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Rock Stars shared their secrets of success with peers at the agent-to-agent breakout workshops held during day one of 2010 CP Convention. Cruise Planners’ top selling agents gave travel selling advice and described what tools they use that help build their client base and increase sales in today’s challenging travel market.

Cruise Planners agent JJ Kuykendall told her peers that long-lasting relationships with clients are made by one simple rule: “following up, following up, following up!” Stressing the point that connections are key, Kuykendall said she reaches out to her clients after they return from their cruise vacation by calling them, sending an e-mail message or writing a simple “thank you” card. She also mentioned that self-promotion is key, from wearing a Cruise Planners name tag to the grocery store to placing Cruise Planners magnets and stickers on her car.

Rock Star Virginia DeDad told her peers that connections make a difference when agents learn to specialize in a specific cruise niche such as honeymoon cruises or themed cruises and learning to build on those specializing attributes. DeDad, also known as the “church travel lady” in her hometown because she books cruises for her pastor and church group, told her peers she takes her client relationships a step further by hosting summer and winter parties to thank her clients for their business every year.

Rock Star Angela DeDomenico, shared her knowledge in what she knows best – creating fun, and well-organized themed cruises. DeDomenico, recently featured in Groupaway magazine, talked about what agents need to know to tap into the market of creating themed cruises from the ground up, such as developing a fun, strong theme to building the excitement with marketing tools and word of mouth and most importantly, learning how to create a concise and clean budget.

Other Rock Star agents that shared their expertise during the breakout sessions were:

Charlie Bouchard: How to Stand Out in a Crowd

Roberta Schwartz: Tapping Into the Disability Travel Market

Michelle Allen: They Love Me…They Love Not…THEY LOVE ME!

Today, home office executives and industry professionals will host their own breakout sessions discussing topics from social media insights to selling river cruises and using personal websites as marketing tools. There is more news to come and full highlights from the executive panel discussion with cruise line CEOs are on the way!