Morgan, owner of Miles Morgan Travel, said he believed there had “never been a better time to sell cruise”, with agents able to promote the “fantastic value” of onboard offerings amid a market impacted by Brexit uncertainty and currency fluctuations.
Speaking at Abta’s New Markets in Cruise conference, Morgan also imparted wisdom for agents looking to sell the sector for the first time, or boost their bookings.
Knowing the product “inside out, back to front and sideways” and being able to tell customers about personal experiences were among his key tips.
He urged travel consultants to look outside of the industry for inspiration, using the analogy of a Mercedes car dealer trying to tempt a BMW customer away from their chosen brand as an example.
“If you want to sell something to someone who has never done it before, you’d better know your stuff,” he said. “You need to be able to find the right ship for them – it’s like saying this Mercedes is more fuel efficient or has a better satnav.”
Morgan stressed the amount of training his staff undertake, and implored others to “grab every opportunity” to visit ships, go on fam trips and take advantage of discounted industry rates to learn for themselves while on holiday.
“Nothing beats saying to a customer: ‘Well, when I did it myself…’,” Morgan added.
