Travel Agent Professional March 2015

Travel AgentProfessional

March 2015Issue 34

Whose E-mail is it AnywayBy Les-Lee Roland

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64 Whose E-mail is it AnywaysBy Les-Lee Roland

Owner of The Package Deal

66 Brand Positioning & ManagementBuilding Your Reputation By Mitchell J. Schlesinger

President, MJS Consultants

12 Inspirational EnglandBy Paull Tickner

16 How to Do a TriathlonIf YOU Don’t SwimBy Cindy Bertram

Cindy's Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

ShowcaseAuto Europe............................11

March

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March 2015Issue 34

Whose E-mail is it Anyway��

Amadeus .........................................7

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

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

HostTravelAgency.com .................19

TRAVELSAVERS.............................13

Royal Caribbean Line ....................BC

Cover: Castle Howard South Front and the Atlas Fountain.By Mike Kipling

February 2015 Issue 33

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

Under Joel’s direction, the company grew to be one of the travel agentindustry’s leading publications, reaching more than 45,000 agentsthroughout North America. It spawned a famous series of trade showsand three monthly magazines – Cruise Trade, Tour Trade and HomeBased Trade.

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

On a personal note, after working with Joel for over a decade and stay-ing 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 hisword and believed in his work. There will never be another.

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

Ann M. Hoek

Travel Agent ProfessionalP.O. Box 120198

Staten Island, NY 10312E-mail:

[email protected]:

718.360.3153

Ann M. HoekPublisher/Creative Design

[email protected]

Bonnie WallingEditor

[email protected]

Alan CohenVice President Marketing

[email protected]

Meet Our Editorial Board

Paull Tickner,Creator of Special Interest Britain

[email protected]

Cindy Bertram,Cindy’s Inside Cruise & Travel Track, LLC

[email protected]

Mitchell J. SchlesingerPresident, MJS Consultants

[email protected]

Rusty Pickett, ECCShellback Cruises

www.shellbackcruises.com

Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal

Sherry Laskin, ACCTravel Writer/NACTA Webinar Moderator

www.cruisemaven.com

Sue Sh apiro, PresidentShapiro Travel [email protected]

www.shapirotravelresources.com

Joel M. Abels Legend In the Travel Industry

April 1927 to January 2007

March 2015

The opinions expressed in these columns are solely those of the authors and donot necessarily reflect the views of Travel Agent Professional.

This online magazine is dedicated tothe memory of Joel Abels, Travel

Trade's editor and publisher. Joel andhis life's work may be gone, but with

your help it can live on.

Travel AgentProfessional

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Travel Agent Professional

March 2015

4

Hang on to your address books!

At least while you are

reading this.

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By Les-Lee RolandOwner of The Package Deal

Now the new requirement from one cruise

line is that the clients’s E-mail MUST be provid-

ed before sailing. This is not just a voluntary bit of

info to be used to get a boarding pass. It is manda-

tory that the agent make his or hers clients per-

sonal 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 con-

ditions, mechanical problems or whatever.

Let me share with you some facts that I have

experienced in the over twenty five years of sell-

ing cruises. When I started, E-mail addresses were

never addressed. Most clients didn’t even have

them.

I remember hurricanes Andrew and Charlie hit-

ting Florida. Conditions were so bad in Southeast

Florida, cruiseline offices had to shut down. Many

local travel agencies closed up and sent their peo-

ple 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.

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.

Not only did I feel the obligation just for my

clients. My phone was ringing from people who

Whose E-mail is it Anyways

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 E-

mails.

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 caus-

ing the Port of Tampa to shut down for two days, I

know before they do, and I make contact with

them.

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 air-

port 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 immedi-

ately 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 opera-

tor. Rescheduled new flights, found accommoda-

tions 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 mes-

sage by E-mail.

(continued on page 6)

6

March 2015

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 paper-

work. 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 num-

ber 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 stamp-

ing 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 con-

tacted 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 com-

plained 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 com-

plaints. 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 moni-

tor. 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!

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March 2015

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”.

By Mitchell J. Schlesinger

President, MJS Consultants

[email protected]

8 Brand Positioning & ManagementBuilding Your Reputation

In the Marketplace

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 dif-

ferentiation, 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.

9


1. 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.

2.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 suggest-

ed 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 posi-

tioning. This is critical because more-than-likely you have “slightly” smaller

budgets to promote yourself than the companies I listed above.

