Travel Agent Professional

Travel Agent Professional December 2018 Issue 62

By Cindy Bertram

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By Cindy Bertram Cindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

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http://issuu.com/action/page?page=11 Brand Position Check

Up For 2019

By Mitchell J. Schlesinger MJS Consultants

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http://issuu.com/action/page?page=15 Generate Higher Profits

with Customised UK Cruise Extensions

By Paull Tickner Paull Tickner & Associates Ltd. Travel Agent Professional December 2018 Issue 62

Ad Index

By Cindy Bertram

Cover Photo: American Cruise Lines

Auto Europe........................................................IFC

RCI .........................................................................BC

Britain Greatdays....................................................3

TRAVELSTAVERS ................................................11

Travel Agent Professional

2018

Your Brand & Using This to Grow Your Business

AP

http://issuu.com/action/page?page=5 What Sets You Apart…

Travel Agent Professional December 2018 Issue 62

Travel Agent Professional Staten Island, NY 10312 E-mail: Ann@travelagentprofessional.com Phone: 718.360.3153

Joel M. Abels

Legend In the Travel Industry April 1927 to January 2007

Ann M. Hoek Publisher/Creative Design ann@travelagentprofessional.com Bonnie Walling Editor Bonnie@travelagentprofessional.com Alan Cohen Vice President Marketing Alan@travelagentprofessional.com

Meet Our Editorial Board Paull Tickner, Creator of Special Interest Britain ptickner@customgb.co.uk www.customgb.co.uk Cindy Bertram, Cindy’s Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC cindybert@att.net Mitchell J. Schlesinger President, MJS Consultants mjschlesinger@bellsouth.net Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal Sue Shapiro, President Shapiro Travel Resources sue.shapiro@gmail.com www.shapirotravelresources.com Rusty Pickett, ECC Shellback Cruises www.shellbackcruises.com Sherry Laskin, ACC Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator www.cruisemaven.com

Travel Agent Professional has its roots in Home Based Trade, the first magazine of its kind, started by Joel Abels in 2004. Joel and Lenore Abels ran Travel Trade for nearly half a century – it was started by her grandfather, John S. Lewis, and her father, Sidney Lewis, in 1929, and they took the publication over after her grandfather’s passing.

Under Joel’s direction, the company grew to be one of the travel agent industry’s leading publications, reaching more than 45,000 agents throughout North America. It spawned a famous series of trade shows and three monthly magazines – Cruise Trade, Tour Trade and Home Based Trade.

The Abels also garnered enormous respect – Joel received the Neal Award, called “the Pulitzer Prize of the business press,” for his hard-hitting editorials.

On a personal note, after working with Joel for over a decade and staying with him until the end, I grew to truly care for and respect the man.

He was like a second father to me. Joel was old school, he stood by his word and believed in his work. There will never be another.

While nobody can replace this industry legend, we’re hoping that this new publication, which reunites the original Home Based Trade editorial board, will be able to carry on his passion for travel and those who sell it.

Ann M. Hoek This online magazine is dedicated to the memory of Joel Abels, Travel Trade's editor and publisher. Joel and his life's work may be gone, but with your help it can live on.

The opinions expressed in these columns are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Travel Agent Professional.

December 2018

4 C i n d y B e r t r a m

By Cindy Bertram Cindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

As

the business world continues to evolve in new

ways, one segment continues to grow. Branding. This even comes into play when it comes to business owners. As professionals, we all have different areas of exper tise, and today the “one size fits all” travel agent professional no longer exists. When building clients and sales, focusing on our par ticular specializations is even more cr itical.

Whether we realize it or not, we all have our own brand.

Making sure that our individual brand reflects what we do best and what we’re know for is a way to grow our respective travel businesses.

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Think about brands that stand out When the word “brand” comes up, one of the immediate things we think about are products and what they’re known for – what makes them stand out. We all have certain brand products we like and buy. Why? Because they fit our needs, and we’re loyal to those products. When shopping, when we go to a store (or even online) and can’t find that particular brand available, we might run to another store (or another online site) in search of that particular brand product because we love it.

Professionals and their own branding The same holds true when it comes to professional services. We depend on referrals from other people we know for certain services – a hairdresser, an attorney, a physician, and a CPA, are just a few.

