Agent Success Stories

I taught in a classroom for 20 years before I became a travel agent, so it was a big career shift. In some ways, the change was something I enjoyed. I had a lot to learn, but I loved learning and I loved the subject. And I definitely knew all about working with different personalities! What was more difficult was learning how to sell and market, but having so much flexibility and finally being my own boss made that easier. It was great to be able to use the skills I already had and apply them to travel. Having Outside Agents there for me was a huge help. I needed a network of support to bring it all together, and OA made that happen.

I was part of a military family and a brand new mom when I started career-hunting. My main goal was flexibility in my schedule, and it seemed like travel would work, so I took a travel agency management program and started working for a local consolidator. I think that ended up being the perfect start, because I learned how important education and experience are. The part I didn’t like was all the politics, so I left to start my own travel business. I was worried about doing it on my own, but having all the OA agents for support really helped. The tech and staff support were big, too. The main thing is to remember even if you’re not successful the first time doesn’t mean you failed. It’s more about winners never quit and quitters never win.

I wasn’t officially in sales when I was an Air Force recruiter, but you could say I was selling in a way. I was #1 in recruits in the west back then, but I loved to travel and plan trips, so I decided to transfer my energy in that direction. It isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. I love making my own decisions. You have to offer good and fair prices so people’s travel dreams come true. It helps all the agents when we share our problems and how we learned to solve them. The people at Outside Agents help so much with how the owners share their experience and how the office staff is always available with information. The CRM makes everything so easy. It’s exactly what I need.

I was a realtor for a long time before I started in travel. The main reason for my switch was how much more personal satisfaction you get from selling travel. There are bigger financial rewards, plus you’re creating dream vacations for people. One thing I knew right away from my time as a realtor was to hit the ground running and that I needed to use social media and traditional marketing. OA is a great resource for learning more about both and it’s been worth every minute of training. I love the kind of support Outside Agents gives. From the beginning, Chad and Steve have been my biggest cheerleaders, with everyone ready to help. It just feels like family helping family.

Since I was a teacher before I started selling travel I think I was prepared for one of the biggest obstacles, which was working with so many kinds of personalities. It helped that I used to be an academic adviser because I already knew how to research for answers. I wasn’t used to selling, so that was new, and I just started right in my neighborhood. Outside Agents really helped with advice and support there. I joined groups then started a travel club, and pretty soon I learned how important communication is and how much people like to talk about their trips. I give my advice freely and trust a lot in referrals. When I do a good job and people can trust me, my business grows.

Selling travel happened naturally for me because I was already doing it for fun for my friends and family while I was a teacher. I decided to launch a business on Facebook just to see what would happen and pretty soon I was so busy I couldn’t do both jobs. I learned right away how powerful social media is, and I loved the flexibility so much I quit teaching to sell travel full-time. I keep networking in the places I’m already comfortable, too, and the OA community helps a ton. I’ve gotten so much support from everyone at Outside Agents from how they share their advice and information, and they always keep me so motivated that I never look back on my decision.