Brand Positioning & ManagementBuilding Your Reputation

In the Marketplace

And your brand position will be established and based on two key elements:


10

March 2015

•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, rec-

ommendations, quotes etc. And you should be proactive and send these media contacts informa-

tion about popular destinations, trends etc. to give them more ideas for stories.

This discussion of brand establishment, positioning and management is important because all con-

sumers 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 pro-

ject. 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.

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

Auto Europe is Offering PortableMiFi Rentals with Your Car Rental inThe UK, France, Italy & Germany!

Auto Europe is offering MiFi units with any car rental of three days or

longer in the UK, France, Italy and Germany; you only pay $5.00 USD per

day to access data. Upgrade to a luxury car rental and the service is free.

The modile is the Huawei Mobile WiFi E5331 that permits connectivity

with up to eight WiFi enabled devices up to 30 feet from the portable router.

It also features a secure password protected connection that combined with

its portability, allows you to connect anywhere safely including airports and

public areas. Use the MiFi with your iPhone and access GPS mapping on

the go!

Each unit also comes with a user manual, SIM equipped for 3G cellular

access in the country of preference, wall & car USB charger and a convenient

carrying case.

This offer is valid for citizens residing in the United States only and for

qualifying car rentals in the UK, France, Italy and Germany. Promotion is

valid for pickups now through December 31, 2015 and is valid for a mini-

mum three-day car rental in the UK, France, Italy & Germany. Seven day

advanced booking notice required. The hotspots are shipped in advance of

departure to Europe and sent back to Auto Europe via FedEx with a prepaid

shipping label. The shipping charge is $40.00 USD. Offer can change at any

time and is subject to availability while supplies last. Additional restrictions

may apply.

Showcase


1 . 8 0 0 . 2 2 3 . 5 5 5 5 • w w w. a u t o e u r o p e . c o m39 Commercial St., P.O. Box 7006, Portland, ME 04112

March 2015

Pa

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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 [email protected]

12

Musical Pleasures and Garden TreasuresFinchcocks (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 out-

standing 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 VisitI’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.

Inspirational England

By Paull Tickner

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 cor-

ner piecing pictures together that became more complicat-

ed 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...

Foyles War and Mapp and LuciaI’ve met a number of travel agents who share my enthusi-

asm for Foyle’s War. I also sat glued to a recent three-

part 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 EnlightenmentThe 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.


13


Finchcocks

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March 2015

Yorkshire’s Great Houses, Castles & GardensMany of your garden loving clients will thank you for steering

them towards regions of England where you can use a great her-

itage 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 set-

tings, 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 MayAs many enthusiastic gardeners can’t make it to the Chelsea

Flower Show in May I’m always on the lookout for other combi-

nations 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 togeth-

er the spectacular flower festivals at Blenheim Palace

www.blenheimpalace.com and Castle Howard www.castle-

howard.co.uk with a final f lourish at Hampton Court

www.rhs.org.uk/hampton and some time in London. This is a

very saleable idea.

Over 40 years of travel industry success Full staff of personal business consultants Unique protected territory system Excellent preferred supplier relationships Award-winning suite of marketing programs Social media tools Powerful technology solutions Proprietary cruise booking engine Website and mobile solutions Meeting and incentive resources Hotel program with rich amenities A full suite of corporate travel solutions Over 19 travel brands servicing you daily

We invite you to learn more about why our

The TRAVELSAVERS Difference.


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March 2015

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 triathlonTim 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 swim-

ming, cycling and running, there was an interesting twist. Tim didn’t know how to swim. So how did man-

age 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 strength-

ening 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!”

How to Do a TriathlonIf YOU Don’t Swim

17


The ten step processTim 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. Dream big 2. Search & find a photo that inspires you3. Ask, and then write it down 4. Feel it5. Find a mentor 6. Study7. Flirt with the goal – say what you’re going to do & achieve8. Work 9. Focus

10. Manifest Thanks to hearing Tim speak professionally on this, I’ve adapted his ten step process, and set up a profes-

sional 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 seg-

ment of the cruise industry over the past ten years. For travel agent pro-

fessionals who might want to set a goal to grow this segment of their busi-

ness, 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.”

How to Do a TriathlonIf YOU Don’t Swim


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 planEven 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 train-

ing 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 pos-

sible 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 aver-

age commission per booking is around $2,000 –

so preparation can really pay off.”

18 Converting ocean cruisersinto 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 processapproachDon’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 “men-

tor” 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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