Become a Home Based Travel Agent

CRUISEWHIZ CRAIG OR IT NEVER HURTS TO LEARN
 SOMETHING YOU ALREADY KNOW

BY CRAIG SATTERFIELD, ECC

I really love the CLIA Academy seminars offered by Cruise Line International Association. I am busy finishing off all 35, 15 point courses for my Elite Cruise Counselor Scholar crown.  I finally made my mind up that I would finish this gigantic project by the end of 2011.  So why do I think these are so important?  When you do these programs, you actually find out from experts on the best ways to deal with complaints, how to market on the internet and my all-time favorite, “How to Manage Your Time Effectively.” I have finally discovered that I use this training every day and that it really works!  Even better is that I have been following many of these ideas for years, long before I took the course. But there is also a catch! You discover the things you are doing poorly, or not at all! The session on overcoming procrastination really hits home. It actually starts when I originally signed up to do these seminars, way back in the 80s. You wanna talk about procrastination!  I really wanted to be one of the very first Accredited Cruise Counselors but that old devil procrastination set in.  I finally did achieve my ACC in 2009! Only 30 years later.

They say that the very first rule to avoid procrastination is to do whatever it is you’re supposed to do first thing in the day. (They don’t say what day. It could be years later as in my case).  They also say that your day will go a lot better.  Procrastinators don’t pay no never mind to that idea.  We are having a great day anyway, in mindless bliss and probably sitting on a stack of work!

The second rule is to place the work you need to do in the middle of your desk the night before so when you come in you won’t be able to hide from it.  I never hide from the work I am supposed to start.  I just take that stack of paper and put it nicely on the floor until I can make time to do whatever it is. Come into my office to see the little stacks of papers all around. And don’t let me near a post-it note. I have been known to write novels on them.

As far as false deadlines are concerned, which is the third rule, didn’t work with my ACC as the deadline came and went, actually decades came and went before I got it done. In a totally different direction, so not to be late, my wife always moves our clocks ahead by 10 minutes which is fine with me, but a true procrastinator is always a day late and a dollar short regardless of what time it is.

One of the other excellent CLIA seminars has a complete list of responses to client objections. Now that one I have in the bag. These lists were not new to me as I was shocked and happy to find out that I actually used this guide all the time. It was already stuck in my head! Learning what you already know can work wonders for your ego and can be very profitable.  If you actually take your own advice you are well ahead of the pack.

The objection of boredom comes up occasionally from a potential first time cruiser and I am always happy when it does.  Do any of you think cruising is boring?  If I tried to actually accomplish every event that is offered on the Allure of the Seas I would be a total wreck.  I love to show just one daily schedule from a major cruise line to Mr. Afraid-I-Will-Be-Bored.  The guy’s favorite activity is almost always on there.  You can always just people-watch if your shy but I have found cruisers to be some of the friendliest people on Earth.

Another objection on the list is that all cruisers are old. Wow is that concept out of date.  Everybody is cruising these days which drives the baby boomers to the adult only decks. Besides, if you take a look at the pictures in what is left of a cruise brochure; we all look just like them don’t we?

I think that our industry has more opportunity for training and experience that almost any other.  This CLIA program has been wildly successful in the training thousands of travel professionals to the benefits and profitability of cruising.  All aspects of the industry have this but probably not to this extent that the cruise industry has.

The point being is that in the travel industry you can never know too much.  I try and update my knowledge all the time and when I return to either a training or a ship inspection I find something new that I can use in sales or in marketing.  Just because you did it once, doesn’t mean you will not benefit in spending the time, energy and many times money to learn what you already know.

Continue to take a second or third look at whatever passion drives your love of the travel industry and try not to take 30 years to do it like I did.