OCEAN Village has made its biggest commitment to agent training to date by producing 3,000 packs that will be sent to the trade from next week.
The Carnival-owned cruiseline, which markets itself as ‘the cruise for people who don’t do cruises’ and has been operating since 2003, believes agents need to act quickly when talking to a new cruise customer if they are to complete the sale.
To help, the packs contain suggested chat-up lines as well as a new Spot the Difference leaflet promoting the advantages of cruise over land-based holidays, a copy of the ship’s daily newsletter and information on the facilities for families.
Head of marketing Gill Haynes said: “We are trying to get extra focus on agents’ opening gambit when customers first come in to the travel agency. We are trying to give them some suggested lines to use.
“Having had conversations with agents and our own sales team, we think this is a key moment, particularly for people who have still got all the old cruise preconceptions.”
The pack also contains a training CD-ROM including a virtual tour of the ship for the first time, a 20-minute DVD about Ocean Village and its new ship Ocean Village Two, and cards depicting the cruiseline’s four key customer profiles – Free-Spirited Forties, Young and Funky (pictured, above), Happy Family and Too Young to be Grandparents – first launched last year to help agents recognise potential clients.
“The profiles were very well received last year, we got a lot of positive feedback from agents,” said Haynes. She promised as many agents as possible will be invited to Southampton next April to see Ocean Village Two for themselves during its inaugural celebrations.