Husband and Wife Operate a Multimillion Dollar Travel Agency From Their Home

HOME-BASED TRAVEL AGENT TEAM EXCEEDS $4 MILLION IN SALES

Sue and Ernie Ratliff of Sea the World Cruises & Tours, are a home-based travel agency in Athens, Texas.

Last year, they did $4.2 million in sales. Even more impressive, those numbers come with very little overhead.

“I didn’t have a background in travel but the job taught me what I needed to know” said Sue.
“I had been thinking about retiring anyway. Sue and I decided we should start our own home-based agency,” said Ernie.

The couple moved to a retirement community near Athens, Tex., and set up shop in an enclosed 14’ X 28’ patio. We put an ad in the paper and the phone started ringing,” said Ernie.
Sue is the salesperson aided by Ernie, the uber-assistant. Ernie uses his background as a productivity manager and time management specialist for AT&T. He researched ways to work smarter and more effectively. In those early days, he also researched host agencies and consortia.

Discipline and a dedicated work environment are part of the Ratliffs’ success strategy. “We have two desks, two computers and two printers in the enclosed patio. It’s a full-fledged office,” said Sue.

“Working” means that Ernie is fielding phones and answering emails while Sue sells luxury cruises.
 “I build the bookings and post everything, sometimes while she’s still talking to the client,” Ernie said. “In 15 minutes, the booking is all set up and I’m transferring another client call to her.”

Though their business relies heavily on technology, nothing replaces the personal touch.

“I take web leads and always establish a personal relationship with my clients,” Sue said. “I find out where they live, where they’ve traveled to. It’s so important to establish a rapport before I start talking.” Sometimes she never actually speaks with a client. The entire transaction takes place by email. “Clients know that if they want to talk to me, I’m available. I’m answering the phone until 9 pm Central Standard Time,” said Sue.

They’re featured panelists at this year’s Cruise3Sixty in Fort Lauderdale. The name of the panel: “You Can Make More Than $100,000 By Selling Travel – Learn How from Those Who Do!”

“Lots of couples are both agents. But we decided the way we were doing it worked best for us. Ernie is willing to stay in the background so that I can be the star,” said Sue.