How To Accelerate Your Cruise Group Sales

Cruise lines are adding more themed itineraries and sailings that target affinity groups, giving agents greater prospects to accelerate their group sales. But you need to have the right skills and personality to take advantage of these opportunities.

Travel Market Report asked travel agents and cruise line officials to offer their advice on reaching out to groups.

Danielle Sharon Belmont, president of DS Belmont Travel Consultants, Inc. in Winthrop Harbor, IL, said the key is just to get out there. “You can’t be waiting for the phone to ring. If you see an interesting sailing, go out and get people interested. Find group leaders. Be proactive. You have to go after it.”

Joe Jiffo, MSC Cruises’ senior vice president of sales for North America, agreed. First and foremost, he said, successful group sales travel agents are “outgoing salespeople and are being proactive, and not sitting back waiting for the phone to ring.”

Great group sales agents are always thinking of new ways to get groups, he said. Build group vacations around milestones, like anniversaries, or birthdays. In south Florida, quinceañera groups are growing. “Pay attention to bigger trends in your region and be creative,” Jiffo advised.

At Uniworld Boutique River cruises, senior vice president of global sales Kristian Anderson cautioned against spreading yourself too thin, though. “We have seen success with agents that cater to one particular type of affinity groups, such as wine groups or LGBT groups, as the agent becomes an expert on this specific type of travel and his or her services are therefore invaluable.”

But he, too, said the point is always to be reaching out. “We have also success with agents that utilize their personal relationships and social media to source affinity groups. It is important for travel agents to not only cater to their clients’ interests but also utilize their networks of friends and colleagues to discover popular interests,” he said.

Silversea’s Joe Leon, vice president of field sales for The Americas, has found that group agents are very active and present in the social communities where they live. Many of them write articles for their local magazines or newspapers or belong to art clubs, theater groups, wine clubs and “many other special interest groups that provide tremendous opportunities to network and find new guests for their next big trip. Understanding people and social dynamics are key traits for a great group sales agent.”

Jiffo also believes agents need to be passionate about what they sell. “Make your passion a group. If your passion is food and wine, and you are in a club or forum, make a group out of that. One agent I talked to last year built a group based on military history. He made it the theme of his agency and books four or five group cruises a year.”

Vanessa McGovern, EVP of business development and partnerships at The Global Institute for Travel Entrepreneurs, said agents need to spend 80% of their time thinking about strategies to attract clients and marketing to the right group leaders.

Christy Phillips Boyce of Soulful Journeys Travel in Marietta, GA, wants to see more of her peers being creative, “bringing new ideas to a potential group leader. If you are able to get to the right pied piper, the person who is going to create the energy and enthusiasm to get people to travel on the trip, then the hardest part is done. Many agents take the wrong approach by blocking group space, and then try to ‘sell into the group.’ But that is actually doing it backwards. Most of the time isn’t very successful, and it’s a lot more work.”

Even if you have an affinity group of people with the same interest, it’s not always very easy to get them to commit if there isn’t a strong group leader that brings the excitement to the idea of the trip, Phillips said. “It isn’t just about the networking; it’s also about being creative enough to find the right person/ business/ partnership that already has an established following and gets the energy for the group going. And if that pied piper has a vested interest in the success of that trip, that is even better.”

Follow the leader
Some agents go beyond selling a group – and lead it themselves.

Said Silversea’s Leon, “The ability to not only be the host, but the life of the party as well, is extremely important to the success of the group. When people have a great time they are more likely to sail with you again. Being outgoing helps an agent cater to several different personalities. Many times groups have similar interests or hobbies in common but not personalities.”

Finally, he added, attention to detail is critical – so if that does not describe you, be sure to “at least have the help of someone who is detail-oriented. There are so many pieces and components to keep track of with large groups, especially those that have special organized activities onboard and ashore. Delivering a seamless and enjoyable cruise program is what makes the difference between a onetime trip and a perennial business.”

For more tips on selling to groups click here.