Travel Agent Professional March 2015 Issue 34
Whose E-mail is it Anyway By Les-Lee Roland
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Whose E-mail is it Anyways
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Brand Positioning & Management Building Your Reputation
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By Mitchell J. Schlesinger President, MJS Consultants
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Inspirational England By Paull Tickner
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How to Do a Triathlon If YOU Don’t Swim By Cindy Bertram Cindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC March 2015 Issue 34
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http://issuu.com/action/page?page=10 Auto Europe............................11
Ad Index
Cover: Castle Howard South Front and the Atlas Fountain. By Mike Kipling
Whose E-mail is it Anyway
Amadeus .........................................7
HostTravelAgency.com .................19
Auto Europe .................................IFC
TRAVELSAVERS.............................13
Britain Greatdays.............................3
Royal Caribbean Line....................BC
Travel Agent Professional
2015
Owner of The Package Deal
TAP
By Les-Lee Roland
Travel Agent Professional February 2015 Issue 33
Joel M. Abels
Legend In the Travel Industry April 1927 to January 2007
Travel Agent Professional P.O. Box 120198 Staten Island, NY 10312 E-mail: info@travelagentprofessional.com Phone: 718.360.3153 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 Rusty Pickett, ECC Shellback Cruises www.shellbackcruises.com Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal Sherry Laskin, ACC Travel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator www.cruisemaven.com Sue Shapiro, President Shapiro Travel Resources sue.shapiro@gmail.com www.shapirotravelresources.com 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.
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 The opinions expressed in these columns are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Travel Agent Professional.
March 2015
Issue No. 8 | February 12th 2014
W
elcome to a slightly different perspective on your old friend Britain. Since 1980, I’ve been helping travel counsellors to identify, develop and convert untapped sources of new business into imaginative, high yield, customised groups, both large and small. I’m now applying this to tailor made tours for individuals and families who are flying or cruising in and out of the UK.
Over the period, I’ve gained a great deal of experience, knowledge and many grass root connections who add the bubble, fizz and pleasant surprises to each tailor made tour. Take a leisurely look at the ‘magnificent seven’ listed below and arm yourself with a pen and a piece of paper so that you can note down the contacts you’ll have for most of the niche markets mentioned. Prioritise them and then email me your thoughts on how you might like to proceed.
Paull Tickner Paull Tickner and Associates Ltd
Girls Getaways London only, London and Batthh, London and tthhe Cotswolds are three options for you to consider. For Quilters, there are programmes for tthhe tthhree major Quilt Shows in England and ttw wo more in Scotland. If Embroidery and Needlework is your niche, my Liverpool (yes Liverpool) and London tour ticks all the boxes. For lady golfers, I can also supply an interesting Cotswold-based Golf, Gardens and Antiques tour that finishes with an international match against a UK team.
Pre and Post Cruise Extensions Let’s talk about London based customised pre and post crruuise extensions that meet your clients time frame, interests and budget. For customers tthhat have been there many times before, find out where they’d really like to go before or after their crruuise and tthhen put my knowledge through its paces.
Family Travel Speed boat rides up tthhe River Thames, side trips to see tthhe making of Harry Potter, living history experiences at our historic castles and palaces, entertaining actor led tours of tthhe Theatre Royal and a performance of Mathilda, family cycle rides through the Royal Parks, a Doctor Who Experience and a ffllight on the London Eye. With tthheir accommodation included, I can customise these and other exciting interactive encounters into a memorable family trip to London.
Up an English Garden Path For Orchid, Herb, Rose and otthher specialist societies, Master Gardeners, Friends of Botanic Gardens/Arboreta and even Flower Arrangers, I can provide a FebrruuarySeptember collection of memorable, value added tours. With demand always outstripping tthhe hotel supply, now is tthhe time to be considering a 2015 Chelsea Flower Show tour (19tthh-23rd May). Travel Agent Professional
4 Whose E-mail is it L e s - L e e
Anyways
R o l a n d
Hang on to your address books! At least while you are reading this. By Les-Lee Roland Owner of The Package Deal
Now the new requirement from one cruise
line is that the clients’s E-mail MUST be provided before sailing. This is not just a voluntary bit of info to be used to get a boarding pass. It is mandatory that the agent make his or hers clients personal info available for the cruise line to use. Yes, the cruise line promises that the E-mail address will be used only in case of an emergency. And an emergency is when the ship is not going to depart or arrive due to weather conditions, mechanical problems or whatever.
