The advice came during a panel discussion on Saturday (8 October), made up of Oceania Cruises director of UK sales Louise Craddock; APT head of sales Brad Bennetts; Explora Journeys business relationship lead Andrew Schweitzer; and If Only’s head of sales south Charlotte Brailsford.
The panel – moderated by Clia UK managing director Andy Harmer – urged delegates to boost product knowledge not just about cruise ships, but also the destinations they visit.
"Destination is key," Craddock said. "Go through the itinerary carefully and give potential customers a few snippets of what they can do, then present them with the price. They will be shocked by the great value.
"I think it’s reasonably easy to pivot people to cruise. All you have to do is ask customers questions, like where they want to go, what they enjoy, how long for etc – it’s about qualifying guests."
Bennetts added: "The destination sells itself, so supply your guests images that will engage them from a social marketing perspective.
"River cruise has come a long way and it’s going to go a long way, with a huge amount of investment and transformation. There is a massive opportunity now to tackle the misconceptions of cruise."
Schweitzer said "yet-to-cruise" customers are a "huge part" of Explora Journey’s business, as the line looks to capitalise on new business ahead of the launch of Explora I next May.
"We really are targeting those potential passengers, all the way from our brand as Explore Journeys, without cruise in the name," he said.
"Agents are the most important part of what we do now. We will do everything we can to help you increase your knowledge, and once you have that, we are relying on you to pass that on to your clients."
Brailsford detailed If Only’s plans to launch a new Zoom appointment service for agents to help them boost their product knowledge through one-to-one sessions.
"Training is always key," she added. "We do loads with different lines, you’re not going to be an expert on every single one, but there’s lots we can do to help you grow."
The conference also heard from Harmer, who said the "opportunity to sell cruise has never been greater".
