Welcome to the new and improved Monograms Booking Agent Program. Over the last year, we have taken time to create a program that is more interactive, more condensed, and is designed to bring you the information you need to capitalize on the independent travel market. Just a few things before we get started you will notice a play bar below. our audio is designed to run for the duration of the slide, but feel free to advance when you are good and ready by clicking on the slide itself! Also, you will see questions pop up throughout your modules these are just knowledge checks and will not count towards your overall grade that will be dependent on the final exam! We will have one during this first module to get you warmed up. Then you will see them more and more as you continue! At the conclusion of our modules, seven to be exact, you will have one final exam with a score of 90% to pass. Don t worry as long as you go through our included modules, you will pass with flying colors! But that s enough house keeping. Let s jump into what you are really here for. One more thing you don t have to take this entire program at once? Only have time for 1 or 2 modules today? That s OK you can come back and finish at your own pace. Now, for the fun stuff! 1
We understand that you know there is an increasing demand for pre packaged, independent travel. But what you need from Monograms is real insider information that helps you sell with confidence, and positions you as an expert amongst your peers. And since you re that agent. This is that training. Let s get started. 1
Our Monograms Booking Agent program is going to start with what pains today s independent travel and gradually explains how Monograms alleviates these pain point. In this first module, we will talk about what happens today when you get a call or an email from a client saying simply, I want to go to Italy. What do you do? Where do you start? Do you push the request aside for a bit because you know how many hours you have ahead of you? Do you avoid it all together? Whatever you are doing, I m going to make the case today that there is a better way. You do not need to toil over independent travel as you have been for years. Once we have discussed this a bit, we will then move on to: Monograms. The Better Way to Travel. transportation. Check. Local host check. Hotels check. Sightseeing with VIP access check. All this and more makes Monograms a truly better way to travel. We will take a deep dive on each component of Monograms and discuss what your clients should expect and how it all works! Traveling with Monograms: Europe Monograms is the only way to travel Europe Independently. We will take a look at how Monograms operates throughout the world, in particular, Europe. 2
Traveling with Monograms: Exotics. did you know that your clients can enjoy Monograms outside of Europe? Monograms operates all across the world and this module will tell you everything you need to know on how she operates. And lastly, How to Sell Monograms and to Whom we will discuss the ideal Monograms client, sales tips, as well as how to ensure you are targeting them with the correct message! 2
Monograms is a product YOU need & one your clients WANT. We recognize agents crave an independent vacation solution that is as easy and reliable as a cruise or tour. Yet, most agents and even more travelers, don t have a lot of experience with or understanding of Monograms. So we developed the MBA with you in mind. We applaud you for having a thirst for education and promise the MBA program will be well worth your while. Outlined here are all the amazing perks you will get just for completing your MBA. The foremost being that after your first booking you can receive 50% off a Monograms vacation. Anytime. Anywhere. 3
So, now that you know all that awaits you, let s get started with a little History lesson. 3
When we know the past, we can predict (or at least try to affect) the future, starting today 4
Let s begin with why she got started in the first place. After specializing in touring for 75 years, the year was 2003 and we recognized the vast, emerging market of travelers that loved the idea of a hassle-free, all-in-one package, but who didn t want go with a group, on cruise ship or motorcoach. Enter Monograms. 5
52.4 Million million, that is the potential size of the independent travel market (65.4% of outbound pleasure travelers). When you combine those looking for some sort of custom, independent vacation market, you have a great target market. The size of the potential market for touring is 44 million and the potential market for ocean cruising is 43.5million. Still, they are still less than the size of the market for independent travel. This my friends is why you are still with me why would you ignore a market that is larger than two of the markets you are already serving. You wouldn t. Or at least you won t after you get your MBA. 6
Thanks to the DNA of Monograms, it really sits closer to a tour than an ordinary FIT package. Quite simply, it takes all the components of a tour & unbundles them so we can deliver for a single traveler, not a group. In the words of our travel agent friend Dee: Monograms is an organized independent package, but not too structured. Yet, pays you more than the sum of its parts. More on that later. But remember that comparison. All the elements of a tour but bundled for the independent traveler. 7
Now, I m no psychiatrist, but I would say that you d be crazy not to want to tap into a market this big or sell a product that saves you time while earning you money. So now let s spend some time understanding what the independent traveler goes through, so you can understand who they are and what they are up against and why monograms is such a natural fit! 8
Today s independent traveler: This is the reality facing the independent traveler today. How do they sort through the volume & validity of search? How do they line up transfers/connections? How do they know what to see & how to see it? How do they find value in reviews? How do they line up dates & times? Where do they find the weeks & months needed to plan? And how do they deal with unexpected events? 9