Florida, cruiseline offices had to shut down. Many local travel agencies closed up and sent their people home to prepare for the worse. Working from home, I made the decision to stay put and do the best I could. My husband wanted to get out of Florida before the airports shut down, but he couldn’t convince me to go. In the case of Hurricane Andrew, I was still somewhat new to Florida, and I didn’t know whether to believe all the TV warnings or not.
Let me share with you some facts that I have experienced in the over twenty five years of selling cruises. When I started, E-mail addresses were never addressed. Most clients didn’t even have them.
So I stayed, glued to the TV, steps away from the phone. I called my clients who were booked on sailings or had plane reservations and kept them abreast of what cancellations were in effect. Told them to hold tight and I would get back to them with updates.
I remember hurricanes Andrew and Charlie hitting Florida. Conditions were so bad in Southeast
Not only did I feel the obligation just for my clients. My phone was ringing from people who
March 2015
5 were not even my clients. They had tried to call the cruise lines or airlines and couldn’t get through to people. And they found me from the yellow pages, and I took their calls. Heck, if their agents didn’t respect them enough to call them, I answered their questions. I was not stealing the clients, but passed on the info that the port was shut down, etc.I couldn’t discuss what refunds they would receive. I couldn’t reschedule their plans. But I made sure they weren’t ignored. And I am proud that a few of them kept in touch with me afterwards, happy they had an agent, a voice, a person, who had phone service and was there for them. And no damage from either Hurricane. Now, we have a major cruise line like Royal Caribbean, wanting the e-mail addresses, so in case of an emergency, THEY will send out the info to the clients. Will they have the manpower to reach over 20,000 cruisers. They can close down the offices in Miami, but now they have call centers in other parts of the country, and people who work from home. Will those employees send out the Emails. I might have 2 people sailing that weekend. I might have 100 people. But, I can reach my clients faster. I know their travel plans. I know when they will be on the road, or flying, or preplans. I have made the arrangements. In the case of a hurricane, they already know there might be problems. It’s all over the media. In the case of the recent heavy fog causing the Port of Tampa to shut down for two days, I know before they do, and I make contact with them.
Travel Agent Professional
When 9/11 happened, no one knew the protocol. We had never had such a disaster. Planes were grounded, sailings were affected, and my clients who had phones operating, called my office and not the suppliers. As it was, I was packed and on my way to the airport that morning for a flight to Hong Kong. It was a fam. And, just as I was leaving the house, I saw the news coverage on the TODAY show. I immediately called the airport to see if my plane was going to take off and I was told they assumed it was, since they had not heard yet about grounding everything. I called the Hong Kong Board of Tourism, and they were evacuating their office in Chicago, afraid the Sears Tower was going to be the next target. I never got to Hong Kong! I remember I had clients scheduled on a Danube cruise. Who had taken my advice and flown to Europe a couple of days prior. Luckily their cruise had not been cancelled. And they practically had the vessel for themselves, since all the US flights, cancelled, prevented people from getting there in time. I remember Hurricane Sandy. I was there for my clients who were traveling to and from the Northeast. I had six people stranded in Israel, their scheduled flights to the US had been cancelled. But I got through to them, arranged for additional nights in Tel Aviv, with the help of the tour operator. Rescheduled new flights, found accommodations in New York — even without electricity, and got them back to Florida. I did all of that by cell phone communication, not by sending some message by E-mail. (continued on page 6)
6 I worked my tail off. That’s my job. Not sending out a blanket E-mail blast. And, I was rewarded with not just the loyalty of these people, but their word of mouth telling others and sending me referrals. I even received gift cards from other clients showing their appreciation for not leaving them stranded. Okay, enough of me patting myself on the back. Let’s explore another facet of mandatory providing the E-mail address to the supplier. At one time I was an outside agent to a major company. With each booking, we had to provide the mailing address for our bookings, along with phone number. It was just part of all the paperwork. I fudged on this and almost always used my address in place of the client’s address. Thank goodness I did. One day, there were over 32 identical large envelopes delivered to me. Each was addressed to a different client, When I opened the first two, there was a brochure from the main office. Plus, a letter instructing them to call THEIR phone number for booking any of the specials. No mention at all of call your travel agent, no mention of my name. This was such a breach of security, plus an attempt to steal my clients. You can imagine how mad I was. And the stupidity of their office not to catch all the identical addresses when they were stamping these pieces. I contacted the person in charge of the company. He said not to worry about it. I told him it was my job to worry about it, and I was…well you can imagine. After a couple of heated discussions,
about lack of trust. Concerns that they had contacted my clients directly previously.etc. I will also state that this was the second breach in business I had caught them doing. They previously had agreed to send out a mailing, if we agents paid a small amount for printing and postage, as co-op advertising. Since their brochures of customized trips were very good sellers, I agreed to provide the addresses for about 250 people. I paid the fee, and expected the phone to start ringing. I even started calling the clients personally, to tell them to look for the offers coming in the mail. Some clients told me they had never received the brochure. I then called this same person in charge, and complained about it. I was told they had miscalculated the printing and mailing costs, and even though I paid per person for each of my clients. They never sent out the total of 250 mailers. I demanded my money back, which they did refund. So I was a thorn in their side for my two complaints. And they dismissed me. He threatened me with a lawsuit if I made any problems for him or the company. Since that time, I have worked with other offices, and my policy is to always use my address, my phone number, and an E-mail address I can monitor. I do not provide that info to the supplier. And I have never run into another problem. So, when Royal Caribbean insists they need the client’s E-mail for emergency purposes, it is your decision as the agent to comply or not.
