Did you know that in 2015 the number of Aussies cruising was the same number of Aussies that travelled to Indonesia?
Or that the 1.05 million people that went out to sea was the equivalent to how many cars were sold around Australia?
Surprising ay.
I mean if you’ve been told once, you’ve been told a thousand times that cruise is booming, but did you ever imagine it was on par with one of Australia’s favourite international holiday destinations?
And with 70 percent of all those people cruising using a Travel Agent there really is no better time to equip yourself with cruise knowledge and skills.
Of course, if you’re going to chase the ever-growing cruise market to boost your sales, then why not get some advice from the Queen of Cruising aka the Global President and Chief Executive of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
Cindy D’Aoust, who is usually based in the US, was down in Sydney last week for the annual Cruise360 conference where she treated attendees to a little guidance in the sales department.
She told attendees that investing in themselves is the first step towards improving their cruise profits, because it puts them in the best position to connect travellers to the right cruise.
“We’re going to continue to focus on the cruise professional because even now when we talk to cruise executives, the key driver for growth is the distribution channel.”
Cindy D’Aoust, CLIA Chief Executive
“So we’re going to continue our focus there. And cruise professionals that invest in themselves have greater revenue.”
So what are the rest of Cindy’s tips to making more money?
1. Stay connected
Source: www.brobible.com
“The average age for cruise professionals in Australia is much younger than North America. In the US they’re 50 years+ so they didn’t grow up with social media and virtual tools that you have. Use that to your advantage. Stay connected. The most exciting thing that your passengers and clients can do when they’re on vacation is post their experience. Whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, be part of that conversation. That’s how you stay top of mind for them.”
2. Be one step ahead
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“Don’t wait and be the person that’s only available to them and thinking of them when they call you because they want to book a trip. Really get to know your clients, what their family milestones are, what their life milestones are and suggest trips for future events whether it’s an anniversary or a holiday with the entire family. Be creative and help them think forward to plan the bigger cruise than they’ve taken in the past.”
3. Create an itinerary for yourself
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“I really mean have a road map. So you’re creating all these great itineraries for your customers, do that for yourself. Understand where your business is today and where you want it to be in five years and create them plan to get there. We all take journeys but rarely do we get to where want to be without some type of plan or map.”
4. Build your brand
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“There is not an industry that is better at building their brands than the cruise industry. When we say Celebrity, PONANT, Silversea, even the river cruises, we know exactly what we expect from that brand because they’ve done an amazing job. Do that for yourself. We have research that shows that if you specialise you will earn more. But your customers need to know what your specialty is. Is it river cruise? Asian market? Big ships? What is it?”
5. Personalise
Source: www.simpsonsworld.com
“A cruise can be personalised down to a single individual and what they want to do day-by-day. Make sure that you are personalising the level of experience for your customers and that is part of your brand. Let them know what you will deliver. Match what they’re looking for in their experience with the right cruise product.”
6. Narrow the search
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“We know that there are thousands of ports and many different itineraries, destinations, amenities. That does not help when you talk to a client, it just overwhelms them. Don’t present them with the top 10 destinations or top 10 cruise lines, know them, know what they’re looking for and use that personalisation, select down and give them a choice of three based on what you know about them and what they’re trying to create. Your job is to simplify the process for them.”
7. Learn to earn
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“Invest in yourself. Whether it’s being a member of CLIA, participating in community, serving on board, continuing to take training, accreditation, invest in yourself. The more you know, the more value you bring to your customers.”
