The turning point

I'd been with the police for 30 years before taking early retirement and joining Travel Counsellors. Although that may seem like quite a radical career change, I'd always had a real love for travel. Whilst in the police I'd had property in Florida, plus I was heavily involved in the GB water polo team and helped with sorting out most of their travel. I always got a real buzz from helping people plan their trips and I loved using my knowledge to make recommendations to friends and family. That was when I got my'light bulb' moment and decided to get into the travel industry and turn my passion into more than just a hob...

by.

Choosing Travel Counsellors

I began to look into my options and as soon as the information pack arrived from Travel Counsellors, I knew the Academy Programme was perfect for me. I contacted a local Travel Counsellor and we arranged to meet for a coffee. She was just lovely; she even invited me back to her house to walk me through the systems. This showed just how supportive and helpful the fellow agents are - I hadn't even joined and she couldn't have been friendlier. The next step was to visit the company's head office in Bolton where I was introduced to key head office staff and the systems I would be using. I decided there and then that this was something I wanted to do - I just hoped that they'd accept me.

I was accepted onto the programme and started my induction training at head office. It was intense but I learnt so much, from how to adjust my margins to tips on networking to help build up my client base. As I was new to the travel industry I was worried that I may be overwhelmed with everything there was to learn but all the training was broken down into tailored sessions which I found very helpful.

The next chapter

My business development manager, Tina, along with my fellow Travel Counsellors, helped me to hit the ground running. If I ever had a question or just wanted some reassurance on a booking, there was always someone there to help and guide me through, either by phone, webcame, message boards or by staying up to date by watching one of the weekly TCTV broadcasts from head office. Plus, the online e-learning platform which contains over 100 training modules, allowed me to access the latest up-to-date training whenever I needed it.

Since getting started I've completely surprised myself with how much I've achieved. As a Travel Academy trainee, I have to reach £15,000 in commission to graduate and become a fully-fledged Travel Counsellor. I managed to beat all my goals and graduate in record time - after just six months! Without a doubt though, my biggest achievement was when I won the 'Best Newcomer' award at our annual international conference. The award was for all leisure Travel Counsellors, not just Academy, and I was honestly stunned when my name was announced. I was the first ever Academy Travel Counsellor to win the award and was so overwhelmed at what I had achieved.

Going for Gold

Gold Travel Counsellors really are the crop of the industry and have to achieve commissions of £64,500 or more over 12 months to hold the title. I've now set up mt new goal to reach Gold status by April. I honestly cannot wait to get up on stage and accept my Gold award, the thought is what spurs ...

me on to achieve. The fact that I am heading to Gold status after just over a year on the Academy programme is all down to the amazing support i've had. At first this was the technical help and general assistance in learning how to become a travel agent. Now, it’s all about business support and the steps I will take to get to Gold status. Working with my Business Development Executive is great as she is always with me every step of the way, tailoring the support for what I need at that time and changing the support as my business develops.

Making the move to become a Travel Counsellor is the best decision I’ve made. There is something so liberating about running your own business and with the back-up from head office, I can’t wait to see what the future holds. The sky is quite literally the limit… 

I used to love my job. Immersed in travel, searching for that perfect trip for each and every customer it’s what gave me that spring in my step every morning. However after 10 years, I became disheartened when I realised that I was actually very limited in how I could grow my business, particularly in the corporate sector and my career stalled with little hope of progression. Looking back now, it had stolen the spring from my step.

Handing in my notice wasn’t an easy decision for me. Yes, I’m ambitious and driven but I’d made some incredible friends during my 10 years and the thought of leaving them was hard. But my role had become ...

restricted and emotionless so I made the brave step to look at my options. I’m not the type of person to just leave; it had to be the right. Right for my family. Right for my career.

I wanted to spend some time trying to understand what it was that I used to love about my job, searching for a role that could give it back. So to my surprise, when flipping through a trade publication in the office, I came across an advert for Travel Counsellors – so often skipped past in previous editions. But it wasn’t this that surprised me. Being from the industry I obviously knew who Travel Counsellors were, but the thought of joining them to run my own business had never crossed my mind. The advert read like it had been personally written for me, perhaps it was just that right time, right place feeling, but it spoke about work/life balance, the freedom of running your own business and unlimited earnings potential. Best of all, they had a hugely successful corporate travel division. It was perfect.

