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Meet the Rep: Jonny Peat, Celebrity Cruises

Save your plastic bags and bananas for Celebrity Cruises’ sales manager, London, Jonny Peat. Just don’t question his musical taste – or he’ll turn into a diva

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Describe your typical week

There’s no typical week in this game. Monday is all about reviewing and planning, usually at home. The rest of the week is spent with my wonderful agent partners, either in a high street store, call centre or on the phone, keeping them up to speed with our latest campaigns, offers and rewards.

 

What would we find in your car?

On the back seat you’ll always find a pile of plastic bags. I’m obsessed with not being charged. The glove box is full of dodgy CDs, I’m afraid. I spend lots of time behind the wheel, so a selection of musical divas is imperative.

 

What’s on the radio?

I’m all about the power ballads, so there’s Cher, Whitney, Bette Midler, Rod Stewart. My taste is eclectic – and I blame my mother.

 

What snack keeps you going on the road?

I’m actually quite healthy on the road and I love my fruit. Bananas are the easiest to deal with in the car, but if I need an energy boost I like
to stretch my lanky legs and grab a caramel latte. Yum.

 

What’s the silliest thing you’ve ever done as part of a sales visit?

I’m 6ft 8in, so my size always makes for a funny photo, especially when I’m next to a shorter agent. I recently posed with Gillian from Thomas Cook in Brentwood for our Celebrity Loves Agents social media competition and she won a luxury hamper, so it’s worth it.

 

What’s the best part of being on the road?

Being welcomed by agents when the weather is cold and damp gives me such a boost. They are always ready to listen and value my time, which means the world. It really is about building relationships that last.

 

And the worst part?

It’s a combination of dodgy phone signal and the M25. I lived and worked in India for three years and never had issues like I have here with bad connection.

 

How do you think agents would describe you?

I’m sure they’d have lots to say, but I hope they’d say I’m dedicated, supportive and memorable. They all know I’ve definitely got their success at the heart of everything I do. I know how difficult it is to try and remember the detail of all the holidays they sell, so it’s about agents knowing I’m at the end of the phone.

 

Which agency gives you the best cup of tea?

You know what – it doesn’t matter how busy they are, my agents always give me a warm welcome and find time to make a brew and it really means the world. I have to say, the Tui crew always make a smashing coffee.

 

What key messages do you try to convey in an agent visit?

It’s about helping my agents identify our target customer and what defines them. There is a holiday for everyone, and our cruises are for the affluent crowd who like the finer things in life. I also like to highlight our incredible rewards programme, which was developed with the help of our agents and helps them earn on every booking they make.

 

What’s your advice for agents who don’t currently sell your product but are keen?

I’d say find someone who has experienced the brand for themselves and take their word for it. It’s not what we say about ourselves that counts – it’s what others say about us. We keep winning the awards – in particular, Celebrity Cruises has been listed as one of the Top 100 travel experiences for two years in a row (2014-15) by the readers of luxury magazine Conde Nast Traveller and you can’t argue with that.

 

If you didn’t work in travel, what would you like to do instead?

There’s nothing like this industry for me. I’ll stay where I am until I get lucky on the Lotto and then you won’t see me for dust. There’s a big old world out there and I plan on seeing it all.

 

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