Comment: Build relationships that benefit agents

Now it seems suppliers are getting really personal too. P&O Cruises’ new ‘adopt a travel agent’ initiative will see every single employee in Carnival UK encouraged to befriend their local agency in the town they live.

Bosses say it’s all part of its strategy to build relationships with smaller agencies as it looks to find new-to-cruise customer sto fill its increasing capacity. The line says it wants to get to know individuals and not just view them as numbers on spreadsheets in the hope it can understand and help them.

But it was quick to stress the visits would never be “intimidating” or staff under any pressure to do the “hard sell’. Unfortunately, another supplier’s attempts to get to know agent partners better this week seems to have backfired and come across as just that.

Club Med mystery-shopped trade partners – then told one off for not recommending its holidays.

The agent, who claimed his Club Med sales were £100,000 up this year, felt that rather than being subjected to such an exercise, he should have been shown appreciation. Maybe some agents welcome such an approach and find the constructive feedback useful for their businesses.

But while personal touches can be really welcome, if you get too close to someone’s business, you can run the risk of alienating them. Like most things, it ultimately boils down to not what you do, but how you do it.