Our August edition of Leisure Group Travel is now online and available for viewing. Those of you that are print subscribers will be receiving your copy in the mail any day now, but if you want to get a head start on holiday and 2007 planning, go directly to the online issue!

As it's now officially the dog days of summer, steal away a couple of quiet minutes to catch up on some of the exciting new developments in the group travel industry. As always, we highlight content in the current edition of Leisure Group Travel, right here in InSite. At the same time, we provide fresh new destination articles and how-to's like this week San Francisco Group Travel Guide and articles on writing web site copy and overcoming customer objections.

So, find your favorite shade tree and catch up on your reading. At the same time, make a list of all the things you promised you'd do this summer and haven't yet. Only one month left!

Jeff

From earthquakes to hippies to becoming one of the gay capitals of the country, San Francisco has always rocked the boat. Get a dose of high culture at one of the city's many museums and then head to the corner of Haight and Ashbury for your pop culture fix.

Read on to find out the top attractions and those we had to dig a little deeper to uncover in this city of innovation and extreme.

In 15 seconds, a visitor to your site determines whether or not they are interested in your product or service. Web usability experts can provide all sorts of design insights, HTML advice and search engine optimization tips to increase your site visibility and appeal. While this is helpful, the most crucial factor in the sale is how you connect with your visitor. That connection occurs in one way through content.

Research from academia, web consultants and behavioral scientists over the past two decades has revealed ten techniques to sharpen your web-writing skills and tighten your customer connection.

The Frontier and Mountain West states certainly live up to their Wild West pasts, with deserts butted up against frontier towns where you can almost hear the whistling in the wind.

This vast region is abundant with opportunities for your group to taste the Old West lifestyle while still giving them the tourism experiences they've come to expect. From the starkness of a white sand desert to a shopping district that cost close to $1 billion, your groups won't have a minute to waste. Follow along as we travel through Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota.

As the Cruise industry moves to a global presence, cruise guests are offered more selections than ever before. There has never been a better time for your group to reconsider taking that Caribbean cruise for a number of reasons. Sail with us, through the view of the contemporary day cruise, ports, ships and the affordable Caribbean itineraries provided for group travel.

Do you or your trip leaders have a degree in psychology? The best trip leaders are found interacting with the members of each tour. However, the interaction causes members sometimes to rely on the leader as a shoulder to cry on. Read on as we walk through how to avoid and get through these situations.

Handling objections effectively is often the hardest thing a salesperson will have to do. What they often don't realize is that an objecting customer is a good thing--it means the customer is interested enough in his solution to talk about it. An objecting customer is handing something to you on a silver platter, an opportunity for a "precious moment," a chance to differentiate yourself as a Sales Superstar.

In order to gain the customer's trust and to proceed hand-in-hand toward a win-win solution, the salesperson needs to be prepared to vaporize any objections.