So to better understand, truly understand, what the independent traveler was going through, we contracted an independent third party to survey prospective independent travelers and in the following slides, we ll share in their own words, what they are really up against. You ll notice that many of these pain points are the same issues your FIT clients face. And as you know, their problem is often yours. So lets get started with THE number one pain point: 10
Did you know that the term search for Italy vacations on Google delivers more than 40,000,000 results? And that is just the beginning of the planning. Aside from hotel listings, many travelers land on foreign sites, because to be honest they don t know exactly what they are looking for. It becomes a total rabbit hole, that sucks the time and energy away from travel planning. Many travelers simply abandon at this stage before ever really starting! During the 11
Transportation isn t sexy but it s essential and it can single-handedly derail even the best laid plans. But how do travelers even begin to line up transportation, when they have so many unknowns? How far is my hotel from sightseeing? How long does it take to get from the hotel to the train station? Should I buy my train tickets now? What if I buy the wrong one? Dreaming about cool hotels & wading through them is one thing, but booking transportation is just plain boring & nerve wracking. So much room for error! And the worst part? Your clients wont realize HOW BAD it can really be until on trip and its too late. 12
How long is the Vatican visit (& how long will I have to wait to get in?) How much time should I spend at Machu Picchu? How far is the Great Wall from my hotel? Multiply the number of excursions & sightseeing travelers want to do by 2 or 3 cities, and quickly you see setting this up, and not making an error, seems next to impossible. 13
And then even when travelers start to narrow down what they want to do, how can they ensure they don t waste time or money? What if I pre-purchase an excursion ahead of time only to get to my destination and realize I don t have time to fit it in, plus I overpaid? Or what if I spend an entire day in the destination doing just one of the things I had planned? How is it possible for me to avoid these pitfalls? 14
Some travelers love contemporary, while others favor traditional hotels. One person thinks an excursion was engaging and informative, while another was bored to tears. How can a traveler be sure that any review they are reading really provides them proper information to make an informed decision? Again, just more content to wade through that ultimately wastes times and doesn t ensure they end up with exactly what they want. 15
Flight schedules, length of sightseeing, transit times, contacting multiple hotels to secure the right sequence of dates. Travelers need a math degree and an advanced degree in spatial physics to line up every detail of their independent trip perfectly. Many just resign that things will go wrong. 16
Travelers want to see & do, but want to shop & relax. They worry they will miss things, but worry more that they will be rushed. Should I try to see the Louvre & the Eiffel Tower in the same morning? Will I kill myself getting out to Versailles & shopping on the Champs Elysses (shon ze lee say) in the same day? Knowing when enough is enough is a balance many travelers never strike. 17
Most travelers already have a job. Enter the vacation planning process and all of a sudden they are saddled with a second job. And while some may profess to enjoy the planning, most often just give up when the planning starts to take on an extended timeline. But as we will discuss later, they are likely to seek expert advice (that means you), so this pain point means opportunity for you! 18
Airline glitches, car rental companies with no cars, labor/transportation strikes, language barriers. Once travelers have finally made their dream of an independent trip a reality, things can fall apart in areas they have no control over. Just one trip where they felt stranded or that their vacation was a total waste of time, can turn them away from ever being adventurous again. 19
So, despite the vast potential of this market, thanks to the pain points we just demonstrated, independent travelers are really struggling to find the right way to plan and enjoy their vacations do to these FIT centric pain points. And that really equates to lost business for you and for the travel industry overall. We need to get them on the right path, so we can all benefit. 20
Whew! I don t know about you, but I m tired after walking through what that crazy FIT world can look like. That world needs less pain, so next module, I m going to demonstrate how Monograms is designed to deliver the right components for today s independent traveler. Think about banking before online banking. Or buying music when you had no choice but to go to a record store. That is the sort of industry shift I am talking about when I take you through how Monograms can create a new reality for you and your clients. 21
Would people buy a car that didn t include tires? Or a refrigerator with no drawers? That may sound silly to call out, but today s independent traveler really does want it all and the effort they have to expend now, to ensure they don t show up in Paris without train transfers is daunting. So here is the Monograms promise to you and your clients. Every Monograms package will include: - Choice of hotels (all well located) - VIP sightseeing - All transportation - Local Hosts (who are these people & what do they do? We ll get to that) We re going to explore, component by component, the case for what travelers need and how Monograms does it exactly as they need it to be done in our coming modules 22
As you ve learned, there are many pain points that face today s independent traveler, from info overload to on trip issues. Monograms removes the tedium & hassles of FIT booking and associated pain points while delivering a host of benefits to you & your clients all to be discussed in our next module. We invite you take our module Monograms: The Better way to travel. We will take a deep dive on each component of Monograms and discuss what your clients should expect and how it all works! 23
Thank you for taking the time to complete this online module today. You re on your way to becoming an MBA a Monograms Booking Agent and Independent Travel Specialist. If you have any questions, please contact Inside Sales: 866.270.9850 or visit us at our Online Portal: GlobusFamilyPartner.com Talk to you soon! 24