A great example is the CPA I’ve been using for the past 8 years. I got to know Tom through someone I knew. I reached out to him, we chatted and I really felt he “knew his stuff.” What really stood out about Tom was he had the business side along with the numbers side. I’ve been extremely happy using him as my CPA. How do I describe Tom when I mention him to others who are looking for a terrific CPA? I’ll say, “If you need a great CPA, call Tom because he’s got the business savvy besides knowing the numbers side. Most of the time CPA’s are strictly number crunchers, but don’t understand the business side. Tom knows both!”

Travel Agent Professional

6 Thinking about our own branding We might first struggle with our own branding.

But it gets down to what we want to be known for, and what we do best, along with our specializations. One tactic is to ask a few people who know us with some key questions. Ask them, “What do you think I do best, what are some strengths you know I have, and what areas come to mind as far as my travel specializations?” From there, jot down their ideas, review them and then come up with your own particular brand. And then run that by a few more people too.

Also consider what travel companies do as far as their own branding When it comes to the travel and cruise line companies whose products we sell, they have their own brands. As the travel industry continues to grow with new products as well as existing companies’ growth, their own branding has evolved.

And we can learn from them as well.

Insights from Susan Shultz – Gelino, Director of Sales, American Cruise Lines Susan Shultz-Gelino, Director of Business Development for American Cruise Lines, has been with them for over 20 years. Susan has been expanding the Line’s Group Sales efforts and also continues to successfully lead the company’s growing Sales Department year after year. I was able to talk with Susan recently about the successful growth American Cruise Lines has had, along with getting her insights on a few key areas, including branding.

First I asked Susan, “American Cruise Lines has a very successful history when it comes to the American cruising marketing. What key things have been a critical part of Susan Shultz –Gelino

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your branding over the years to be successful? How have you been able to ‘separate yourself’ from others in the cruising marketing within the USA?” Susan said, “American has grown to become the largest cruise line in the U.S. with over 35 itineraries to 25 states, and is the only U.S. line with 3 distinct ship styles. American also builds all its own ships here in the U.S. and they are all U.S. crewed and flagged. So the line has a wonderful inherently all-American theme.”

Susan then explained, “The advantages of building our own ships gives us a huge flexibility with itineraries— opening up a great range of marketing opportunities. We cruise to so many places the other river lines can’t, as we are not limited to rivers. This gives us many more destinations to cruise where we can still offer the beloved river cruising style so many travelers prefer. We have the gorgeous paddlewheelers and modern riverboats for rivers and small fully stabilized coastal ships that can cruise the country’s protected coastlines from Maine to Florida in the East, and Puget Sound to Alaska in the West. American is able to explore so many fantastic U.S. locations while still providing the small ship destination-focused cruising river cruisers love.”

The expansion into modern riverboats Susan and I then talked a bit more in detail about a new part of their brand, with the launch of American Cruise Lines’ first modern riverboat, the American Song, which just debuted earlier in October. I asked Susan, “How did the concept for modern riverboats come about? And how does this complement your brand and existing fleet, which includes authentic paddlewheelers and coastal cruise ships?”

Susan shared more and explained, “American’s modern riverboats are the first ships of their kind in the U.S. Europe has had beautiful modern ships for years, so it is very exciting to finally offer this beautiful style here at home. Our modern riverboats are not meant to replace the beautiful iconic paddlewheelers—American has four lovely paddlewheelers already in our fleet— but the new modern riverboats offer a stylish new

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choice for U.S. travelers. American Song which debuted this year, and American Harmony coming in 2019 are just the first 2 ships in the planned series of 5. Their gorgeous glass atriums, huge private balcony cabins and fresh new designs throughout, provide a fantastic new ambiance for American river cruising.”

As far as their second modern riverboat, the American Harmony, set to debut in 2019, I then asked Susan, “What sets these two modern riverboats apart from your competition?”

Susan said, “Well, there is no competition for the modern ships because they are the first and only modern riverboats available in U.S. river cruising! In this sense, American Cruise Lines is truly pioneering a new area in U.S. travel.

American Song, our first modern riverboat that debuted in October 2018, is the first official departure from the paddlewheelers that have plied U.S.rivers since the early 1800s. We think there is plenty of room for both the iconic paddlewheel style riverboats and the new modern riverboats. Travelers love choice! And there is great excitement for many guests booking this year and next as they are the first to travel on these historic new U.S. riverboats!”

