From targeted fam trips to generous incentives and a new loyalty programme, Abercrombie & Kent’s vice-president of trade sales and business development, Jennifer Charlton, has big plans to bolster the company’s trade presence.

After only four months in the role, Charlton is already reporting that more than 50% of A&K’s sales are coming from the trade – perhaps thanks to her hands-on approach and focus on developing relationships with key agents. In a short time Cox & Kings, in particular, has seen sales soar, doubling sales compared to this time last year.

In line with its focus on nurturing relationships with agents and boosting trade sales, A&K appointed Charlton into the newly-created role in October last year, working alongside an expanded trade sales team. This now includes four regional representatives, three people out on the road for the Crystal brand including recently-appointed sales head Stephen Joyner, plus two in-house sales teams for Cox & Kings and A&K, and a dedicated trade marketing department. The company also created the new role of chief sales officer and promoted Marett Taylor into that job last year.

A&K has been working with the trade for more than 30 years, but Charlton says the company is investing even more time and energy than it has in the past. “The structure and the strategy for engaging travel agents already existed, but it needed to be refreshed,” she says. Key to her approach has been analysing agent and customer needs, proper account management, and steering the team to focus on business development and strategic planning. “We’re not just dropping brochures!” she says.

According to the data, her method is already yielding results: “The trade is a critical pillar to our growth strategy, and if you look at A&K as a whole, the percentage of sales coming from the trade is now more than 50%,” she says. “It’s the fastest-growing channel within our business with double-digit growth.”

On the ground, Charlton has been working closely with agents since she started, understanding which products – A&K, Cox & Kings or Crystal – will appeal to them so she can help sell. Although Charlton is not directly in charge of trade sales for Crystal, it is part of her box of tricks. “The fact that A&K owns its DMCs means it can create pre- and post itineraries for Crystal cruises. Most demand so far has been on request but we are looking to grow the brand further.”

Plans to expand agent outreach this year include fam trips targeted to specific agents’ needs, a newly launched rewards scheme, and a roadshow showcasing A&K’s stable of experiences and products.

As well as courting new business, beefing up social channels and working with an external consultancy to look at how the company manages customer loyalty, Charlton is ensuring top-selling agents stay true to the brand with a new reward programme, which will run throughout February and March this year, with agents receiving from £50 up to £1,000 (depending on the value) for every new booking.

“We want agents to know that we do recognise and appreciate the business that they give us,” says Charlton. “And along with that we’re also plotting a series of educational trips.” But Charlton is careful to emphasise the importance of tailoring support to agents: “We don’t do a cookie-cutter approach, it’s more bespoke for educationals.”

This includes expanding knowledge with solo or small trips for agents to experience specific areas. “For instance, we’ve been educating agents on out-of-peak season travel in Africa where people tend to travel in the first three months of the year,” shares Charlton. “But actually if you look at shoulder seasons either side they are really amazing times to travel when it’s not crowded, you don’t have a procession of 10 Land Rovers and you see animal offspring being born in April.”

On top of its first ever trade incentive, and a spate of focused educationals, Charlton is excited to run a series of trade events this year too. “For A&K trade, we have a big roadshow planned in June, and seven to eight of our destination management company representatives will give an in-depth educational on the experiences they can offer, with events planned for both London and Cheltenham,” she says. “It’s also going all over Europe showcasing the product in five different countries over two-and-a-half weeks.”

A&K’s engagement with the trade under her leadership promises to be personalised and supportive she says: “We plan to stay close and really listen to the needs of our partners, making sure we can help them meet customers’ expectations.”