This is what Worldchoice UK Limited decided to offer to fifteen of their travel agents. The programme consists of five full day workshops over a period of three months. At each workshop you are taken as a group through the following topics, Business Strategy, Dynamic Financial Analysis - working through your own accounts, Targeting your Marketing, Growth through People, From Vision to Action finishing with a presentation about your future business to the group.

This is what the group got out of the programme:

Major Lessons

• 80/20 rule works
• Importance of existing clients - get away from the bland
• Taking care of clients
• Getting a grip of the financials
• Step back - delegate
• Did some market research - schocked by what I learnt - share of travel wallet not as high as I thought it was
• Have spent huge periods of time on number crunching - getting to grips

What we learnt

• Financial lessons - how to calculate
• How innovative we are
• The group has a wealth of experience
• Learnt from the course and the group
• Got me out of the office - my mind opened to new ideas
• Re-branded airport transfer service, carrier bags, additional impact of 1%
• Preferred list of tour operators
• 80/20 - keep the top 20
• Easier and more cost effective to sell to existing clients
• Evaluate S&W of staff to gain continunity
• Highest spender we only got 40% of wallet

Lesleigh

• 9 years now – branch manager for 4 years

• Fabulous working with worldchoice

• Do not own – but feel passion for it

• Branch – in fishing community – 5 sheep per head!

• Vision – enthusiastic about Banff – but it is tough – 1. want to be No1 In my area – by which a reputation for certain aspects of the world

• Analysis carried out – clearly see that there are ways for me to focus on certain types of work

• Want to see profits soar – by being careful – with costs and vigilant with tour operators, sales etc.,

• My team are also fired up – want to empower my team

• Weekly staff meetings, want to become elite in the area – carry staff with you..

• Also need to nurture existing clients – costs of client acquisition is more expensive than keeping them and also checked 80/20 rule and it works there too.

• Marketing is not just a good deal in the window

• Aware how hard it will be – but applying these lessons I am sure we will succeed.

• Oz, USA, Canada, NZ…. – People travel 50 miles to come and see us for our nicje knowledge

Jim

• Cumbria region

• 15 years – have grown year on year

• But this year has been touch – lost key staff that I trusted – manager and sales – so I have a whole new ball game

• My new outlook = (have a new team) – financial session –

• To get in debtors a week earlier – understand now for the first time the balance sheet – a/c have just gone to ABTA – weworked on 10.1 went to 10.3 – due to action plan for profit…

• Now no longer trust anyone!

• Clearly looked at what I can do for existing customers – thought I knew everything about them – strange customers –Gypsies are us – 25%; long haul 25%

• Opened up new area – Oz –

• Have done a voucher - £25 to get people in to book with Jim,

• Sell extras – itrack – for tracking luggage

• Marketing campaign – ANZ/Pacific – have put myself out and about like nothing ever done before

• Radio station every 6 months

• Will now broaden my market reach – into Yorkshire  –

• Have learnt something off everyone

• 2007 marketing plans in place now – will promote tourism big time

• Team meetings every week – all to be part of carrying out tasks…

• Doing 6 monthly balance sheets – but monthly plans/actions –

• I might believe what they say – but will I ever trust them…

• Inspiring lesson to all of us..