Think about it! March 2015
8 Brand Positioning & Management M i t c h e l l J .
Starbucks, Tauck, Ritz Carlton, Royal Caribbean, Virgin, Coca Cola, Nordstrom, Apple. All of these companies have worked diligently to establish well known and identifiable brands that over time have engrained the purpose, quality, innovation and value of their products and services in the consumer market place. This is what developing a brand is all about and what you have to emulate to establish your travel selling “brand”.
S c h l e s i n g e r
By Mitchell J. Schlesinger President, MJS Consultants mjschlesinger@bellsouth.net
Establishing a strong brand position is crucial in order to:
• • • •
Effectively communicate the value and positioning of your services Create visibility Provide sustainable competitive advantages Generate very long term loyalty
A brand is a promise that provides an expectation from products and services, defines points of differentiation, and describes the company’s character to customers. Royal; WOW, Ritz Carlton; “Ladies & Gentlemen serving Ladies & Gentlemen”, Coke; joy and elation. Adhering to the brand promise builds equity and value for your brand positioning.
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Building Your Reputation In the Marketplace And your brand position will be established and based on two key elements:
1.
2.
Your expertise in the product category you emphasize, whatever it is. If you specialize in selling family vacations, you must be knowledgeable about a broad spectrum of children-friendly 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 and how customers can best access them. Cruises are better in multi island locales (Greek Isles, Indonesia, Hawaii & Caribbean) and destinations where the primary venues are along the coasts (Alaska, New Zealand). On the other hand, there are numerous destinations where land tours can provide a more meaningful experience. SERVICE. It doesn’t matter what you sell, it comes with an expected level of service, which is the foundation of your reputation. And the expectation of service will be commensurate with the amount of money being spent by your clients. You are in a position that will always be judged after the fact. Was the recommendation of cruise line correct? Did the destination suggested provide the experience clients were seeking? Were other the guests on tour 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. This is critical because more-than-likely you have “slightly” smaller budgets to promote yourself than the companies I listed above. (continued on page 10)
Travel Agent Professional
10 Here are some “musts” to effectively communicate your brand:
• • • • • ••
The internal delivery must match the external promotion. Whatever you state you offer, 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 out 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 of your website that you are the specialist in your selected product range. And this is reflected in the information you provide on the site about your services and those of preferred suppliers. Add links to other 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….”Ann Smith 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, trends etc. to give them more ideas for stories.
This discussion of brand establishment, positioning and management 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. 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.
March 2015
Showcase
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Inspirational England
P a u l l T i c k n e r
As a child, many of my Christmas presents were jigsaw puzzles from elderly relatives who believed that children should be seen but not heard. So, armed with a square piece of wood, I spent many a happy hour sitting in a corner piecing pictures together that became more complicated as I grew older. Little did I know that this ‘hobby’ would stand me in very good stead when customising UK tours for discerning North American clients! These days I find the individual pieces at UK trade shows, but with no clear picture of the end result might be which makes the whole exercise more challenging and a lot more fun. Based on some of my recent findings, here are some examples of what I’ve put together so far... By Paull Tickner
Musical Pleasures and Garden Treasures Finchcocks (www.finchcocks.co.uk) is one of my favourite must see attractions and throughout October they stage their annual mainly Baroque festival. With a bit of creative thinking it’s possible to put together a harmonious confection featuring some of the finest gardens in the south east of England (Pashley Manor, Sissinghurst Castle, Great Dixter and the RHS Garden at Wisley), an outstanding collection of musical instruments in a superb privately owned Baroque Georgian house and performances given by some of the UK’s most gifted musicians.