Excited at the thought of getting my career mojo back, I dug a little deeper. Travel Counsellors core values resonated with mine - putting the customer first, relationship driven not target driven, supplier independence so that you can tailor each and every holiday or business trip to the client. Plus, with my success down to me alone, with no restrictions, no limits – I finally had the opportunity to think about real career possibilities.

Having run my own business for years, I wasn’t as daunted as most people will be taking the leap and with over 1,400 established Travel Counsellors globally I felt even more reassured that they know what they’re doing. If I’m totally honest, even before I made the call to head office, I’d already decided to join – it just felt so right. I had a great chat with Karina in the Recruitment team and made the necessary arrangements to join them but then, to my devastation, my daughter suddenly became really poorly and I needed to concentrate on her. Starting up a new business at this time was just not an option as she needed my focus.

Travel Counsellors were amazing when I told them and were more concerned for my daughter’s health than potentially losing a new recruit. I hadn’t even joined and they wrapped their arms (metaphorically speaking) around me making me feel part of the Travel Counsellor family more then ever, it really struck a chord. What was also unbelievable was the contrast between how I was treated at work and how Travel Counsellors cared for me, it was indescribable, night and day. That spurred me on to just go for it. I knew I’d have Travel Counsellors support and backing to make it a success whilst havin...

g the flexibility to care for my daughter. I got back in touch with Karina and that’s when my life at Travel Counsellors began.

So, what does my success look like?

I would describe my first few months as, simply refreshing. With overwhelming help and support from both Travel Counsellors and head office I didn’t waste any time and was on my way to reaching my goals so much quicker than I’d ever dreamt. Karen in Business Development worked with me to hammer out a plan for growing my business and gave me loads of useful ideas for making new contacts, something I never received in my previous role. I also received endless support from established Travel Counsellors! Via internal message boards and video call technology, I had a network of over 1,400 Travel Counsellor colleagues from around the world on hand for tips and advice. If I’m honest, I feel just as close to them today as I did my old colleagues.

With the tips picked up about adjusting my margins and a little hard work, I was delighted to exceed my earnings goal within the first 6 months. As you can imagine, I was thrilled. Within my first year I was earning three times the amount I had earned previously and was awarded the prestigious Gold Status which is awarded to the best of the bunch and the bunch is already amazing!

If you’re good at what you do then I believe you’ll succeed and love life as a Travel Counsellor. I can’t think of any role or organisation that would have given me the opportunity to achieve my career aspirations whilst remaining flexible to take care of my family. I never look back, just forward, excited at what tomorrow will bring.

It’s easy to get used to a regular salary. It feels safe. Dependable. I’d spent many years working at independent travel agencies so when my colleague, left to join Travel Counsellors, I was scared for her. But to my surprise, I realised I was the one taking the risk by staying at the high street agency, and following some really difficult months when it was clear the store was in trouble, I decided to take voluntary redundancy.

With the daunting task of looking for another job, and knowing that I didn’t want to work for a multiple, I got straight on the phone to my friend who’d joined Travel Counsellors all those months earlier. It w...

as great to chat to a friend and peer, open and honestly about life as a Travel Counsellor, I trusted her to tell me the truth and was so relieved when I heard how much she still loves what she does. To be honest that was it. It was all that I needed to find my courage. A safe pair of hands.

I wanted to get a real sense of the company myself, so before I made the decision to join I was invited to head office. They took me through all of the levels of support from business development to marketing. I also got a better understanding of the business. Incredibly, Travel Counsellors will be in their 20th year of trading next year having continued to grow year on year – and to think I thought the high street was safe! Being from the industry I knew just how important all of these elements are and felt hugely reassured at how professional, established and proven Travel Counsellors is. I felt that this was the right decision. Ironically, I felt safe.

