Selling Cruises: Up-Selling With Shore Excursions
by John Hawks

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If you want to build your cruise sales this year, consider these tips for up-selling your shore excursions:

1. First and foremost, check the commission policies on your shore excursion options. Many brand-new home-based agents don't realize that some major cruise lines pay little or nothing to agents for booking their shore excursion packages. In other words, you're expected to schedule excursions to satisfy your clients, but you don't get paid for the work! Check directly with your preferred cruise lines (or ask your host agency or consortium) about the pay policies for shore excursions -- and, get those policies in writing -- before you decide how and where to book your clients.

2. Don't delay in booking popular shore excursion options. Depending on the season and on the cruise itinerary selected, some shore excursion packages tend to sell out quickly. (For example, many agents say they have trouble at times booking excursions on Alaska voyages, especially the more popular nature experiences.) Even if you're forced to book an excursion for which you're not paid, you may be required to do so if it makes your clients happy.

3. Consider organizing independent shore excursions on your own. If you're very knowledgeable about a given destination, you might have your own contacts with local ground operators who can assemble customized shore excursions for your clients. (You can even post a message on The "Buzz" (OSSN's members-only bulletin board) to ask your fellow agents for referrals to reputable ground operators.) Here's the most important tip for agent-organized shore excursions: Make sure your ground operator is reliable enough to get the clients back to the port well in advance of the ship's departure! While the ship may wait if one of the cruise line-organized excursions is running late, it will definitely set sail without your clients if they're running behind on a trip you organized independently.

4. Consider working with an independent shore excursion company. Many of these firms pay excellent commissions or provide you "net" pricing so that you can set your own profit margins: Port Promotions, and Port Side Tours.