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We’ve discussed group cruise pricing, finding group business and hosting a cruise night. Next in this series is promotion of your group. This is everyone’s favorite part to hate – promotion of a cruise sounds rather simple, but it can fall flat, leaving you with no group at all, or a much smaller one than [...]
These days, you can’t throw a rock into the travel industry without hitting an Internet forum of some kind. Travel Research Online has the Community, for instance. These Internet forums are quite valuable, especially to the home-based professional. They provide a connection to colleagues all across the country, with different specializations and levels of experience. [...]
In most parts of the country the weather has warmed up enough for golfers to be hitting the links. The amateurs, with visions of Bubba Watson, are out in full force. The truth is most of them have made that very same “miracle” shot when they weren’t trying. Throughout the spring, summer and fall your [...]
When I first entered the travel industry one of the first “warnings” I received was that my family members would come looking for discounts, deals, extra benefits and what-have-you. I was told I should be prepared to tell them I can’t work with them and I should also for the possibility that doing so could [...]
Previously, I have explored different aspects of group cruises including how to price them properly and how to find group business. Continuing in that series, one of the best ways to generate interest for your group cruise is to host a themed group cruise night. Essentially, a group cruise night is an event you host [...]
Much of what we do as an industry relies on us being our own promotional mouthpieces. We talk to people when we’re in line at the grocery store; we mention what we do when we visit the dentist; we explain just how we are better than the Internet every time we hear that annoying statement [...]
Group cruises can be a great revenue source for home based agents. One of my previous articles touched upon how to find group prospects as well as how to organize yourself to approach the top priority groups and begin the process of selling group cruises. The next step is one that often flummoxes agents: pricing [...]
A fellow travel agent and I were brainstorming group cruise ideas recently. We hit upon wine-themed cruises, and she mentioned her area had many wineries. This prompted me to look at MY area and, yep, there are a lot of wineries near me, too! Between the two of us you would think that we’d have [...]
It’s a common sight: message board posts from agents asking for a referral to a company that provides a service their clients need, plus the tagline, “that pays commission.” If one were to examine carefully the history of the travel industry in America, the commission-based model didn’t exist eighty years ago. Sellers of travel were [...]
“Stop…collaborate…and listen.” – Vanilla Ice Has this ever happened to you? You are sitting down with a pair of clients, taking notes and you happen to hear a fleeting mention of “Rock Wall.” Suddenly, the expert travel consultant you are starts mentally planning their cruise. You know which ship they will sail and in what [...]