Susan’s suggestions as far as branding for travel agent professionals With the branding that American Cruise Lines has been successfully doing themselves, Susan and I chatted a bit more about branding as far as travel agent professionals. I asked Susan, “What suggestions do you have for travel agent professionals to focus on, when it comes to creating their own individual brands? Any tips on how they can market themselves in the business world, so they can gain new clients and keep existing ones?”

Susan shared some great insights and said, “Always offer clients a personalized approach. Knowing your clients well and knowing what is new and exciting in travel, as well as what is tried and tested in travel, is the best way to match both new and old clients with the travel experiences that will keep them coming back to you.”

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“What Sets Us Apart” — Some take-a-ways from American Cruise Lines In our discussion, I happened to mention to Susan one of the areas I personally liked about American Cruise Lines’ website. They have a section, “What Sets Us Apart,” which lists key areas - from highly personalized services, and the experiences onboard. These include daily entertainment, all American cuisine, spacious amenities and more, besides their newest and most environmentally friendly small cruise ships, and riverboats. I told Susan, “This was a wonderful part of your branding.” And then I asked her, “What can you suggest travel agent professionals can take away from this and then incorporate themselves in their own respective businesses?”

Susan said, “As I just mentioned, personalized service is paramount to success in this competitive and ever evolving field. Travel is not one size fits all. Agents and travel professionals today have to keep pace with all the new options, tools and trends. There are many great ways to familiarize yourself with a brand. American for instance, has its own Travel Agent Portal where agents can go and learn about our cruises and ships, and where they can take courses to become certified to sell our cruises as well. Also, there are marketing tools available from our portal. Agents can download photos and useful materials to help build their websites and business.”

And then Susan noted, “Never stop learning and growing your business—your clients will thank you by coming back.”

Final Thoughts What sets us apart, and makes us unique is how we need to consider our own branding efforts. At times (and I’m including myself) we tend to think of ourselves as ordinary. But we are NOT! We have our own unique specializations when it comes to what we provide our clients, along with what we know and sell best. Fulfilling our clients’ needs and knowing what they want, is how we can create their special travel memories of a lifetime.

And it goes back to our branding.

Travel Agent Professional

10 M i t c h e l l J .

S c h l e s i n g e r

Italian Style” at Costa Cruises featured gelato bars, pizzerias, Italian wine tastings, toga parties and amazing pastas.

And at Orient Lines, being “The Destination Cruise Specialists” included itineraries to all 7 continents, pioneering new exotic destinations, and scheduling all itineraries one way to offer

By Mitchell J. Schlesinger Chief Marketing & Sales Officer, MJS Consultants, mjschlesinger@bellsouth.net

more ports, more time in port, more late nights & overnights, and creative immersive shore experiences. We also extended the brand through awards to top travel producers. Instead of pictures of ships, we framed destination objects, like the Egyptian batik seen here. Other framed awards included an oriental fan, Maori statue, Danish plate, Italian mosaic, etc. For

I have spent my career primarily in market-

agents qualifying for these awards, they became part of an art

ing and was fortunate to experience gradu-

gallery that reflected their expertise in destination travel.

ate school-type on-the-job-training initially at Avis Rent-a-Car and then during my first

At each of these companies we worked diligently to establish an

stint at Norwegian Cruise Line. Avis was

identifiable brand position and promise that over time would

established as the famous “We Try Harder”

convey the quality, innovation, differentiation and value of our

brand, making the most of its position as

products and services to our travel agent partners and the con-

the second biggest company after Hertz,

sumers who would become our guests. This is what developing

featuring a “nothing-stops-us” service

a brand position & promise is all about.

approach.

And while you might think, our agency is not a big company, it At NCL, we initiated television advertising

is still critical that you take the same steps well-known compa-

in the cruise industry with the overall brand

nies do to establish your “brand position & promise” based on

position; “Americas Favorite Cruise Line”,

the products you feature and related services. And this is more

plus sub-brands for the SS Norway “The

critical than ever in order for you to take advantage of the inno-

Biggest Week in the World” and “Bahamara

vative onboard features and expanding destinations offered by

Monday” for our weekend cruises. “Cruising

cruise lines and the focus you want to convey to customers.

December 2018

11 Establishing a strong brand position:

• • • • •

Effectively communicates the value and positioning of your services Delineates the primary experiences you promote and your expertise in these areas Creates visibility for your agency Provides sustainable competitive differentiation and service advantages Generates long term loyalty

A brand promise provides an expectation from products and services, describes points of differentiation, and defines the agency’s character to customers. Adhering to the brand promise builds equity and value for your brand positioning.

