By Sherry Laskin
Travel writer / NACTA Webinar Moderator
www.cruisemaven.com

Living the Dream

A few years ago, I was a travel manager at the local branch of a national travel association. I brought with me sixteen years of agency ownership/sales experience plus first-hand cruise and destination product knowledge.

This was a very busy travel agency and two of my four agents sold close to a million dollars in travel sales per year for many consecutive years. Cruise sales, of course, were a component of their production but not nearly as large as the FIT and escorted tours sales.

When a potential cruise passenger sat down at an agent's desk, immediately the brochure took center stage. Questions were asked of the agent, who would flip through the brochure in hurried search of the right answer…or at least something close to right.

Eventually the potential cruise passenger left the office clutching a stack of glossy brochures, probably headed to another travel agency to get answers. When I asked my agent why that person didn't book their cruise, the reply was usually, "They need to look through the brochures."

After observing this for several weeks, it suddenly dawned on me. These agents were trying to sell cruises and truly the entire cruise experience without ever having cruised! Okay, maybe once or twice many years ago. Not in the last few years had they set foot aboard a cruise ship. All their cruise advice was based on hearsay, TV commercials and post-cruise comments from clients. They could offer neither accurate, objective nor even subjective information on a consistent basis. Cruise sales suffered.

This ongoing situation echoed my own travel agent mantra: See it, Sail it, Sell it.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if every travel agent could experience a variety of cruise ships, hotels and resorts around the globe? Think of the overwhelming level of excitement that the potential cruise passenger would feel in just a few minutes of sitting with their agent. Without initially whipping out the overused brochure, the well-traveled agent could paint a picture of their client's vacation with the expressiveness of Michelangelo. Yes, it would still be a subjective point of view, but at least it is first-hand knowledge and advice.

Unfortunately, not every Home Based agent can take the time away to hop on and off of ships or check into and out of resorts. We (yes I am one, too) work alone, often late into the night and usually have no backup support to help us out when we are on a trip.

But with careful planning, skillful budgeting and the ability to "take the show on the road," travel agents can experience nearly every cruise line, tour operator, hotel and resort around the world. It's really a matter of priorities and needs. Your priority is to provide your current and potential clients with the best and most accurate replies to their travel inquiries. In order to do so, you need to get out and experience what you sell.

Let's tackle the first obstacle; finding the time. Of course, I'm not advocating that you should abandon your family and responsibilities and take to the wild beyond. Find the time, whether you have to use your family's yearly vacation as your working holiday or take a long weekend by yourself. There is a way to allocate "away" time, if you really want to do it.

Sometimes, finding the funds to take to the seas or soak up the luxury of an all-inclusive resort can be a challenge. Take advantage of fam trips either through your host agency, consortium or through travel agent organizations like NACTA. While not free, the prices can be so incredible that it's more costly not to go, in terms of experience, knowledge gained and future sales.

Save money by updating your mobile phone plans each time you leave on an international trip. Buy an unlocked phone in the U.S. ($59 at BestBuy.com.) Then simply buy a new SIM card for 10 Euro in each European country that you visit.

Let your sales reps know that you are serious about selling their product. Sometimes they have their own travel agent fam opportunities at greatly reduced rates. Be sure to follow through on your promise to actively promote their products upon your return. Let them know of the sales you create as a result going on their fam. Take online hotel classes or cruise classes and complete their requirements for "graduation." Often this will enable you to stay at their properties or cruise aboard their ships for free or almost free.

Now you've solved the problem to find the time and budget the costs. That leaves the obvious dilemma of how to take your office with you. Netbooks are nice, but difficult for much more than E-mail. Bring your laptop and spend a couple of days before your trip to make sure that the programs you regularly use on your desktop are also working on your laptop.

Get a online Dropbox account (dropbox.com) and set up the same files on your two computers. Copy any frequently used Excel files or important documents into Dropbox so you can easily access them from the road. Skype and a good headset is, of course, a no-brainer. I can't tell you how many times I've called a client while I'm on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Most times they don't even know I'm away. That's one reason why I don't leave an away phone message (and for security reasons, too.) I do, however, leave an absence alert on my email auto-responder, in case Wifi is not readily available.

I also pack my current files for clients whose travel plans will need attention while I'm away. When I'm not in the room, I keep all client files locked in the safe. My pull-along bag is my mobile office, equipped with miniature office supplies, mobile phone equipment and my laptop. I've labeled small, clear plastic bags with office contents to try to keep all the accessories and components for electronics neat, organized and accounted for when packing up to head home.

And take your camera, too. The best sales tools you can use are first-hand experiences, thoughtfully-taken travel photographs and a working knowledge of as many travel products as you can absorb.

Now that you know it is possible and an absolute necessity to experience what you sell, go forth and prosper. Your clients will thank you for it. Your life will be greatly enriched as a result of traveling to all of the places that most people visit only in their dreams.