LAS VEGAS -- The travel industry has a problem, according to Signature Travel Network CEO Alex Sharpe. With the influx of new advisors comes the challenge of differentiating those who are serious, he said, from those who only dabble in the business but hang a shingle posing as a legitimate advisor.
"I love this industry," Sharpe said on stage during Signature's annual conference held at the Venetian Resort here Nov 10 to 13. "I've been here now 29 years, and I'm a little concerned, if I'm being honest, about where it's going."
Sharpe quickly clarified that he's not concerned about Signature members or their advisors, but the industry overall.
While he appreciates that new advisors tend to be younger and bring more diversity to the industry, he is concerned that not all view travel advising as a career. He likened some to "impostors" paying a "monthly subscription" to have access to booking tools.
They could cause consumers to have less-than-ideal experiences with a part-time advisor, potentially turning them off from the trade entirely.
"We have to focus on how we differentiate ourselves so that we're advisors and they're agents," Sharpe said. "It's not to put them down, but it's to make sure that the value proposition of what you're delivering is different than what they can deliver."
In an interview during the conference, Sharpe said the influx of advisors into the industry does have a benefit: Those who are serious tend to separate from the pack and join agencies that support them in a "more meaningful way."
"There's good that comes of it, but I think the short-term impact is that it diminishes the value of a travel advisor," he said.
There are tangible ways for newer-to-industry advisors to prove they are legitimate, Sharpe said, like completing ASTA's Verified Travel Advisor certification program. And that needs to be communicated to potential customers.
Ultimately, he hopes supplier partners will cut off host agencies that aren't home to legitimate producers.
"I am really disappointed, frankly, in some of the partners out there who have embraced them," he said. "I get it. I get that everyone needs business, and salespeople get judged on their growth, and if this is growth, then they'll take it. But at the end of the day, I think it's the executives at these supplier partners that need to look at the value of what they're bringing."
At Signature, Sharpe said the member-owned cooperative has a two-pronged approach to ensure its members and their advisors are legitimate.
Signature is very selective about who it lets into its network. Sharpe said it onboards an average of 10 members a year and often merges more members than it brings in new.
President Karryn Christopher said that the slow pace of growth is key to ensuring Signature's resources aren't spread too thin and that the needs of current members are met. It's also important from a cultural perspective.
"We want to make sure that they're part of the community," she said.
Signature brings few host agencies into the fold, Sharpe said, even though they grow faster than others, because it can be harder to keep tabs on agencies of their size. They vet their training and recruiting, which ultimately leads to fewer acceptances.
"We're the first line of defense, and it is important for us to do that and be thoughtful about it," he said.
Vetting new travel advisors
Signature members are focused on people who view travel advising as a career, Christopher said. And they employ a number of techniques to ensure that is the kind of new advisor they are attracting.
Some bring newbies on for a period of one or two years of learning before they ever work directly with clients, Christopher said. Others bring in new talent, train them and start transitioning their book of business to those advisors.
Gary Whitehurst, owner of G Travel in Shelby Township, Mich., takes a hands-on approach with new advisors. He works with his host, Cruise & Travel Experts, to connect with them on topics like maximizing social media opportunities. He said he believes new agents who don't treat advising like a career "won't last."
"You've got to evolve," he said. "You've got to put yourself around people who have a passion for doing it and being successful with it."
Kameish Stanley is the chief commercial officer of Oasis Travel Network (No. 53 on Travel Weekly's Power List), which works with around 1,200 independent contractors. Stanley likes to help new advisors target their communities strategically for potential clients, then find the right suppliers to match them with. It can be overwhelming for beginners: Oasis works with 92 preferred partners, she said.
She also connects newbies with more experienced advisors.
"I'm just impressed by how professional and how passionate they all are about what they do," Stanley said. "The community helps so much."