Did you know that we have one of the highest paying commissions in the industry?
I believe the saying is, ‘It’s not what you know. It’s who you know’. In this case, it’s both. Liz and Ian’s expertise in travelling to South Africa, coupled with a personal recommendation on a golf course, brought in a £65k holiday booking recently.
Liz and Ian were both working full-time when they first became franchisees in December 2017. It was part retirement plan, part chance for a new lifestyle. And it was the perfect opportunity for Liz to pursue her life long dream of running a travel business.
Liz, with a long history and career in hotels and Ian selling electric fencing, a far cry from the world of travel, both were equally excited to embark on the adventure of running a business together.
Both have retired since from their roles… but the travel consultant lifestyle means they love to keep working and have committed full-time.
With an average 10% take home commission, that would mean they could have earned around £6,500 from one booking. That’s almost as much as an annual state pension!
We caught up with the lovely couple to find out more…
What was the booking for and how did the referral come about?
It all started on a golf course. Ian’s son overheard a conversation from a gentleman on the golf tour talking about the British and Irish Lion’s Rugby Tour. He pointed him in our direction, so it came in as a referral.
We assumed it was for one couple, or perhaps a family. It soon became clear it was a big group of friends, who were all rugby fanatics. 5 couples, 11 people in total were looking to fly out to South Africa for the British and Irish Lion’s Rugby Tour in 2021. It was the first time all 11 people were going to visit this incredible destination, so it was really special.
We worked closely with Travel Pack, the tour operator, who was amazingly helpful. We started the process in February this year, and the deposit was paid in April, so, all in all, it took 2 months.
The trip is to fly into Cape Town, to watch the rugby game, fly to Johannesburg, fly home. Some couples added another 3 nights for an extension to the trip and we helped organise a trip to a National Park for them.
What were the customer’s feelings towards making a booking during COVID-19?
They were very confident from the beginning to plan and pay a deposit for a trip in 2021, we spoke to them just the other day and that feeling hasn’t changed. The Rugby Federation had confirmed the tour in South Africa was all going ahead for 2021 and this helped.
The fact that the booking is ATOL and ABTA protected is also a factor that builds trust and reduces the risk for all our customers. Personal recommendations also give people that extra reassurance, that booking on a faceless website just don’t do.
We are both from South Africa so we have a wealth of knowledge which was ideal for booking of this nature. We had also attended the ‘South African Tourism Specialist Training’, after joining the franchise, this is part of a variety of ongoing training the franchise gives you. We knew early on we wanted to specialise in this destination as travel consultants.
If this story has inspired you, watch the video tour to get started today. Alternatively, if you are ready for the next step, simply reach out to our team on live chat. Just click on the icon on the bottom right of the screen.