Gardens to Visit I’m very pleased to be able to replace my well-thumbed copy of “Gardens to Visit” with this year’s brand new edition which is filled with more than 120 of the finest gardens in the UK both on and off the beaten track. Compiled by my friend Tony Russell, a very experienced and knowledgeable garden writer and broadcaster, if he says its good then you’d better believe it. Putting them together as a tour with pubs, tea rooms and time for Le Shopping is the tricky bit but that’s where I come in. Take a look at www.gardenstovisit.net and you’ll see why I use it such a lot.
Paull Tickner has been designing and operating niche travel programmes for the UK and Ireland for over 30 years. For more information E-mail Paull at ptickner@customgb.co.uk
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Finchcocks
Foyles War and Mapp and Lucia I’ve met a number of travel agents who share my enthusiasm for Foyle’s War. I also sat glued to a recent threepart production of E F Benson’s Mapp and Lucia. You can bring them both together with a fascinating “war time” morning guided walk which will take in most of the Hastings TV film locations used for this popular TV series. With a pub lunch somewhere like the Ship or the Ypres Castle in the nearby medieval hilltop town of Rye you can then enjoy an on location guided walk that takes in the houses and places associated with the Mapp and Lucia novels as used in the BBC TV series.
The Age of Enlightenment The screening of Jane Austen’s novels has created a large audience with a fascination for Georgian England. From Sept. 25-27, the classic market town of Stamford will be celebrating its unspoilt Georgian heritage with a three-day festival of events, markets, military re-enactments, talks, music and even ghost walks with mock trials and a possible mock execution! Horse drawn carriage rides will convey the mood of the age, with a Friday night Georgian costume ball and a re-run of Stamford’s famous Bull Run. What makes this even more interesting is that you can catch the last couple of nights of the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, spend a few nights in London and then finish off with some time at Stamford’s Georgian Festival.
(continued on page 14)
Travel Agent Professional
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Yorkshire’s Great Houses, Castles & Gardens Many of your garden loving clients will thank you for steering them towards regions of England where you can use a great heritage city like York as the base for a travel less see more tour of some stunning stately homes, castle and gardens in Yorkshire. If you doubt my word, take a look at www.castlesandgardens.co.uk where you’ll discover impressive gardens, spectacular room settings, art collections and changing exhibitions. 2 hours by train up the East Coast Main Line this idea’s a real winner.
Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May As many enthusiastic gardeners can’t make it to the Chelsea Flower Show in May I’m always on the lookout for other combinations that can be linked to the Hampton Court Flower Show in early July. With some careful planning you can create a late June Oxford/Cotswolds/York/London combination that brings together the spectacular flower festivals at Blenheim Palace www.blenheimpalace.com and Castle Howard www.castlehoward.co.uk with a final flourish at Hampton Court www.rhs.org.uk/hampton and some time in London. This is a very saleable idea.
March 2015
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Travel Agent Professional
16 How to Do a Triathlon C i n d y B e r t r a m
Throughout life, we all have different goals we
want to achieve, whether it’s a personal goal, professional goal, or even an “extreme” goal. But how many times do we get nervous about it, thinking, “What if I don’t achieve it? I’ll be a failure.” In travel, it’s no different. How many times have we felt, “I don’t have experience in this particular area of travel. I can’t do it.” To achieve something, we need to drop the “I can’t do that” and instead think, “I can do this.” It’s just a matter of setting up steps.
By Cindy Bertram Cindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC
Tim, the non-swimmer, decides to and does a triathlon Tim Smithe, a Chicago business colleague and friend of mine, sets goals and successfully achieves them. When he made a decision to set a goal to do a triathlon, the multi-stage competition that involves swimming, cycling and running, there was an interesting twist. Tim didn’t know how to swim. So how did manage to successfully do a triathlon? He followed a ten step process he’s created over the years to achieve a set goal. Tim’s personal goal was to compete and finish a triathlon within a year. He found a photo that inspired him to do this and put it up where he could see it each day. Then Tim wrote things down about how he would feel - “I cross the finish line with a smile on my face.” A next step was focusing on how it would feel achieving that goal. As far as a mentor, Tim happened to find one at the gym where he worked out and found someone who could teach him how to swim. Then he studied. Tim went on the internet to learn more about what he needed to do as far as self-fueling, what other successful triathlon competitors did, inside tips, etc. Tim mentions it’s important to “flirt with your goal.” He focused on the mindset, “I’m doing a triathlon.” Another part in Tim’s step process was the work involved. In Tim’s case it was the workouts and strengthening his body. He also focused on the goal; Tim stopped watching TV, and got up at 4:30am to work out and train. The final step Tim refers to as “manifest.” That occurred on the day of the triathlon itself. When he got to the finish line with a smile on his face, he was thinking and saying, “I DID IT!”
