What Travel Agency Owners Are Saying About Vacation.com^® Programs, Benefits and Tools

Cruise Events LLC
Susan Helfrich, director

“We signed up for Vacation.com’s Engagement™ program two months ago and the response from our clients and incremental income has been incredible,” said Susan Helfrich, director, Cruise Events LLC.

“We’ve been averaging about 15 sales a week from clients we haven’t heard from in three years or more and these are all extra unexpected sales on top of our usual numbers,” added Helfrich.

“With wave season and all the usual clients booking vacations, we are busy confirming vacations, taking deposits, checking fax confirmations, etc.  It’s difficult to find the time to be pro-active and e-mail clients that we haven't heard from in a while,” said Helfrich.  “Vacation.com does it for you!”

“The reason for all of these new sales from clients we haven’t heard from in over three years is Vacation.com’s Engagement program,” she added.

All About Travel, Inc., Mission, KS
Gary Davis, president

“With the rush of the Internet into the travel segment, it’s more important than ever to keep ‘touching’ your clients and getting your name in front of prospects,” said Gary Davis, president of All About Travel, Inc., Mission, KS, a multi-million dollar leisure agency.

“For current and prospective clients, it is very important that the proper filtering techniques be applied to databases to ensure the integrity of matching the offer to the right client.  The Vacation.com Engagement program resolves this issue by utilizing the latest techniques available,” added Davis.

“We were thoroughly impressed with the professional attitude conveyed by Vacation.com personnel.  Their effort to understand our issues and work together to find solutions fits right in with our culture of developing long term relationships,” said Davis, adding: “Vacation.com gives agencies the ‘Mega-Agency’ relationship with suppliers. Offers such as onboard credit, upgrades and gift cards allow us to compete with the largest of the leisure companies.  AgentNet has provided a single source ‘desktop’ for our agents to access these special offers and push them out to clients.”

Hudson Reserve Travel, Hudson, OH
Mary Jo Slabaugh, president

“We joined Vacation.com for the multitude of member benefits including superior overrides, the ease of Amadeus Cruise, and the ever so helpful support desk which has made the transition a breeze,” said Mary Jo Slabaugh, president of Hudson Reserve Travel, Hudson, OH.

“We are also really excited about the Engagement marketing program and are currently in the process of sending our customer list to Vacation.com,” added Slabaugh.

Globe Travel Service- Bristol, CT
Jeff Sonenstein

Engagement...We have found Engagement programs an easy and affordable way to do direct mail advertising...

Annual Conference...The Annual Vacation.com conference last year in Las Vegas was incredible. The content of the seminars and caliber of the speakers could not have been better. The networking with companies across the country was invaluable.

Preferred Suppliers...Vacation.com has put together the cream of the crop when it comes to preferred suppliers.

Engagement… Best direct mail program that I have used, and it's getting even better.
Marketing Materials… Priceless, Vcom does all the work and we get all the sales.

Annual Conference… Best working conference that I attend each year.

Preferred Suppliers… Most complete list of suppliers to increase my agency's bottom line.

Membership Services… These folks have their act together to support the member agency.

Being a Vcom member agency…Best investment an agency can make to insure a successful future in travel. Vcom's resources are second to none.

"Vacation.com's 'Level Two' marketing programs have helped increase our cruise sales 15%. I only wish I would have gotten more involved sooner."

"I'd just like to take a minute of your time to say THANK YOU for Level Two Engagement. We have had great response from the mailings. Engagement is a wonderful tool for a small agency. We could never duplicate the effort for the price we are paying. Please keep them coming!"

“We booked 4 cabins off the (Princess Cruises) Engagement mail piece today. On one of them, we found a mini-suite deal that was better than the engagement deal. Main point - it made the phone ring and my SALES people got the money.

Meridian Travel Services, Reynoldsburg, OH
Tammy Schakett

AgentNet Trip Finder is a great help when I am looking at destinations and suppliers that I may not be familiar with. I can search for trips and quickly ramp up.

Salty Dog Travel, Tampa Fl
Barbara Hartley

The AgentNet Supplier Guide is a great resource. I use it regularly to look up preferred supplier and review commission rates to find the best commissions. AgentNet makes it easy to stay on top of things.

Any Seasons Travel, Bulverde, TX
Susanne Cash

I love Community. Learning from other agents about everything from new marketing ideas, to destinations and technical solutions is fantastic. Because these agents you meet aren’t necessarily in your own backyard, there’s no competition. You have everything to gain by networking in AgentNet.

Salty Dog Travel, Tampa Fl
Barbara Hartley

AgentNet changed my business. Now, I have a network of travel agents through Community and all these resources!

A.L.& S Travel Services Inc – Pembroke, ON
Wendy Chaput

Our agency has been a member of Vacation.com for many years. Not only did our commissions increase, there were also many opportunities to upgrade my skills. This year when I experienced difficulties with a Preferred Supplier involving various problems I contacted my Vacation.com representative and in each instance the situation was resolved immediately!!

Winchester Travel – Winchester, ON
Owen Shortt

Being new to the travel industry – we have utilized the Vacation.com team to introduce us to our Preferred Suppliers and assist in building stronger relationships with key suppliers. The Annual Conference and Trade Show and the Regional Round Tables are excellent sales-teaching tools and AgentNet has become our home page when we open to the Internet.

Concord Travel & Tours – Halifax, NS
Roberta King

Vacation.com has shown commitment to providing members with many of the industry’s leading suppliers which provides us with the opportunity to earn better commissions than a small independent agency could expect on its own. Also, Vacation.com has definitely been working hard to provide members with educational and business opportunities to enhance agency business in these always changing times.