Sales Lessons Learned From A Cruise Show

I attended a cruise show at the weekend. Many of my clients have been on different cruises worldwide and they’ve informed me it’s an experience you will never forget.

So I went along with an open mind and to see if I could book a cruise. Instead, I was dealt with awful sales behaviour, plus appalling customer service from the hotel. There was a big surprise at the end.

At the presentations of the cruise ships, they showed how many ships they have and even ones that are being built. NOBODY cares about what you do, we care about how you can help us. We want to see testimonials from satisfied customers and stunning ocean views and amazing sunshine, not fancy cartoons or 3D visuals of a ship and how many of them you own.

This is a valuable sales skills to have, especially when doing presentations., Every person gave a generic fast-spoken presentation, there was NO QUESTIONS at the end, no love, no joy, and nobody wanted to be there. Why would anyone care to spend money on a cruise when the sales reps didn’t care?

Check out these A4 sheets on the wall. You expect this in a newsagent selling discounted items or looking for a babysitter or dogsitter. When people spend £3,000 up to £15,000 for a cruise, you don’t hang black and white copy on a wall, It’s tacky.

I wanted to leave, however, was determined to have a good talk with someone. The sales rep for the cruise was in her early fifties and asked questions about what I wanted – luxury cruise, no kids, amazing food. I engaged with her. She recapped what I wanted and gave me options, telling me why I would like it. Impressed, I asked how long she was in sales. She told me she wasn’t in sales, she was in customer service – and she outshone every lazy salesperson there

In today’s sales world, too many companies are obsessed with hiring young people and too many people my age are becoming redundant, yet the only good salesperson there was a woman in her fifties. So stop judging older people, they often have great manners and know how to communicate.

If you want generate more sales in business and to kick ass on LinkedIn, contact me for 1:1 coaching or group training.