blog post

One of the benefits of being a Cruise Planners franchise owner is that each agent receives support and has direct access to the Home Office team. CP’s four agent levels (Shooting Star, Rising Star, Superstar and Rockstar) were all invited to intimate fireside chats where CP agents were able to voice concerns, share success stories and offer comments from 2009. As CP continues to grow (we’ve seen our largest growth in 2009) the Home Office team uses the information from the chats to bring around change and improve the support from agents.

This year, the main topic agents kept chiming in about was marketing themselves as a brand and standing out in their communities.

Some highlights, successes and tips from fellow agents:

• Keep getting your name out there in your community
• Wherever you patron, leave your business card
• Create mutually beneficial relationships with other local businesses
• Connect with other CP agents in your region and pool resources, support and ideas (Congrats to Tampa Bay team for taking this on successfully)
• Reach out to teachers, friends and corporations who can share or display your flyers and contact information
• Attend networking events – both large and small
• Speak at community meetings, associations and offices
• In the back of your car, keep a file of some flyers – you never know when you will be asked for information
• Place personalized business stickers on magazines in doctors office, hair salons, etc. (always ask for permission first)
• Wrap your car with CP logo and contact information
• Use car magnets to attract new business
• Get a magnetic business card holders to place on your car when parked in busy parking lots – interested cruisers can take a card
• Be creative with business cards (one agent has a poker chip as her business card)
• Build relationships and create co-ops with strategic business partners (ex: within the bridal industry)
• Utilize Sketch program in 2010 to help narrow down your mailing audience
• Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals
• Use your Web site to promote yourself
• Make follow up calls when you do mailings – you much touch clients about 6 times before closing a deal
• Wear your CP apparel wherever you go
• Use technology to enhance your phone calls, mailers and face-to-face interaction
• When you book a group, travel with them and follow up to see if you can get future repeat business
• Use the Home Office resources and staff to help execute fun programs

- Caitlin Murphy