出售海洋巡游:专家的旅行社建议
经过Marilee Crocker/
本文来自TMR的第二届旅行社海洋邮轮报告卡。该报告本周发布,是一系列供应商政策报告卡中的第三份报告,旨在作为旅行专业人员有用的资源。它为代理商提供了海洋线路最新的贸易政策available here。
与选定的邮轮公司建立密切的关系,与产品和促销保持最新,并讨论使用代理的价值。据领先的旅行社团体的高管称,这是旅行社可以采取成功销售海洋巡游的步骤。
公平地说,对于今天的旅行社来说,出售海洋巡航的条件比最近的记忆要好。
For one thing, ocean cruise lines more consistently support the travel agency channel, and they do a better job of minimizing cross-channel conflict, agency group executives told Travel Market Report.
Cruise Planners的创始人兼首席执行官Michelle Fee说:“他们曾经忘记添加标语'或打电话给您的旅行社。”“在过去的几年中,邮轮队已经走了很长一段路,以更好地理解我们所有人都必须共同努力。”
But that doesn’t mean some ocean cruise lines aren’t overly aggressive about selling direct to consumers. Because intimate knowledge of their own promotions allows in-house sales staff to be particularly tactical in their approach, agents need to work hard to stay current with cruise line product and promotions.
Focus your efforts
“An agent needs to educate themselves almost daily,” said Nicole Mazza, chief marketing officer of TRAVELSAVERS, The Affluent Traveler and NEST.
Given the flood of often short-term promotions, it’s nearly impossible to stay current on all cruise lines, so Mazza advises agents to focus on a small handful of cruise line partners and to build close relationships with them. “Choose one or two cruise lines and ensure you know their promotions every morning. Be a really good partner to them so you can build their volume and work on special incentives.”
Knowledge is power
马修·Eichhorst Expedia CruiseShip总统Centers, considers the global geopolitical climate and the constantly evolving nature of the cruise industry as the two biggest issues facing agents selling ocean cruises. In both cases, he said, “the remedy is for agents to educate themselves.”
“如果代理商知道全球地缘政治问题,他们将处于更好的位置,为客户提供休假选择。例如,欧洲是一个受欢迎的度假胜地,但是从如今的旅游角度来看,土耳其和挪威之间存在巨大差异。”他说。
“在另一个例子中,加勒比海中有许多岛屿从飓风中幸免于难。意识到这一点的代理商将能够为客户提供替代加勒比海度假计划。
Eichhorst说:“同样,如果代理商与新的船舶创新,邮轮产品产品和促销活动保持最新状态,他们将足够知识,可以为客户提供适合他们需求的高价值度假。”
Regarding geopolitical issues, particularly the threat of terrorism, Drew Daly, general manager of network engagement and performance for CruiseOne, Dream Vacations and Cruises Inc., noted that agents are always faced with customer concerns about safety and security. He urges agents to remind customers that “a cruise vacation is the safest vacation.”
促进巡航的价值
对于戴利来说,出售海洋巡游的特工最紧迫的挑战是将巡航假期价值传播给从未巡航的社区成员。戴利说:“今天的经纪人几乎必须回到30年前代理商如何通过巡航之夜建立业务的基础知识。”
Remember to be active on social media during your own travels, Daly advised agents. “Remind customers socially when you’re traveling. Share that on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. That’s going to help people visualize themselves consuming.”
Talk up the benefits of using an agent
代理商还需要对使用旅行社的价值发声。“当消费者直接行驶时,这主要是因为代理商并没有为他们带来非凡的体验。他们需要自称是旅行社为您节省时间,精力和金钱,并且游轮假期在土地假期中提供了一种巨大的价值。”戴利说。
做正确的比赛
At the end of the day, the agent who does their job well delivers value to the client and to the cruise line, and that goes a long way to ensuring the agent’s continued relevance to consumers and their cruise partners.
“The travel agent’s job is to make sure that the client who wants to take a deep water cruise is getting on the right product at the right time and finding the best possible price and amenities out there. That’s where the agent serves a great need for consumers, cutting through and finding what brand is right for a particular family. That’s where the travel agent really does provide great value,” said John Lovell, CTC, president of Travel Leaders Network & Leisure Group.
巡航lines recognize this value as well, said Fee of Cruise Planners. “I think the cruise lines agree that if you put the customers on the right product, they’re going to have a better experience, and they’ll have more repeat cruisers. It’s about a total experience, and I think we can provide that better than going direct or online.”