One-to-one with Corporate Travel Counsellor Chris D’Arcy

Corporate Travel Counsellor Chris D’Arcy joined Travel Counsellors four years ago, but it’s safe to say 2022 has been his year.

Consistently transacting £1.3 million each month, Chris holds records for best month, best year and best profit and he’s still a nice guy who took the time to sit down with us and tell us more. This is what he said, word for word.

We know the 60-40 commission split was a concern for you before joining – what’s your thoughts on that now? Is it worth ‘giving away’ the 40% back to Travel Counsellors?

"The 60-40 split was an initial concern as at my previous company the split was 70-30, however I soon realised that what you lose on the percentage, you more than gain on the flexibility to book what your client needs rather than what is permitted due to contracts."

Do you think being a TC has enabled you to achieve what you have, and how?

"100%. There is no way I could have achieved this level of sales at my previous company, the restrictions were holding me back without a doubt. TC has released the shackles and given me the freedom to book what’s needed for the client."

Tell us about the systems and product to be able to make volumes of sales like this – do you get support from anyone?

"I work as a team with Gary Fitzgibbon and we ensure that one of us is always around, sometimes both. We speak literally all day as if we were in an office but the key for both of us is flexibility; as this client was new to us, we had to prove to them that we are capable of handling their account."

"We didn’t quite know at the start how much (and how quickly) this would grow to what it is today in less than a year, and whilst there have been some VERY long days and nights, the rewards certainly outweigh these!"

How does the TC Community support you?

"Being flexible enough to have a colleague on hand to work alongside really has helped develop this account. I have been over to meet everyone in the US and the one thing that everyone said when they met me was ‘How many people are in your team?’, they assumed that we all sat in a huge corporate office, not in a spare room at home!"

"The TC model has also helped when we have both needed some downtime. As the account is way too big now to leave it, having fellow TC’s to call on to assist is a massive benefit, and as we move forward, these TC’s will become more and more important."

Sum up your experience of being a TC – what do you value the most?

"The flexibility is the best thing; you can choose your hours. Obviously the more you put in, the more you get out, but it just means more as it’s ‘our business’. I honestly believe that if I was working the same account at a large TMC, it wouldn’t mean as much and they definitely wouldn’t get the same service."

"The trust from Travel Counsellor is another key benefit for me, as a Corporate TC we are entrusted to do the right thing for our client but also for the business, providing exactly what the client wants whilst taking care not to put too much financial risk on the company. I believe this certainly helps us be a step ahead of our competitors."