So you want to be a sales person for a cruise company? Who wouldn’t? Just think about all the fun there would be in talking about your new cruise ship and all the great features of it.
A day in the life of a cruise line sales person may not be exactly as it seems. While having to represent a beautiful new cruise ship may sound exciting and romantic, there is another side to this job. The job is not an easy one. It is not a nine to five, Monday through Friday type of job.
In this last year of economic uncertainty, even the largest and well-known cruise companies have had their business models put to the test. Today, smaller lines are still facing a challenging future. The pressure to fill cruise berths has never been higher and cruise salespeople are being asked to perform magic to find customers for these cruise beds. Up early and to bed late, the best sales people don’t get to rest much these days.
Calling on travel agents all day and then conducting cruise nights or attending consumer travel shows on weekends, has become a vital part of their job. There is a never ending demand on their time. They have to return those calls to agents that are upset that your cruise company has changed its pricing and their client wants an adjustment. Let’s not forget that we have to capture all of these activities on a weekly report which is prepared and sent to the corporate office each week for inspection and review. What have you done and what did it produce?
Many of the best cruise sales people working in the industry today have earned their position through hard work over many years. The best are appreciated by their travel agent clients and respected by their cruise line peers. They have remained in the business because they have formed a personal attachment to their line. They have probably traveled to a few foreign lands during their tenure in the industry but I propose they have remained in the business because they love what they do. It’s worth mentioning that each cruise line has its own personality and the personality of its sales people should match. From small luxury ships to enormous mass market vessels, each line has a distinct personality onboard and in its sales people.
The business has changed over the years and there are greater pressures than ever, but I would encourage anyone looking to join an industry that is constantly evolving and creating new products to excite its customers they won’t find an industry better then the cruise industry.
—Roy
