Wave season may generate more calls, but October is the highest booking month of
the year for many top agents & suppliers.Why? Consumers are buying in October, not shopping. They are booking Alaska, Europe, Asia, and other "exotic" destinations. The longer, more exotic, and expensive the trip, the longer the booking window. That's why October!
Are you ready? Here are some thoughts to help you prepare:
The customer is buying a destination experience. As travel agents, we tend to focus on the product. To use an old sales analogy, think of it like this - the destination experience is the sizzle, the product is the steak.
The manner in which your customers will experience a destination can be as radically different as dining on hamburger or filet mignon. Alaska's Inside Passage on a ship with 2000+ of your closest friends is a very different experience than the up close and personal one you receive with Alaskan Dream Voyages with only 50 guests.
Paint a vivid picture - its part of the sizzle. I once had a BDM who was a master at this. At a cruise night we hosted (in October), she waxed eloquently about the beauty of the tundra and the majestic glaciers in Alaska.
I don't know about you, but I never considered tundra to be extraordinarily beautiful - at least until I heard her describe it. She had them eating out of the palm of her hand. They were already visualizing their vacation and we booked close to $1 million in business over the next few months directly from that presentation.
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