Marketing a product or service is now a much more complicated process due to the range of options online technology presents to businesses. However TravelManagers is finding that good old fashioned referrals and word of mouth is paying off significantly for their company.

TravelManagers' executive general manager, Mandy Scotney says that the majority of recruits are now the result of referrals from their own personal travel managers.

"While we recognise the importance of advertising it was fascinating to see that over half of our new personal travel managers contact us based on a referral from our existing personal travel managers."

Ms Scotney says it also confirms that TravelManagers is a great place to work.

"The highest compliment you can give is to recommend something or someone, so when our main source of new personal travel managers is being driven by recommendations internally, that bodes very well for the company."

The figure represents a significant increase over the same time last year.

"Our team truly is what you would describe as passionate advocates. They understand and value a true business partnership and this is the message that they are telling their industry colleagues, friends and family."

Ms Scotney says she is well aware that their personal travel managers speak to possible new recruits about what they see are crucial differentiators.

"They believe TravelManagers deliver the best commission levels to home-based consultants and take-home pay after deducting fees. That we offer the best support in all areas of the business including customer marketing ?and that we provide the best technology delivering 24/7 access to full client files enabling them to work with absolutely no restraints on when or where they may be around the world."

Ms Scotney believes the high internal referral levels also send a very strong message about the calibre of their new personal travel manager recruits.

"Our personal travel managers are well aware that their network is only as strong as its weakest link. Consequently they are only referring qualified experienced travel consultants that they trust and believe have the same work ethic as themselves."

TravelManagers is able to track where the referrals are coming from and the state of Victoria had the highest percentage followed by Western Australia and New South Wales respectively.

?"While we would love to improve on this stat, what company wouldn't be happy with more than 50 percent of our recruits coming from their existing personal travel manager referrals? It is the most powerful endorsement of TravelManagers operational systems and support services that any company could hope for."