Sell Groups

Sell Groups By: Phil & Doris Davidoff, CTCs, CTIEs, MCCs
A modern, well-managed leisure-oriented travel agency (including home based travel agents) focuses its efforts on cruises and tours. However, unless the agency or home-based agent is selling primarily deluxe cruises and tours ($5,000 to $10,000 or more per couple), a large volume of transactions is required to generate sufficient profits. With the cost of personnel, promotion and office operations constantly increasing while income per transaction on individual, mass market cruises and tours is not, it is difficult to make an adequate profit on ones and twos.

Selling groups both saves time and increases income. For example, selling 16 cabins to 16 couples requires 16 separate sales conversations with 16 individual couples. Selling 16 cabins to a church or social group usually requires only one or two sales conversations with the group leaders. Many of the individual participant bookings will be made with no conversations at all.
On most cruises, the cruise line will provide one free cabin if 15 are sold. This cabin can be used for the group leader, split among passengers to reduce cost, converted to agency profit or any combination of these choices.

Suppliers will often offer additional commission for group sales, especially in off-season periods.
We continue to be amazed at the number of travel agents who are not selling groups. They are working very hard, but they are not focusing on groups. If you are not, you should be. If you are selling groups, you are on the road to profits, and the more you focus on groups, the more you will realize greater profits and satisfaction.