SOUTHLAKE, Texas - (Business Wire) As of Oct. 6, the leadership at
Nexion, one of the travel industry
’s most trusted host agencies, will offer agents unprecedented access to professional development through the
Nexion PowerUP! program. Unlike anything else in the professional travel industry, Nexion PowerUP! was created from the ground up specifically for the well-networked business professional and entrepreneur who is relatively new to the travel profession.
“Recruiting at Nexion has always been focused on seasoned, high-producing travel agents,” said Nexion General Manager Jackie Friedman, “but times are changing, and we see the need to cultivate strong relationships with serious, experienced business people who may be relatively new to our industry. We know how to help them become powerful, successful agents.”
Friedman credits the April 2008 PhoCusWright Travel Agency Distribution Landscape study with bringing to light some of the major issues facing the industry. In that study, PhoCusWright reported that home-based agents were a “surging phenomenon in the agency world.” Yet even more enlightening to leaders at Nexion was the report’s market outlook that indicated the lion share of the experienced travel sales force was nearing retirement, and seemingly no one was focused on bringing new recruits to the agency arena. And from Nexion’s perspective, no one was strategically helping those with limited experience make significant advancements in professional development.
“It’s vital that what we do at Nexion be right not just for us, but for the industry,” Friedman said, “We’re not necessarily looking for ‘young’ blood. We’re looking for new blood with strong business skills and an entrepreneurial spirit who have a passion for travel.”
Friedman’s first step in creating a program that will create more well-rounded travel professionals was to recruit the best director of new agent development she could find. It turns out she didn’t have to look far. In July 2008, Robbi Hamida, CTA, DS, transitioned from his role as a Nexion travel agent with 15 years’ travel experience to a full-time member of the Nexion staff.
“When we announced to our members that Robbi was joining our team, it was really amusing to see how many of our members thought he already worked for us,” said Friedman. “He’s a natural mentor and a very savvy businessman actively involved in our industry.”
Hamida went to work immediately on creating a program unlike many of the existing mentoring programs tried previously within the industry. Nexion PowerUP! is focused on empowering agents to run their business successfully with full access to selling and earning commissions from their first day. Educated and empowered agents are appealing to suppliers and help the greater Nexion community at large.
“A productive and profitable travel business isn’t created with the booking of a first flight,” said Hamida. “This team knew that we’d have to pull together a program that addressed the core areas agents need help in the most.”
The four primary areas within Nexion PowerUP! are focused on greater understanding of the travel industry and its history, business planning and legal issues, basic travel knowledge and using Nexion effectively. A quick poll of current Sabre Travel Network agents strongly indicated these areas were on target, with 56 percent of respondents ranking the need for a “greater understanding of the travel industry” as the most important information they needed when starting their travel business.
“The cultivation of new agents is key to our industry's future success,” said Vicki Freed, Senior Vice President of Royal Caribbean International. “We are proud partners with Nexion and look forward to working together to help cultivate the knowledge and expertise of their agents whether they are just starting out in the travel business or have been in the travel business for several years.”
Hamida and team are working with Nexion preferred suppliers to provide additional insight and training to members of the Nexion PowerUP! program. Tapping into the extensive industry knowledge of suppliers will enhance Nexion PowerUP! sessions on group sales, marketing and business planning. Participating suppliers will focus their presentations on key business skills in addition to traditional product presentations.
Nexion PowerUP! provides agents not only access to the Nexion arsenal of resources and tools, but also training offered in a variety of methods. Nexion PowerUP! agents will be able to schedule one-on-one mentoring time with Hamida via phone in addition to regularly scheduled group mentoring calls and Web classes conducted by Nexion experts and other industry leaders. Agents will also have access to a library of online materials to study at their own leisure, not to mention access to more than 2,000 other agents in the successful Nexion Town online social networking community and at Nexion Boot Camps and conferences.
“It’s the combination of formal, self-paced and one-on-one coaching that makes this program so exciting,” said Hamida, “and on top of the work I’m able to put into the program, agents still have access to all Nexion resources, help-desks and team members.”
The one-time program fee of $495 covers all of the training (4-6 months) inclusive of the $199 Nexion start-up fee. Agents within the program will be on a 70/30 commission split until they have reached the industry standard of $5,000 in earned commission. Agents may then migrate to a standard Nexion plan, even if they’re still completing the Nexion PowerUP! program.
Nexion has already seen interest from agents currently affiliated with the host agency. Always seeking to meet the training needs of its members, Nexion plans to make PowerUP! available to existing Nexion members (on or prior to Sept. 30) for the same price as new members and will allow those agents to retain their current commission split.
About Nexion - Nexion® is a fully licensed, bonded and accredited agency, which has been an industry pioneer and a host agency since 1995. Nexion, the travel industry’s premier and most trusted host agency, is in business to help independent travel professionals prosper. Nexion enables members to operate more efficiently and profitably by reducing costs and increasing revenues. Nexion provides ticketing, operations, fulfillment support and marketing services (through their sister company, ClientBase Marketing Services), allowing members to focus on selling travel. And, unlike other host agencies, Nexion does not sell directly to consumers or compete with its members. Nexion is a Sabre Travel Network™ brand.
Sabre Travel Network
Theresa R. Davis, 682-605-1526
theresa.davis@sabre.com