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If YOU Don’t Swim The ten step process
Tim Smithe has used his ten step process to successfully achieve all kinds of goals – personal ones as well as professional ones. He shares it, speaks professionally about it, and challenges people to adapt it. The ten steps include the following:
1. 3. 5. 7. 8. 10.
Dream big Ask, and then write it down Find a mentor Flirt with the goal – say what Work Manifest
2. Search & find a photo that inspires you 4. Feel it 6. Study you’re going to do & achieve 9. Focus
Thanks to hearing Tim speak professionally on this, I’ve adapted his ten step process, and set up a professional goal to achieve as well as a personal goal. I’ve also established a self-imposed deadline to achieve these two goals.
Have a plan! As travel professionals, it’s important to set goals to achieve within a certain time frame, and then map out the process. For instance, do you want to focus on increasing sales with a particular supplier, or have a niche specialization you want to grow? When narrowing down and focusing on a goal to achieve within a set time period, it’s important to find the right resources. In our industry it could be focusing on the right travel supplier in an area that you want to build your sales with. The more specific, the better and have a plan!
Insights from Guy Young, President, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection The river cruise industry, for instance, has been the fastest growing segment of the cruise industry over the past ten years. For travel agent professionals who might want to set a goal to grow this segment of their business, Guy Young, President of Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection provides some excellent insights. Guy Young mentions, “In my opinion, the best way to learn how to sell River Cruises is to actually experience the product. Most river cruise companies (Uniworld included) offer FAM trips or TA rates. Interested agents should reach out to their consortia head office to find out if FAM trips are available or go to the Travel Agent section on the Uniworld website to find out about our Travel Agent Rates.” (continued on page 18)
Travel Agent Professional
18 As far as training, Guy Young notes, “Another great way to learn how to sell River Cruises is by taking an online training course. Uniworld has a terrific course which gives agents comprehensive knowledge about river cruises in general as well as specific information about the Uniworld product. Once the course has been completed, agents are provided with fantastic special offers and benefits for themselves and their clients. Agents even have the opportunity to earn a free 7-night cruise for themselves and a companion if they sell six cruises within 90 days. I also encourage agents to participate in webinars and to attend trade shows because this will allow them to get baseline knowledge and stay updated on the changes in the river cruise sector. This is important because the river cruise product is constantly evolving and new destinations are being added fairly frequently. As an example, Uniworld recently added India as a new river cruise destination for 2016. If agents are looking for more direct training or information, I certainly encourage them to reach out to their local sales managers. Uniworld has 16 sales managers across the U.S. and Canada.”
Executing a plan Even if travel agent professionals have not sailed on a river cruise themselves, there are still ways to develop a plan and achieve the goal. Guy Young notes, “It is obviously fantastic if you are able to experience a river cruise, but if this is not a realistic option then completing an online training course would be very beneficial. It’s important to be knowledgeable when a client calls you, so effort should be put into learning as much as possible about river cruising and the destinations we travel in. A lot of this information is covered in our online training course. There is enormous earning potential in selling river cruises. Our average commission per booking is around $2,000 – so preparation can really pay off.”
Converting ocean cruisers into river cruisers Although we tend to perhaps think people who take river cruises might not fit demographics of clients who like ocean cruising, that’s not always the case. Guy Young explains, “The vast majority of Uniworld’s clients have traveled on ocean cruises in the past, and it’s usually an easy conversion. The great appeal of river cruising is that our ships can take guests into the heart of the destination, where ocean cruises can’t go. Our guests literally walk off the ship and find themselves in a major city like Paris or a charming village along the river. River cruise ships are also much smaller and therefore more intimate. Uniworld has an average capacity of 130 guests, which means you can get to know your fellow passengers very well and often make lifelong friends.” Another advantage? Guy Young further explains, “Uniworld has the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry and your clients will therefore receive extremely personalized service, with our staff getting to know your guests well during the course of the cruise. The other great advantage of river cruising with Uniworld is that it is truly all-inclusive. Excursions, meals, beverages, transfers and gratuities are all included so your clients will have very few out of pocket expenses.”
Use the ten step process approach Don’t be afraid to dream big, find a photo that inspires you and post it. Then write things down, feel it, and find a mentor. In this case, the “mentor” could be the tour or cruise company and support they provide. Study and learn, then “flirt” with your goal, work on it, focus on it, and when you’ve achieved that goal? Have a smile on your face as you “cross the finish line,” so to speak, and say, “I did it! Now what’s my next goal?”
March 2015
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