When I came back to head office for my training I met Sales Director, Malcolm Hingley, who not only knew my name and my journey to Travel Counsellors but also everyone else in the room. He was so interested in me, my family and how he could help to make my business a success. I continue to feel important today and know that I can pick up the phone to anyone; including the Directors should I need to – which is really handy when you’re a technophobe like me. The IT helpdesk are always on hand and helped me set up my office equipment in minutes, plus has helped me to learn more with some useful step-by-step guides.

After your training you soon realise that you should have made the move to Travel Counsellors sooner. I live in a rural area so thought I’d struggle to get customers but, with the help of head office I quickly carved a market for myself. The business development team gave me lots of ideas of how to start networking and where to focus my efforts - it all grew from there. Astonishingly, in my first six months I earned more than I did in a year at my previous role which even surprised me. Head Office have helped me so much and supported me in my personal development. For example, I wanted to learn more about Galileo and I received the support I needed and then some. As a result I’ve been able to increase my earnings way above what I used to take home at the shop, so it’s been life changing and empowering in equal measure.

Since joining Travel Counsellors my life has changed. I have far more confidence which has benefitted every element of life. To think I was worried about not having a regular salary, I was so, so wrong and wish I’d been able to find my courage sooner.

Ask anyone in the travel industry what they love about their job and you’ll get a resounding selling travel . I loved to find the perfect holiday for customers, from the glamorous and glitzy metropolis of Los Angeles to the sublime shores of the Caribbean I made dreams come true and I loved it. Yes, that’s right, loved it. Past tense.

I can remember when I fell out of love with travel. I’d actually go as far as saying I grew to hate my job. I’d spent 10 happy years with a well known travel giant but when I was promoted to manager it did change. Not only was it quite a commute from my home in Southport but I was also removed from wh...

at I loved about my job – selling travel. My days became filled with staffing headaches, endless admin and operational issues. When I did manage to find the time to help out with a customer enquiry, I was restricted to the company's portfolio which didn’t quite feel right as it seemed less about what the customer wanted and more about what the company wanted to sell - round pegs, square holes.

Frustrated, tired and feeling pretty miserable I started looking for a new adventure just 7 years after being promoted. I wanted a role that I could once again enjoy but also supported us financially – of course, being from the travel industry already it was the obvious place to start looking. After all, that was my first love (after my wife that is). After exploring my options, Travel Counsellors seemed to be a perfect fit. I took some time to visit head office and was immediately met with a warm welcome and friendly people. I was able to spend as much time as I felt I needed with the recruitment team to understand how I could make this happen, from the support (which I can now tell you is unrivalled) and the depth of training and resources available, to the unique and personal support given so freely by both established Travel Counsellors and the head office gurus.

My first few weeks were eye opening. Imagine being able to put the customer first each and every time, planning a trip bespoke to their needs, their dreams and not being restricted to a particular package or supplier. I was like a kid in a sweetshop. Today, if my customers want to glide over Tanzania’s Serengeti Plain – I ask for how long. If they want sun loungers with real mattresses – I ask how deep. And if they want hotels with blackout curtains so the kids lie in or an ice cold mojito with their favourite twist – I do my best to find just that… perfect for them, not us. I really love it. And my customers love it too which shows in my 100% customer satisfaction score (Independent net promoter score voted by my customers) – that’s higher than the likes many well respected brands. Plus, over 80% of my client base comes back year after year as loyal, repeat customers. It speaks volumes to me.

Getting it right for the customer, whilst loving what I do not only makes me feel empowered but genuinely excited about what the next day will bring. But none of this would have been possible without the unbelievable support of head office. They manage all of my admin post booking, allowing me to concentrate on the customer. Before I joined, I wondered how I would adjust to working from home without a large team around me in the office, but there is always someone available on our internal message...

boards and video chat for support and advice, whether that’s someone in the office or another Travel Counsellor on the other side of the world. I never feel alone. What’s also great is that the whole business lives and breathes our strapline ‘with us... it’s personal’. And with us it really is personal. Put the customer first, not the product. Put the customer first, not a sales target. Put the customer first and you’ll learn to love your job again, just like me.

