put her family first, while also advancing a career she loved. It wasn’t long before several other agents saw her success and reached out to follow suit.

 

…Becomes a Family of Agents

Today, Dugan’s Travels is proud to host a community of almost 400 agents nationwide: moms, dads, and grandparents that want to build a career around their love of travel. Like many families, we are an eclectic group: our agents represent a variety of niche markets and demographics. We are Baby Boomers, GenX-ers and Millennials. Some work their businesses part-time, in the evenings and on weekends, while working a separate full-time job. Others have chosen to make selling travel their only career and devote all their working hours to the craft. Many are home-based, while still others operate from a storefront. Regardless of their starting point, all the professionals that have chosen to be hosted by Dugan’s Travels are dedicated to creating breathtaking vacation experiences. And we are passionate about meeting their needs of support, education and mentorship in an online, on-demand environment.

 

A Warm, Comfortable Welcome…

From the very beginning, agents will notice that Dugan’s Travels conducts business a bit differently than other host agencies. Before signing up, we request that all prospective agents participate in a brief telephone call with a member of our management team. Affectionately known as the Welcome Call, this chat is an opportunity for Dugan’s to get to know each interested agent, and to fully understand their unique business goals. The chat is also a time to ask questions and receive clarification of our features and benefits. Navigating the travel industry can be a confusing task; we seek to provide clarity and openness to the process!

 

…And Big Business Benefits…

Agents hosted by Dugan’s Travels have access to a wealth of exclusive, customized tools to aid in their business growth. These include agency, industry, niche-specific and trade-specific educational options.

 

Beginning with our New Agent Orientation Program, agents learn the preferred methods of doing business with Dugan’s Travels. While the orientation program resides in our custom on-demand portal to education and professional development content, MyDUOnline, the agent works under the careful guidance of an experienced Dugan’s team member. We understand that you wish to be in business for yourself, but never want you to feel that you are in business by yourself. You are never alone as a member of the Dugan’s Travels family!

 

Further ongoing support is provided through our agent mentorship program, S.T.E.P. (Support – Tutor – Excite – Prepare). Agents in this program work directly with an experienced travel professional to develop their own customized road map to success! In addition to that one-on-one support, they can also participate in interactive web meetings to discuss business-building and business support tools. Information and feedback are provided from both the agency and from agent colleagues, all with the goal of building a stronger business foundation for every hosted agent.

 

For assistance with marketing and business development, agents are encouraged to participate in our Preferred Supplier program: another Dugans-exclusive offering that instructs agents in how to access and use the marketing resources provided by our most trusted supplier partners, and provides tutorials and resources for creating their own content. Hosted agents also have access to a vast range of free marketing services and an optional array of fee-based marketing services through our consortium, Travel Leaders Network.

 

In-house, we host several agent-sourced forums, including private Facebook groups. We are an active community of travel professionals that share ideas, best practices, challenges and success stories. With these platforms our agents can forge relationships and keep in touch, regardless of geographic location.

 

Location-independence is a major requirement for our independent agents! Dugan’s Travels answers that need by providing free access to our custom CRM program, SmartAgency. Web-based and purpose-built specifically for our agency, SmartAgency allows agents to securely manage their businesses from anywhere!

 

…Yield Big Returns

When our agency members experience success,  we give them the recognition they deserve! Through our Five Star Agent program, we celebrate our top performers with invitations to elite learning opportunities and live educational/networking events, select branding materials, and access to an exclusive Five Star Agent retreat. Agents qualifying for these programs has grown each year, a testament to our mutual success!

 

The Family Discount

Our affiliation start-up and maintenance costs remain among the lowest in the industry. There are no hidden fees or charges. We do not see agents as profit centers, but as true industry partners. Dugan’s Travels wants to make money with you. Like a great uncle investing in your first start-up: we invest in our agents because our success is tied to your success!

 

The Legacy Continues

Jennifer Dugan’s vision was for agents to exercise their passion and skill for planning travel while remaining available to their own families and commitments. Now, over 20 years later, her small business has blossomed into a successful enterprise that transforms the hobbyist into an experienced travel professional. Under her direction, Dugan’s Travels continues to deliver the personalized attention and small, close-knit family feel for which we have always been known – due in no small part to our active agent community. We are grateful to our agents for their continued affiliation, and tirelessly strive to deliver additional resources to aid in their business growth.

 

Join Our Family Today!

Our agent community is stronger than ever, but there is always room for another seat at our table. We would love to welcome you into our family of agents! For more information, and to schedule your welcome call, please visit www.travelathome.com.