Not Just Travel launches new venture as agents told to expect bookings ‘frenzy’

Homeworking network Not Just Travel is launching a new membership model as it looks to attract agents deterred by the traditional upfront cost of £15,000.

Travel Consultant Lite will offer the same level of service but ‘without the bells and whistles’, Not Just Travel co-founder Paul Harrison told TravelMole.

Membership will be £2,500 although monthly payments will cost more than the full franchise package.

Harrison also revealed it is targeting between 50-100 agents for its recently-launched Experience Travel Agent division, and predicted agents should ready themselves for a bookings "frenzy".

Speaking ahead of the firm’s virtual conference over the weekend, Harrison: "We get many leads every month, and while some sign, many say they are open to starting a business but are scared by the £15,000. So how many will join for £2,500 we don’t yet know.

"This won’t be a ‘lesser franchise’, they will be classed exactly the same and will receive the same levels of service. But what they won’t receive is all the features and benefits, there won’t be as many bells and whistles and will pay a higher monthly payment than those who pay the higher upfront costs."  

Travel Consultant Lite will be the group’s second new venture of the summer having launched the Experienced Travel Agents division in July.

Harrison said it received 200 applications in the first week, but would be selective in who it signs.

"We had an avalanche of interest but we are looking for experienced people and have the luxury of being choosy.

"We’re not looking for what I call the travel junkie who wants to change every three months, but for people who fit our criteria. It’s not all the past, or success or money but about values and drive and personality.

"We only want that division to be about 50 to 100 people so we are being quite selective."

Not Just Travel used its conference over the weekend to rally agents and encourage them to prepare for the future – whatever that may be.

"We want to give them some belief and confidence in themselves, in Not Just Travel and in the future of the travel industry," Harrison said.

While the business had to ‘lose a few’ employees during Covid as bookings ground to halt, Harrison claimed it was back in growth mode, and was now recruiting staff.

Membership also held steady, he said, with the number of franchisees leaving the group – about 20 – in line with previous years. It even recruited agents to its ranks, with Harrison suggesting the pandemic has made people re-evaluate their lives and given them a fresh mindset.

"We genuinely thought ‘who is going to buy a £15,000 franchise in April, during Covid’? We sold 20," he said.

"With all that’s happening, a lot of people have a changed mindset and a new determination. People have said to me ‘Paul, I’ve been looking at you for three years and thinking of joining and Covid has made me think ‘sod it, I’m just going to do it’.

"There is no such thing as job security so people are thinking I may just as well start something myself and see how good at it I can be. So our recruiting has been strong."

Throughout Covid, Harrison said he and co-founder Steve Witt ‘did a Boris Johnson’ and held regular briefings to keep franchisees updated and to field questions.

While clearly a ‘horrendous period’ he said it was – and remains – important for agents to prepare for the bounce back.

"As I’m recruiting I’m asking people ’65 million Britons have just been caged for the last seven months. What do you think is going to happen’? At some point there is going to be a frenzy

"What we are finding is that life now is a little bit easier. In March no one knew what a refund credit note even meant, so at least people have got a bit of a handle on what is going to happen.

"They don’t like it but at least there is a bit of clarity, we understand the conditions we are operating in whereas three or four months ago we didn’t.

"But our sales are fairly strong. We have good sales for end of the year given the conditions and have franchisees who are doing £100,000 a month. It’s not millions but it’s not bad.

"Our message is for agents to be more strategic, so focus on last minute holidays, October half term, Lapland, winter sun that will put money in the bank and keep the wolves form the door."

While a third of customers are ‘dead negative’ about travelling, another third are at least talking about it and a third are ‘carefree and booking’, he said.

"It’s not this blanket ‘no one is going on holiday’, that’s rubbish," Harrison said. "Bookings are coming in every day but you have to do bit more filtering.

"We are saying don’t worry about the things you can’t control and worry about the things you can. We can’t control quarantine and government decisions, so control what you can.

"When the tap does turn on we need tp be ready."

By Steve Jones, Contributing Editor