So, what does my success look like? I managed to reach my goals quite quickly but I’m always pushing myself to achieve more, and this is something Travel Counsellors has supported. And just like Travel Counsellors as a company I never sit back on my laurels. The business development team work with me every day to set achievable goals which really help to motivate me year after year. My success and earnings is down to doing what I really love, putting the customer at the centre of what I do, being in charge of my own business, and having the freedom and support I need to succeed, my way. Today, I’ve been a Travel Counsellor for over 15 years and with over 1,400 global Travel Counsellor colleagues rooting for me and over 200 head office staff, I’ve never been happier and neither has my family.

I'd worked in London for ten years with an independent travel company but when we moved to Manchester and I started looking for a job, I couldnt find anything that was my side of the city. I had a young son, Rocco, who was just 15 months old at the time so a long commute and set working hours meant I couldn't be there for him when he needed me.

Although I'd heard of Travel Counsellors, I never thought of joining myself. Sounds silly now but it just never occurred to me that it was someething I could do. Whilst chatting to a recruitment agency, they suggested it might be worth looking into and when I received the detailed recruitment p...

ack, I realised I should've done it long ago. Although I looked at other franchise companies, the Travel Counsellors business model and ethos seemed perfect for me and my family, like it was made just for me. I loved that we put customers first, from a unique financial protection trust to being impartial, away from directional selling.

What's more I discovered that a couple of my old colleagues were now Travel Counsellors, so I got in touch with them to hear first-hand about what life was really like. That really did it for me - they couldn't speak highly enough of Travel Counsellors, about how the business championed the agent and the new life they led, on their own terms. I was curious to hear how they'd adapted to working from home and whether they felt isolated (a secret worry of mine) but it was clear they felt like they had a huge support network around them, from head office to other Travel Counsellors around the world who it seemed helped one another without question. I saw first-hand the technology that enabled agents to feel like they were working side by side with colleagues across the globe, even if they couldn't actually see them in the room. One described it as 'a million light bulbs under one roof'. I knew I wanted to be one.

I met some lovely people on my induction; in fact I speak to one of them every single day and regularly meet up with a couple of others when we can. Having the unconditional support of more established Travel Counsellors as well as the incredible head office team has been fantastic. I've very much been welcomed into the Travel Counsellors family and it's a great place to be.

In the early days, I got a complex booking which I became quite stuck with and so I posted an 'SOS' on the internal message board. I remember it was a Saturday morning and I wasn't sure anyone would respond but I was amazed when David Speakman, the company's chairman, gave me a ring within minutes and sorted the problem. As a result I was able to win the booking and the customer still books with me today. This isn't an isolated incident either; everyone at the company genuinely cares and will go to great lengths to help, whether it's another Travel Counsellor, a member of head office staff, one of the directors or even the Chairman himself! I think that's probably what makes Travel Counsellors such a special and unique company. It's not about take, transactions and targets but about people and doing what's right.

For someone that loves travel, being a Travel Counsellor is a dream come true. The freedom to work around Rocco (who's growing up fast!) means I dont have that guilt of missing key milestones in my son's life becau...

se I can always move my schedule around to ensure I'm there for him when he needs me which makes me more relaxed and ultimately, much happier. My customers love being able to contact me at a time which suits them, even outside the standard nine to five. There aren't any sales targets or competitiveness between agents, just the desire to help one another and no strict hours to keep to. Unlike so many, I don't have that worry at 5.30pm of rushing a sale because the shop is closing for the day or getting stuck in traffic and missing Rocco's bath time. Instead, I love my daily commute to the spare bedroom - it's the cherry on the cake!

Travel Counsellors is an amazing concept and I think if more travel agents realised what the reality is, every single one would want to sign up. With the support of a wonderful head office team and incredible marketing tools, I've grown my business beyond my wildest dreams and never imagined I'd be so successful. It hasn't been easy; lots of hard work and determination, along with the amazing support i've had from Anne, my business development manager has seen my business soar. I'm now in my second year and already my sales are up by 70% so I have even higher hopes for 2014. Bring it on.

