By Tom Ogg

Attending a cruise seminar at sea is one of the bestways to become a better cruise agent. The benefits are numerous and it is the best education that a cruise agent can invest in.
I am not sure just how many cruise seminars I have conducted, but I know it is well into the hundreds. I have had the pleasure of meeting many excellent cruise agents and I thought I would share what they all had in common relating to cruise seminars. It is amazing to me that many agents on cruise seminars miss many of the opportunities at hand and leave the ship without the overall experience they could have achieved.

Here are some tips on how to maximize your cruise seminar experience.
Put Your Clients First! The number one mistake many agents make is to evaluate the cruise experience based on their own standards. Look, every ship and line has its clientele. Even if you hate a particular ship, it is someone’s favorite. (Someone probably hates your favorite ship, as well.) The reason to experience a particular ship and itinerary is to familiarize yourself with the product and determine which of your clients would fit in and which would not. When I hear agents speak of ships they wouldn’t sell, I hear them really saying that they don’t care about what their client may want. On a cruise seminar, forget about your likes and dislikes and experience the product for what it is and learn how to properly sell it to the right client. That is the very essence of the purpose for a cruise seminar.

Focus on the Positive! When agents make negative statements comparing a particular ship’s service, food and entertainment against another’s, they are showing others that they are missing the whole idea behind cruise seminars. Once on a luxury cruise seminar, an agent went on and on complaining that the ship had synthetic cotton balls rather than real ones. Another had an agent comparing a mass-market line’s dining experience with her favorite cruise line (which happened to be in the luxury category). Agents who complain and compare not only detract from their own opportunity to learn the positives and negatives of the ship they are experiencing, they adversely affect the group’s overall experience, as well. No one wants to be around a complainer.

Network, Network, Network. Network with the group seminar members. Normally, on a NACTA cruise seminar there are around 40 Home Based cruise professionals. We always arrange for a “round-robin” dining arrangement, where agents can sit at any of our designated tables with whomever they want. This is usually one of the best opportunities to meet new colleagues, exchange experiences and information and discover new ideas and directions. I am always amazed at how many agents hook-up with their dinner mates the first evening and then stay with them the entire cruise. Explore the group for all you can gain from them.

Network with the passengers. While no agent should ever disclose that he or she is a travel agent to a cruise passenger, this should not discourage you discovering their experiences. Find those passengers who have had difficult experiences (no luggage, missed the ship, etc.) and ask what they would have done differently. Nothing speaks more truth than the voice of experience. Find out what shore excursions they took and have them rate their experience. Discover any tricks they have learned to enhance their cruise. Delivering this kind of information to your cruise clients is what will make you invaluable to them.

Network with the ship’s crew. Make contacts at all levels of the ship. When you send clients on the ship and let your contacts know that they are coming, you won’t believe how impressed your clients will be that the crew knows their travel agent personally. On one cruise that I escorted, I was amazed that one of the agents got so close to the advance cruise sales agent aboard the ship that he started referring leads to her. Gain a relationship with the group coordinator, advance cruise sales representative and hotel manager, if possible. These will all serve your interest in the future.

Explore the Ports From Your Client’s Perspective. Sure, you may have been to a particular port before, but how well do you really know the port from your client’s eyes? Research the port from all perspectives and take notes so that you can quote details of distances, taxi availability and fares, local tour operators and so on. While many clients will purchase the ship’s shore excursions, there are also many that will appreciate detailed and current information about the port. Your expert advice is what keeps clients coming back for more.

Dress for Success. You are basically the guest of the cruise line hosting the cruise seminar and as such, you should meet the suggested dress code on all occasions. If the dress for the business seminar is “business casual,” this means slacks and a shirt or similar for ladies. Don’t go to the seminar in your shorts, T-shirt and sandals and don’t attend formal night dressed below the ship’s expected standard of dress for the evening.

Say Thank You. When you return from your cruise seminar, don’t be bashful about saying thank you to the cruise line that hosted you. Contact your BDM and let them know that you enjoyed the experience and that it really helped you become more familiar with their product and that now you will be able to match your clients who fit their product perfectly. After all, this is what everyone is after.

Tom Ogg is editor and
publisher of www.homebasedtravelagent.com