Are You Sitting on a Gold Mine?

Frequent travelers are not the only successful home based travel agents in the travel industry.  Anyone who knows how to use marketing and networking properly can become successful, make money, and even travel for free if they choose.  It is amazing how many people have the vast resources that have potential groups and they can even make millions in some cases.  Hidden inside different types of communities and organizations are people that can organize a group cruise.  The Cruise Lines love group travel and will bend over backwards to meet the needs of your organization.  They have many different  ways to give the specific groups: space, time, and certain resources to meet the group/organization’s specific needs. They meet these needs as best as possible so the group/organization can accomplish whatever they desire too.

Make money on your own time, make money at home and only limited training needed to get started and we can help you the rest of the way.  Being able to network and organize is the most important thing about being a home based agent or outside agent.  The Cruise Brothers has been around since 1972 and has seen almost every type of group cruises imaginable.  Church groups are one of the most popular types of groups.  When people get together regularly for an event, conference, meeting or anything we become comfortable.  When thinking about vacations most people would rather be with and/or around people who know and share the same interests as them.  There are bigger groups with much more money involved that are in front of people and they just don’t know to notice.  There is groups put together for doctors to take classes and keep them up to date on new advancements in the field of medicine.  Another example could possibly be with executive trainings or conferences in other industries.  Any type of conference, meeting, retreat, or class can be converted and done on a cruise ship.  This way clients can even use the cruise education for their field of work or interest and take their families on vacation as well.

The online world is a evolving environment that can literally be used to search and find people with common interests to put on a cruise ship as a group.  The potential of social media is now a gold mine for some that know how to work with it.  This industry is new and still a growing trend.  There are no rules in this that digital world that are set in stone.  What’s the hurt in trying to find a productive way to market and network online? Anything from just a small post on Facebook about travel can remind your friends you are an agent and turn into a lead.

Mark Gelfuso

Cruise Bums

www.cruisebums.com

In partnership with

The Cruise Brothers

Cruise Line Growth

        Since around 1980 when my father (now owner of Cruise Brothers) took over the his fathers travel agency and went into the cruise industry which had just recently started to rapidly expand and was no longer as exclusive and expensive.  in the past ten years alone even with a bad economy the number of cruisers per year has more than doubled from 7 million to almost 15 million.  Even in a down economy the cruise industry is flourishing with more than 20 ships ordered and will be built by 2015.  With every new ship means more cabins which increases the need for agents to fill those cabins. 

         I was actually having dinner with my father a few days ago and he was talking about the success he has been having and the proof the cruise lines need him and his company.  He then began to talk about all the new ships that were recently ordered.  Extremely excited about theses ships being built he feels that he will be needed more.  Those ships he went on to say was because of the interest rates and guarantees Germany has promised for the ships to be built.  The cruise lines have taken advantage of this to build and build now is the time.  People need work and with Germany backing the financing to give jobs to those looking for money building ships works for both parties.  

         I was interviewed by the local news and was on tv that night and next morning in 2008 or 2009 when the stock market was at the bottom.  Royal Caribbean's stock was below $6.00 from its peak of $60.00 which was unbelievable.  If I had money I would have bought it in a second and few people I worked with actually did, a few months later it was back up to $30.00.  I was interviewed because of the almost complete halt of the cruise sales.  I was asked how the cruise lines were holding out and what they were doing to stay afloat with the prices being as low as $299 per person for a 7 night cruise.  I answered by stating that no matter what all those ships had to move from port to port.  They need to have people on board to pay for gas, taxes, and things of that nature so no matter what they need those cabins filled.  On board spending is also a main source of income.  Being on a ship increase chances you are going to start to drink liquor, gamble and spend money on other things.  The cruise lines make money with every body on board that is how they could drop the prices so low and survive.

        The thing about cheap cruises is that it's not jus the cruise line affected.  The travel agencies depend on one thing and that is commission which is based on price of cruise and that is it.  So let's say a small agency that only get 10% commission around the board from each vendor.  When selling a cruise that is only $299 per person with only 10% commission the agency only makes only $29.99 then that is split between the agent who sold the cruise and the agency.  So as anyone can see price slashing is never a good thing for the agencies or agents. The cruise lines did try with different types of contests and commission bonuses.  I also would like to add that I am part of one of the largest agencies in the country and because of that we have the highest commissions with long and tight ties with vendors.

         Where there is a will there is a way.  Marketing efforts had to be adjusted and in tough times companies must evolve or close up shop.  One thing we did was have our own major trade show which was a major gamble.  Vendors from all over hungry for business set up booths which they would sell using our name.  The show was a hit, I remember the news that night with a couple who knew about the show but it had snowed the second day and they didn't really plan on a vacation anyway.  As they were interviewed they were asked why they had come then...  Their reply was amusing, they were shoveling their driveway and looked over at a neighbors house.   The care and driveway were untouched because that family was on a cruise.  So seeing that the couple hoped in the car and drove to our show to book a cruise as well.  Proof that travel agencies will always be needed and that cruising is a growing trend.  With more ships built cheaply and cabins to fill I see the cruise lines calling on travel agencies more and more to fill theses cabins and agents getting more perks wether full time or home based.  

     Their are a lot of cabins to fill and the number of them continues to grow.  The faster they fill the higher the price keeping close ties with agencies like the Cruise Brothers is a must.

Thanks

Mark Gelfuso

Cruise Brothers

My personal branch www.cruisebums.com

Evolution of the Travel Industry

17OCT

Everyday I talk to people looking to sell travel and find their own business without putting to much money into it.  First found proper ways to teach the agents how to get going and about the industry.  After a while it became the same thing everyday almost and I am someone who like different things going on.  The Travel Industry is always changing so it kept me busy but I was always confronted with the same question at the end of the day.  How could I improve sales and keep the cost low?  Sure this is true with all industries but the Travel industry being one of the last thing people think about with a bad economy.

In the last ten years the decline of mom and pop agencies have dropped dramatically.   So what about all the hotels and cruise ships still being built?  The answer lies with their low commission compared to the larger agencies coupled with the costs of maintaining everything that comes with running a store front business.

So my father originally had started it in the 80s but hadn’t paid as much attention to it in the booming 90s.  Simple thing really,  If you travel you will talk about travel if you talk about travel you will have friends that travel.  If you travel,have friends that travel and talk about traveling you probably can give more advice than you realize.   So he gave his commission to people referred and find people to book with him.  Over the years the program evolved and was noticed when more and more people wanted to retire and sell travel.  Now we have full classes to teach travelers how to sell and market.  It is a win win for everyone the commission is split there is no point setting up shop and starting at the bottom with the corporations to compete with including the vendors themselves.

I was once told the best part of a vacation isn’t the vacation.  First it is the waiting, imagining, excitement, anticipation and of course bragging about leaving everyone while they go for an adventure.   After its the pictures, memories and experience of that adventure to share with friends.  This stayed in my mind for years I was young at the time.  Years later when I got into the industry I realized this is also the perfect time to open up, slip a card and plant the seed.  This is now one of my main points to new agents and travelers for leads.

The world is still changing.  Social media and networking is in my opinion what should be successful combination with the home based agents.  It is just the exploring and testing with the vast amounts of information online that has been some what of a challenge but will work out in the end I think.