As I read my emails this morning and scrolled though the cruise news, I found myself saying "WHAT! More of the same less than positive cruise news!" - even our own trade news is, well, I guess it's telling the truth or a version of it and this version too, will seep out to other Internet news channels, get picked up by other sources to be regurgitated and probably released as a damaging article. The challenge here is that few if any are advising the trade how to react to all this negative press. So what are you going to do? We've mentioned in the past how you must own the news - at least the travel news your clients receive. Remember? It was all about how you should be writing the truth about cruising and sending out your version of the 6 o'clock news to override those trash talking channels.
Let me take you back to the late 1970s when it seemed passenger air craft were "falling out of the sky" about one per week for a period of time. These crashes and even a burst tire were enough to cause the average flyer to pause and re-think their trip. It was a similar situation to the cruise news of today. In my agency of the day we used to promote air travel and so this was a blow to my sales. After crash #2 if I recall, we opted to promote cruising! We did very well. The upshot was that our cruise clients had to fly to LAX or SFO and wouldn't you believe it, the DC10s where flying those routes - and they weren't getting good press at the time. However, the focus was on the cruise not the flight down to join the cruise ship.
There is always a way around the wall that's in your way and staring you down. How will you get around this current wall that's staring you down? There is a business decision to be made too. It's not about your suppliers profit and loss, they already have a few hundred million stashed away. No need to worry. What you should be concentrating on is your own profit and loss and the salaries of your sales team and agency staff. This is the time your resilience factor should belly up to the keyboard and start promoting something new and exciting to take your clients minds off cruising, sinking, bar fights, viruses and whatever else the media as added to the itinerary.
The cruise industry is not going away. Cruises are still selling big time, but if you sense your clients are pulling back, not responding to your messages then it's time to quickly work your passage around that wall and deliver on something close to it or completely opposite.
1. You can offer river cruising as an alternative to deep water cruising.
2. You can offer small ship cruising to more adventurous areas of the world.
3. You can offer cruising the air waves... around the world flights...
4. Get back to selling and selling more tours and FIT - or go niche with adventure trips...
So much to offer your cruise clients who have gone gun shy and as mentioned, the cruise lines are not going away, neither are the cruise ships... they will all be there when your clients decide to return to their love of cruising. Here's the BUT... but, if you try to ram home a cruise message when your clients are not in reception mode, you will push them away.
This is the art of navigating stormy waters when they hit. We're in a business that is affected by stormy anything and everything. Learn how to make your way through the storms and the squalls to bring home the revenue you and your agency team need and want.
Let me take you back to the late 1970s when it seemed passenger air craft were "falling out of the sky" about one per week for a period of time. These crashes and even a burst tire were enough to cause the average flyer to pause and re-think their trip. It was a similar situation to the cruise news of today. In my agency of the day we used to promote air travel and so this was a blow to my sales. After crash #2 if I recall, we opted to promote cruising! We did very well. The upshot was that our cruise clients had to fly to LAX or SFO and wouldn't you believe it, the DC10s where flying those routes - and they weren't getting good press at the time. However, the focus was on the cruise not the flight down to join the cruise ship.
There is always a way around the wall that's in your way and staring you down. How will you get around this current wall that's staring you down? There is a business decision to be made too. It's not about your suppliers profit and loss, they already have a few hundred million stashed away. No need to worry. What you should be concentrating on is your own profit and loss and the salaries of your sales team and agency staff. This is the time your resilience factor should belly up to the keyboard and start promoting something new and exciting to take your clients minds off cruising, sinking, bar fights, viruses and whatever else the media as added to the itinerary.
The cruise industry is not going away. Cruises are still selling big time, but if you sense your clients are pulling back, not responding to your messages then it's time to quickly work your passage around that wall and deliver on something close to it or completely opposite.
1. You can offer river cruising as an alternative to deep water cruising.
2. You can offer small ship cruising to more adventurous areas of the world.
3. You can offer cruising the air waves... around the world flights...
4. Get back to selling and selling more tours and FIT - or go niche with adventure trips...
So much to offer your cruise clients who have gone gun shy and as mentioned, the cruise lines are not going away, neither are the cruise ships... they will all be there when your clients decide to return to their love of cruising. Here's the BUT... but, if you try to ram home a cruise message when your clients are not in reception mode, you will push them away.
This is the art of navigating stormy waters when they hit. We're in a business that is affected by stormy anything and everything. Learn how to make your way through the storms and the squalls to bring home the revenue you and your agency team need and want.
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