Your brand position will be established and based on two key elements:*

Product Emphasis & Expertise If you specialize in selling family vacations, you must be knowledgeable about a broad spectrum of childrenfriendly experiences from sun/fun to enriching/fulfilling.

If you primarily promote and sell worldwide destination travel, you must display an expertise in destinations around the world, how customers can best access them, how different cruise lines offer these experiences and why cruises can be a better way to see more of the desired destinations.

In the luxury category, you must reflect knowledge of the nuance differences between luxury lines, including dining, stateroom amenities and specialized opportunities for shore experiences.

And with the soft adventure category expanding, expertise in remote destinations (Antarctica, Artic, Galapagos, etc.) must be combined with intimate knowledge of the experiences offered by ships carrying anywhere from 40-400 guests

Services Whatever your product focus, it comes with an expectation of a specific level of service, which is the foundation of your reputation. And the expectation of service will be commensurate with the type of product and amount of money being spent by your clients.

You are also in a position that will always be judged after the fact. Was the recommendation of specific cruise line correct? Did the destination provide the experience clients were seeking? Were other the guests like me?

And most importantly, did my experience represent a strong value based on what I paid?

Once you have established your brand position, the work really begins. Next are multiple steps required for successful communication of the brand positioning.

Travel Agent Professional

12 Here are some “musts” to effectively communicate your brand:

• •

The internal delivery must match the external promotion. Whatever expertise and experiences you promote, you must deliver.

Any employees must reflect the brand. It is YOUR business and reputation and any employees must deliver on this promise. It is also your responsibility to make sure they understand the brand position, what it means and how it must extend to clients and potential clients.

• • • • • • • •

The brand must be projected in every message you send and on every “touch point” clients and potential clients come in contact with, regarding your agency.

Your website is the ultimate platform to project your brand.

It must be completely obvious by the look and feel that you are the specialist in your selected product range.

This is reflected in the information you provide on the site about your services and those of preferred suppliers.

Add links to destination sites to further educate clients looking to purchase a particular trip.

AND, show pictures (with permission) of clients from recent trips to enhance referrals. Most will enjoy the 15 minutes of fame!

PR releases sent to local media and all advertising should always reflect the brand position; “XYZ Travel, experts in family travel”….or, Exotic Travel, specialists in destinations across the globe”… etc.

Be personally visible in your community at events and programs that match your brand position.

Make sure all local media in the community are aware of your brand position, so that when they get ready to run a story about that product type or destination, they contact you for insights, recommendations, quotes etc.

And you should be proactive and send these media contacts information about popular destinations, new ships, experience trends etc. to give them more ideas for stories.

This discussion of brand positioning and promise is important because all consumers are “brand centric” to one degree or another. Think of yourself as a consumer, where you shop consistently, what product “brands” you buy regularly, what companies you are loyal to, and why. It is probably a combination of quality, value and service, which are the same qualities you must project. Best of all, as consumers’ age, brand centric loyalty only gets stronger. Once they find a product or service provider they believe in, they stay with it. For travel this is an enormous opportunity as seniors travel longer and spend more, so it is crucial you establish brand loyalty while your clients are in their 30’s, 40’s & 50’s, so that they stay with you in their 60’s and beyond.

After decades of branding, I instinctively still watch commercials, look at ads, examine websites and physical businesses, always evaluating; what is this company trying to convey? Focus on developing and communicating a strong brand position for your agency so that you can reap the rewards of brand centric loyalty in your clients.

December 2018

You create.

You take risks.

You live your passion.

You are an entrepreneur.

YOU ARE A TRAVEL PROFESSIONAL.

Today we celebrate YOU — the entrepreneur that continues to shape our industry. Thank you for your dedication, inspiration and passion.

We proudly stand and applaud you.

www.travelsavers.com

800.366.9895

14 P a u l l T i c k n e r

For many clients cruising in or out of Southampton, Tilbury, Dover or Harwich, all they need are transfers to/from the ports or, time permitting a 2-night stopover in London. For others who’ve become anglophiles because of frequent business or pleasure UK visits, they have a very good idea of what they’re missing as they hurtle past great castles, stunning gardens, historic pubs and locations used in the filming of Downton Abbey, Inspector Morse and Father Brown.

