People are always surprised that I don't sell cruises. Nothing against them, millions love them. But I don't, and that's exactly the point: the more excited you are about what you're selling, the more it comes across in your pitch. Enthusiasm can't be faked at luxury prices, and clients can hear its absence. On a big ship, you can't control the vibe, and controlling the vibe is my whole product. (Charter the entire yacht? Now we're talking.)
“Sell what you're interested in, because the more you're excited about it, it comes across in your sales pitch. That's why I don't sell cruises.”
The same rule, three ways
- No low-season departures just because they're cheap. I plan high season even when the hotels cost double, because the experience is the product, selling a destination at its worst to hit a price point is, frankly, reckless.
- No destinations I can't stand behind, no partners on the ground, no personal conviction. I'll happily refer you to someone who loves that place. The referral costs me a booking; it protects the brand that earns me all the others.
- On the sales call, never volunteer negatives. Don't announce that a place is safe, don't say you hope they're not vegetarian. Tell them the three things YOU love about the trip, then ask for the business, and when they say yes, stop selling and get off the phone.
Your excitement is inventory. Stock only what you can sell with your whole chest, and the sales calls start feeling less like persuasion and more like an invitation.
Claire's own numbers
The framework, step by step
- 1
No low-season departures just because they're cheap
I plan high season even when the hotels cost double, because the experience is the product, selling a destination at its worst to hit a price point i
- 2
No destinations I can't stand behind, no partners on
no personal conviction. I'll happily refer you to someone who loves that place. The referral costs me a booking; it protects the brand that earns me a
- 3
On the sales call
never volunteer negatives. Don't announce that a place is safe, don't say you hope they're not vegetarian. Tell them the three things YOU love about t
Claire's own framework from this essay, in the order she teaches it.
Source: Claire B. Soares, from her own travel business and live trainings.
Common Questions
Should travel advisors sell every type of travel?
No. Enthusiasm cannot be faked at luxury prices, and clients hear its absence. Claire does not sell cruises for exactly this reason, and refers out anything she cannot stand behind.
Is it bad to sell low season travel?
Claire considers it reckless when the destination is genuinely compromised in that season. The experience is the product, so selling it at its worst to hit a price point damages the brand.
What should you say on a sales call about a destination?
The three things you personally love about the trip, then ask for the business. Never volunteer negatives, and stop selling once they say yes.
Written By
Claire B. Soares
Claire B. Soares is the founder of Travel AI University, a 6x Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist, and a Certified AI Consultant with a B.S. in Computer Science. A top 10% enterprise sales executive, she sold $3.4B+ in enterprise software to Google, Microsoft, IBM, Boeing, the federal government, and the DoD, then built $16M+ in luxury travel sales.
About Claire
