As Agent@Home celebrates 10 years of publication, it inspires me to reflect on the special place of the home-based travel agent within today’s retail marketplace. We often think of the home-based agent as being different from the traditional office-based agent. There are certainly legitimate differences but, when it comes to approaching the art of selling travel and specifically cruises the skills and tactics are the same.

I speak with a lot of agents at seminars and tradeshows, and I know all of them want to learn more and fine-tune their skills to achieve success. So, to mark the first decade of a publication that provides relevant and practical information to its readers, I am sharing 10 relevant and practical tips with Agent@Home readers to help make 2015 a great year by selling more cruises.

Be visible and available when people are making travel decisions: That means being active and engaged on Facebook and Instagram. It also means sending postcards and e-mails with video and links to vacation ideas and talking to friends and relatives about what you do and what’s trending.

Look to your local community for partnerships: Restaurants, wineries, wine shops and cooking schools are great group builders, especially if they have well-liked chefs or vintners who can conduct cooking demonstrations or tastings. For example, on Holland America Line ships, we offer demos and tastings in the Culinary Arts Center presented by Food & Wine magazine. We even offer special Group Advantage Programs for agents who create culinary and wine groups.

Use visual tools to bring the cruise experience to life: A picture truly is worth a thousand words. People love video and Holland America Line and Seabourn have a tremendous library of professionally produced videos online. These assets enable you to show your clients ships and onboard experiences as well as the destinations we visit and the shore excursions that are available.

Help mark a life celebration, anniversary or family reunion: Every one of your clients has those opportunities and cruising is a great way to celebrate them. Get to know your clients and the special dates in their lives. Suggesting a once-in-a-lifetime experience to celebrate milestone events is smart business. There also are unique group programs tailored for family reunions, weddings and more.

Don’t underestimate “bucket list” fever: Premium and luxury cruising appeals to experienced, sophisticated travelers. Many have been to 50 countries or more and have seen many cities and ports. But there is always some destination that even the most traveled person wants to see. Many “bucket list” destinations are available on Holland America Line and Seabourn cruises, and a cruise provides a superior value to get there.

Be advisors and counselors not order takers: Travel sellers must be counselors and travel authorities to sustain their livelihood. Order takers don’t create the value and expertise that your customers respect and rely upon when making travel plans.

Don’t be shy—promote yourself and your travel business: Offer to speak at organizations, libraries, senior centers and churches about cruise travel and provide great tips for cruisers. Tell your personal story and why you believe that cruising is the best travel value.

Don’t wait to ask for the business: This might seem like a no-brainer to many, but you can’t assume business will come your way. Asking for the business starts the conversation and positions you as a confident travel counselor.

Ask clients for references and testimonials: You can use references to expand your client base and put testimonials on your Facebook page. There is no more powerful sales and marketing tool than a recommendation from a satisfied client.

Ask our business development managers for help: They want to help you achieve success. We have many ways to support travel sellers, from marketing tools to friendly sales policies. We operate a robust Travel Agent Headquarters site on www.hollandamerica.com and a Travel Agent Center on www.seabourn.com where you can learn about our products, our policies and more.

Next year holds much promise for our industry if we focus and dedicate ourselves to making success happen. I look forward to working with you as we strive together to achieve our mutual goals.