Trading Tax Season for Wave Month

By Kate Rice

In a former life, Suzy Poulter (www.SuzyCruisy.com), was a CPA who hated tax season—which could last four months. Then, assigned the responsibility of putting together a group cruise for her own family, the self-proclaimed cruise addict decided that she wanted to earn the points and commissions instead of seeing those incentives go to an agent. She started working part-time as an outside agent, realized that being a travel agent was “a lot more fun” than being a CPA and went full-time.

Her business grew quickly, for three reasons. First, she had a core group of customers, fellow cruise addicts she’d met on cruises or online. These people booked with her and began referring more customers. Second, she came from a customer-service industry and applied these standards to her travel agency business. Finally, as a CPA, she’s a “systems” person. Thus she embraced TRAMS ClientBase Plus and the tools provided to her by her membership in Vacation.com.

Customer service is the linchpin of Poulter’s business model. She’d always been frustrated by agents who would get the sale and then “wouldn’t talk to you anymore.” When she was a CPA, she promptly returned calls and e-mails, and she does so as an agent. She instantly responds to e-mails if she’s not on the phone, which she says astonishes her customers.

Poulter sends clients “bon voyage” cards and, once they’ve come home, thank you notes with a survey asking them about their cruise.

She sends her own e-mail newsletter; the frequency depends on what’s happening in the industry. The mailing can include itineraries, updates on fuel surcharges, sales or last-minute offers she’s unearthed (her clients generally book far in advance, but she provides them with the information). If she’s going on a cruise herself, she tells clients how to get assistance from her backup, another cruise addict-turned-travel-agent.

Poulter also tells clients about any training she’s done or certifications she’s earned—and they are many. She’s now an MCC and a Luxury Cruise Specialist, and has applied to become an Elite Cruise Counselor. She’s completed training with Princess, NCL, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, among other cruise lines, as well as with destinations and other travel suppliers.

She does not rebate, but she makes sure her clients get the best price possible, contacting them if she finds a better deal. She became an avid user of Polar Online, using its group booking capabilities to book speculative groups on ships, at the encouragement of her Princess sales rep. When Princess announces new products, Poulter immediately creates group blocks—one on every Princess ship once a month. That means she can give her clients preferred group prices, which generally are upgrades. She also earns amenity points, so each time she books someone into a group, she can provide them with wine or chocolate-covered strawberries. “They feel loved, and I don’t have to give these gifts with money out of my own pocket,” she says.

Now that Holland America Line is also in Polar Online, she’s dong the same with HAL ships.

Most of her group inventory is eventually called back, but if she books one or two cabins or a family, she’s earned the amenities and is also able to hold the group space somewhat longer.

In addition, she’s a member of Peninsula Travel Experts, a group of San Francisco travel agents who meet monthly and communicate frequently using Yahoo! groups. These agents tour ships and attend seminars together, and sometimes band together to earn higher commissions from suppliers. Peninsula members will book into her groups because of the pricing advantage or because she has space on a popular cruise that is sold out.

Customer relationship management is another cornerstone of Poulter’s strategy. “My world revolves around ClientBase Plus,” she says, citing its capability to store client history and profiles to better target them with the appropriate offer. She also an “Engaged” agent, using Vacation.com’s Engagement direct-mail and e-mail programs, feeling that it’s an effective way to keep her name in front of her clients. She also invites clients to accompany her on any cruises she takes—she already has 20 people going with her and her husband on her 40^th birthday cruise next year.

Vacation.com’s Passport Online and Nexcite also integrate perfectly for her, allowing her to market to her clients using “beautiful e-mails with beautiful photos that link to my website.” Her Vacation.com membership also allows her to climbs the incremental commission ladder faster, earning higher commissions sooner.

Poulter’s still busy during tax season, but she’s busy booking cruises, starting with Wave season, when she books for those novices who plan their vacations after the holidays, and then moves on to booking her “cruise addicts” from March through July, when cruise lines launch their new products.

And she’s having lots more fun doing it.