These customers represent huge untapped sources of extra profit because many of them will thank you for adding a 2-3 night extension, tailored to meet their interests, time frame and budget.

England has a great deal to offer these ‘prospects’ and more information on this collection of conversation starting ideas go to www.customgb.co.uk/category/tours/ukeuropean-cruise-extensions/

By Paull Tickner Paull Tickner & Associates Ltd.

Read on. Apply your imagination and let me help you to convert what your clients are looking for into a customised addon to the great cruise you’ve set up for them.

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Ah! The Cotswolds For frequent UK travellers, invite them to discover privately owned castles, stately homes and privately-owned gardens chosen when at their peak for colour and fragrance in one of the loveliest corners of England. With a pause in Oxford, access from LHR is dead easy and the journey to Southampton includes visits to Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral. The pubs in the itinerary will be my own personal recommendations! I lived there for over 5 years.

It’s as Easy as ABC A is for Austen, B is for The Bard and C is for the Cotswolds. Served up with some flair and imagination (and at the right price) you have a commission-generating ABC tour of England. Also included is a journey through time at Stonehenge and Old Sarum, some ancient coaching inns, a connoisseur’s choice of beautiful gardens and living history experiences at the Shakespeare Houses.

The Bulldog and The Bard The Bulldog (Churchill, Blenheim Palace and his final resting place at Bladon) and the Bard (Shakespeare and Stratford upon Avon) are the foundations for a tour that includes some of the Cotswolds’ famous villages and market towns.

The final choice of stately homes and gardens will be determined by your date of travel so that you’ll see the best when at their peak for colour and fragrance.

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Oxford’s Literary Landscapes

Tip Toe Through The Tulips

Based in this great university city, Alice in

For green-fingered customers cruising in/out of Dover

Wonderland, Harry Potter, C S Lewis, J R R Tolkien,

or Southampton, this late April tour brings together

Inspector Morse, Lewis and Endeavour in Oxford join

leisurely visits to the extensive and breathtakingly

forces with Sir Winston Churchill at Blenheim Palace

beautiful tulip displays at 11th century Arundel Castle,

and Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild’s superb collec-

the fabulous, award-winning gardens at Pashley Manor

tion of art treasures at Waddesdon Manor. Because

and Chenies Manor and 3 more internationally

of its literary theme, I’ve also included Jane Austen’s

renowned gardens. It’s highly likely that your garden

home at Chawton and her final resting place in

loving clients will not have been offered this tantalis-

Winchester Cathedral.

ing combination before.

A Profusion of Colour This fragrant and colour filled tour blends 3-4 awardwinning gardens with several privately-owned properties that open as part of the National Garden Scheme. With some traditional coaching inns for a pub lunch or two. It makes a great pre or post addition to a day at Chelsea (end May) or the Hampton Court Flower Show (early July) and can be adjusted to suit a Dover or Southampton cruise sailing.

December 2018

Winners Row Garden loving cruise clients sailing in or out of Southampton need to know that just to the west of the city there are 5 former winners of the prestigious, annual Garden of the Year competition. Sponsored by the Historic Houses Association and Christies, they include Abbotsbury, Athelhampton, Exbury, Forde Abbey and Heale House as a unique pre or post cruise extension.

Myths and Legends To help you generate serious interest in this tour, I’ve taken the iconic words Cotswolds, Bath and Stonehenge and added to it others like the Royal Garden at Highgrove, Arthurian legends at Glastonbury Abbey, Salisbury’s original footprints at Old Sarum and Choral Evensong in Salisbury Cathedral. The end result? A fabulous 4-night itinerary that will captivate clients who are looking for a closer look at their old friend England.

Highways and Byways of Olde England For a genuine, living history encounter with Olde England when cruising in and out of the east coast port of Harwich, this 4 Cambridge-based nighter will tick all the boxes. It includes leisurely paced visits to stately homes, stunning gardens, 2 cathedrals, pubs, tearooms, a Dick Francis-themed walking tour, a visit to locations used in the filming of Grantchester, American World War II connections and some of the prettiest villages in England Paull Tickner, owner of U.K.-based Custom GB, is known for his expertise in creating and operating imaginative, value-added tours of Great Britain and Ireland. Visit his website at www.customgb.co.uk or email him at ptickner@customgb.co.uk.

Travel Agent Professional