Part One of a Two-Part Series for Agency Owners
Growing your travel agency by bringing on additional advisors can be an exciting next step, but adding people before you have a structure in place can quickly create more work instead of less.
Before you begin recruiting, there is one important question to ask:
Could another advisor understand how you run your agency without having to ask you about every step?
For many agency owners, the answer is no.
That does not mean the agency is disorganized. It usually means the owner has spent years developing processes, supplier relationships, client-service habits, and booking procedures that have simply never been written down.
You know how your business works because you built it.
A new advisor does not.
That is where Standard Operating Procedures, or SOPs, become important.
What Is an SOP?
An SOP is simply a written set of instructions explaining how a particular process should be handled within your agency.
It does not need to sound corporate or complicated.
Think of it as your agency’s instruction manual.
Your SOPs might explain:
- How you respond to a new client inquiry
- How consultations are scheduled
- How client information is collected
- How proposals are prepared
- Which suppliers and booking platforms you prefer
- How deposits and final payments are handled
- How commissions are tracked
- How final documents are delivered
- How you follow up with clients after travel
When these procedures are documented, your new advisor has a roadmap instead of having to guess.
Start Before You Are Overwhelmed
One of the most common mistakes agency owners make is waiting until they are completely overwhelmed before deciding to hire.
At that point, you may already be struggling to keep up with client calls, supplier follow-up, bookings, payments, and commissions.
That is the worst time to suddenly realize you also need to train someone.
Instead, begin documenting your business before you urgently need help.
Start with one question:
If I hired an advisor tomorrow, what would they need to understand about my agency during their first week?
Then begin writing those things down.
You do not need to create an entire operations manual at once.
Start with your most common processes.
Map Out Your Client Journey
A great place to begin is with one typical client.
Follow that client through your agency from beginning to end:
Inquiry → Consultation → Research → Proposal → Booking → Payment → Final Documents → Travel → Follow-Up → Commission
Now look at each step.
Ask yourself:
What do I do?
What information do I collect?
Which system do I use?
Which suppliers do I prefer?
What communication does the client receive?
Where is everything documented?
Who handles the next step?
Once you answer those questions, you have already started building your SOP.
Document Your Preferred Suppliers and Booking Platforms
Every agency develops its own supplier relationships and preferred ways of booking travel.
Your new advisor should understand not only where they can book, but also where your agency prefers them to book.
Create a resource that identifies:
- Preferred tour operators
- Hotel booking platforms
- Cruise lines
- Travel insurance providers
- Destination management companies
- Air consolidators
- CRM systems
- Itinerary-building tools
- Commission tracking systems
- Agency-approved booking procedures
You may also want to explain why you prefer certain suppliers.
Maybe they offer stronger commissions.
Maybe their customer support is excellent.
Maybe your agency has a preferred agreement with them.
Maybe they recognize your agency accreditation.
That information helps a new advisor begin making smarter booking decisions from the start.
Decide What Your Agency Expects
Before growing you team, determine your expectations.
Will advisors be independent contractors?
Are there minimum sales expectations?
Who owns the client relationship?
How are commissions split?
Can advisors market independently?
Which suppliers should they use?
What training is required?
How should they identify themselves when registering with suppliers?
All of these things should be clearly explained before the advisor begins working with clients.
The more clearly expectations are established from the beginning, the fewer misunderstandings you will have later.
You Are Building a Business Someone Else Can Understand
The goal is not to remove your personality from your agency.
Your experience, knowledge, and relationships are part of what makes your business successful.
The goal is simply to make sure the business does not exist only in your head.
When your processes are documented, you create something another advisor can learn from.
You also create something that can grow.
The TRUE accreditation is an important foundation for building a stronger, more professional agency. If you are already TRUE accredited, make sure you are taking full advantage of the recognition, supplier access, and resources available to you. And if you are not yet a TRUE holder, we invite you to join us and make TRUE part of the professional foundation you build your agency on.
Before you add advisors to your agency, build the foundation that will allow them to succeed.
In Part Two, we will look at how to create your advisor onboarding process, what should be included in your agency training manual, and how to prepare a new advisor to begin working with suppliers and clients confidently.