FORT LAUDERDALE -- Ken Muskat, managing director of Scenic Group USA, wants travel advisors to venture outside of their comfort zones.
Speaking to about 200 travel advisors attending the CruiseWorld conference's Think Tank brainstorming session, Muskat said trying to sell something new can work out for them.
He said that's what he's learned throughout his life and career when he made decisions that scared him. One such decision was leaving Royal Caribbean International after 18 years to move to China and work for SkySea Cruises, a small contemporary line created for the Chinese market.
He thought he was in over his head in China, then figured out how to cope and thrive there. When the line later failed, he moved to MSC Cruises as COO before shifting to Scenic Group, where he learned how to thrive in the luxury ocean and river ships sectors, a corner of the industry he had never sold or managed before. The group operates Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours and Emerald Cruises.
"I was in mass market, only selling the big ships all the time," he said, adding that he quickly had to figure out how to sell a luxury small ship line.
Try something new
Muskat encouraged advisors to take similar chances, to grow their business by trying to sell products they're not used to -- including luxury and river products from his brands and others.
Travel advisors asked him how they could get started.
To get outside that comfort zone, he suggested advisors consider suggesting the option to clients who book premium suites on big cruise ships they already sell, such as the MSC Yacht Club or Norwegian Cruise Line's The Haven.
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Another strategy was to host a cruise night at private country clubs, ski resorts or golf clubs to reach ultrawealthy groups of people. The kind of people who can afford a luxury cruise aren't necessarily retired, Muskat said, encouraging advisors to keep an open mind.
Advisors attending the session told stories of how they stepped out of their comfort zones. One of them, Joanne Parker, a 72-year-old aagent who is new to the business, said she began cruising and then selling cruises years after her husband died. The couple had always planned to travel in retirement, but her husband never got to do it. She is now selling contemporary and premium cruises and wants to branch out into luxury and river cruises.
"I'm not afraid to try anymore," she said.