23 January 2009

Uniglobe reports strong sales

Steady growth among its members has helped Uniglobe increase sales, according to its president and chief operating officer.

Derek Hearl-Maunder said the independent business travel management group saw a 43% increase in sales in December, compared to the same month in 2007, while sales from September onwards "went against the general market".

Ã¢â¬ÅâœWhilst part of this was due to the recent alliance with Worldchoice, which has helped to increase overall turnover, the underlying factor was one of steady growth across the group,Ã¢â¬~ he said.

"More importantly, margins held up and increased, so even agents where sales might have been slightly down were reporting increased profitability."

According to Uniglobe research earlier this month, all member agents planned to either increase or retain current sales team levels.

"They recognise the importance of retaining sales and marketing activities during times of economic downturn and the general feedback is that reducing levels only creates headaches when sales improve as well as in recruitment terms," added Hearl-Maunder.

In response, Uniglobe has announced plans to increase the levels of sales training it provides for business development managers over the next 12 months, increasing the amount of investment in sales training more than threefold for the year.

"This will give increased in-depth support to sales teams at a time when they most need it,Ã¢â¬~ he added.

By Bev Fearis