Advisor Speak: Making Waves in Cruise Sales

Making Waves in Cruise SalesBy Lisa SimundsonCruising is back, not with a vengeance, but with a vindication of the industry’s perennial popularity as the one form of travel that takes you places while you stay put in the same accommodation. It’s relaxation plus adventure equaling the ideal getaway and creating one of the fastest-growing sectors of tourism, according to the latest data from CLIA.SUZANNE Agents who want to get their share of the cruise buffet need only follow a few but critical tips from a panel of fellow advisors—Suzanne Moore (Culture Traveler), Jason Poole and Charles Russell, both from Cruise Planners—who offered their expertise in cruise sales during the most recent Recommend webinar, “Forecasting the Tides: Trends in the Cruise Industry.” Among the many topics covered, the advisors kept coming back to communication with clients when planning an itinerary, which sounds deceptively simple but, as the panel noted, isn’t always easy. “Some people may feel like they’re talking to a used car salesman who’s asking, ‘OK, what’s your desired budget,’ and then getting you that cruise,” Russell noted. “But I would take it a step further, to try to understand how my client likes to travel. What types of hotels do they stay in, and what’s their preferred class of air service. These are all factors that help me narrow down the itinerary.” Moore likened planning an itinerary to a butterfly, with the cruise in the middle and the pre/post excursions the wings.CHARLES “If a client is cruising to Japan, let’s say, we also plan what they’re going to do before and after the cruise, so you create a package around that,” Moore said. “This may be their bucket list destination, a one-and-done thing with the cruise at the center of the butterfly.” Poole also stressed putting client interests at the fore when planning a cruise. “It blows my mind when I hear travel advisors say, ‘I don’t like selling product x because I didn’t like it.’ So it’s putting your client where they need to go. And it goes to budget as well. Do they want 10 nights, but that plus a suite is beyond their budget? So I ask them, ‘What are you willing to give up?’” Russell offered a caveat for any conversation with clients: “I would remind all the listeners that you are in control of the conversation...or you’ll very quickly end up running down rabbit holes.”The Sustainability PriorityAll the panelists said excursion requests were trending, especially those benefiting communities in ports of call. “I think that’s becoming very important. Do you want to visit a school if you’re stopping in Guatemala or Africa?” Moore said, while Russell agreed that conversations about sustainability were coming up more frequently, with clients requesting more environmentally minded cruise lines. Even something as simple as water bottle filling stations were appreciated by clients, the panelists said.JASONSocial Media is KeyPoole also stressed a strong social media presence to ignite a client’s interest, saying, “No one wants a travel advisor who doesn’t travel, right? We add value in traveling as a skill. So right now I’m in London for four nights…and I’m showing clients, yeah, you can do a long weekend in Europe.” The panelists also rely on social media to stay ahead of things like itinerary changes, and all of them try to be available during a client’s trip as well. Above all, gauging and responding to client needs often lead to coveted repeat business. Poole said he doesn’t even use the term “bucket list,” but calls it the “what’s next list” while Russell calls it the “leaky bucket” that needs to be refilled with more cruising. For the complete webinar, visit recommend.com/all-webinars/trends-in-the-cruise-industry.
COVERINCLUSIVE GATE 1INCLUSIVE GATE 2-3INCLUSIVE GATE 4Table of ContentsSANDALSSANDALS SPREADEditor's NotesEDU HOUSE ADAdvisor Speak: Making Waves in Cruise SalesIndustry Insights: USTOA puts Responsible Tourism Front and CenterCaribbean/Mexico: Island Hopping—Caribbean UpdateMexico: Good Vibrations—Eco-Friendly Vacays in MexicoCAYMANS ISLANDS SCCAYMAN ISLANDSINCLUSIVE COLLECTION SCINCLUSIVE COLLECTION ADINCLUSIVE COLLECTION SPREADPALLADIUM SPREADOnsite Review: Grand Palladium Punta Cana—Four Resorts in OneCruise: All-Around Wellness—For the Planet and Your ClientsOceania’s Marina is Back in ServiceOCEANIA SCOCEANIA CRUISESOnboard Review: Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse PointNorth America: Two Las Vegas Giants Put Focus on Healthy FutureMGM SCMGM RESORTSOnsite Review: Disney Magic Meets the BayouTURKISH AIRLINES