I've always worked in the travel industry and I love it, especially now. My career began at British Airways, before moving on to Lunn Poly where I was a manager. I then moved into business travel which I quickly realised was where I belonged. The jobs I'd had over the course of my career have been very varied and have included working for music label BMG where I booked all the travel for bands like Take That in the 90's. It was great, I've got loads of autographs which really impressed my nieces I finally moved to Portman Travel which I loved as it was a family run business and had a fantastic, warm ethos where everyone knew everyone.

p>It wasn't to last however and a few years later, Portman Travel was sold and lost the warm, caring atmosphere that I had so enjoyed. I saw an advert in one of the travel trade magazines for a Travel Counsellors' road show and I thought it sounded like a pretty interesting concept.

From the moment I stepped inside the door, I was impressed with what I saw and started chatting to a really passionate and enthusiastic member of the team. It wasn't until later that I realised it was none other than the Chairman of the company, David Speakman! It spoke volumes about the kind of business it was and proved to me that the company's promise of the personal touch was not just marketing speak but very very real. I was completely sold. In fact, so much so that I didn't even research any other alternatives...I couldn't see the point as I knew they just wouldn't compare.

I visted Bolton and I instantly knew my instincts had been right. What's more, the business travel division was really established and already bringing in some hugely valuable clientele. Straight away, I began to kick myself for not doing this sooner - there is so much support and everything is tailored for business Travel Counsellors. No one size fits all here. But above everything else, one of the key deciding factors in choosing Travel Counsellors was its independence. I couldnt face the idea of directional selling, and found the prospect of being able to sell whatever I liked, concentrating solely on what was right for the customer, really exciting. Karina in recruitment wasn't at all pushy either (no hard sell) and seemed far more concerned with making sure it was the right decision for me which was a lovely surprise. I really felt cared for.

On my first day in induction at head office, I remember looking around at the other smiley faces sitting in reception and being so pleased that I was there. All the other new starters seemed to share my enthusiasm and passion. We all seemed so like-minded, I couldn't quite believe my luck. In travel there is sometimes a bit of a catty atmosphere but that was non-existent here.

I've become very good friends with my group from induction and we meet up all the time for lunch or dinner or sometimes even both. We've called ourselves the Magnificent Seven! On the intranet there's a list of the top 30 sellers that updates every few seconds. Whenever any of us spot one of our group on the top 30 we all send messages of congratulations to that Travel Counsellor. It's so inspiring and such a boost because I know that if they can do it, so can I. It's also lovely when I'm the one in the top 30 - I get inundated with emails and I can't help but ...

smile. There just isn't any competition here, which is so unusual in a sales environment and this adds to the fantastic atmospehere. It's so inclusive which is fabulous.

I can be far more reactive to my client's needs as a Travel Counsellor so they could not be happier with my service. I'm able to do all the little things that make such a difference to my customers because I am free to run my own business how I want. Regularly I'll let clients know when their passports are set to expire and I enrol them in frequent flyer clubs to make their life easier. In my previous role there would be no way I'd have time to do this, and it would probably be frowned upon by my employers as it was all about the sale. It's these little extras which make me feel good about myself and the job I do as a Travel Counsellor, it has vastly increased my confidence. The numerous thank you emails I get from clients travelling to all corners of the world make it all worthwhile. I don't feel that I'm just process driven and taking orders anymore. Instead i'm providing a valuable service that makes a difference to my clients' lives and they trust me implicitly because of it.

When I started I didn't really have any goals, I just wanted to make a good living and enjoy my job. Within my first year I achieved Gold status which is an honour awarded to the best Travel Counsellors who have reached the top tier in sales and something I'm intensely proud of. It also shows just how much this company believes in you and helps you build a successful business that exceeds all expectations. Travel Counsellors has proved to me that if you never try you'll never know how successful you could be, and this realisation has made a huge difference to both my personal life and my business.

Today, I'm a Travel Counsellor and my nieces are as impressed as they used to be when I could get them Take That autographs!