Regent Seven Seas Cruises is unveiling a new three-part webinar series, “Grow Your Regent Business,” for its North American network of travel partners. The goal is to provide extensive market research—both qualitative and quantitative—to help travel advisors increase their business from both new and existing clients.
The new series of 20-minute webinars won’t just focus on the typical training tips, emphasizes Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Andrea DeMarco, the ultra-luxury line’s chief sales and marketing officer. “Our main objective is to invest in our travel partners,” she says, adding that the line will both share its research exclusively with partners attending the “short but captivating webinars” but also provide “actionable insights” based on psychographic and behavioral factors. That, she says, can provide for the advisor’s immediate growth in sales and with increased profitability.
A Trio of Webinars
Here’s a look at the upcoming Webinar topics, dates and times.
“Where to Find Regent Guests” (Tuesday, September 20 at 2 p.m. EDT): This first webinar will teach travel partners how to intelligently target first time Regent Seven Seas’ guests by identifying the line’s key customer segments. DeMarco and Shawn Tubman, SVP, sales, will provide exclusive insights from a global study that mapped the psychographic and behavioral factors of luxury travelers. She stresses that advisors who focus on key customer segments can optimize their resources and dramatically increase conversion rates.
“Segmentation Insights” (Tuesday, September 27 at 2pm EDT): This webinar will analyze several segmentation approaches to help travel partners drive business. DeMarco and Tubman will provide research-backed strategies for targeting Regent guests' “personas” via the use of profiling tools. It’s a way to capitalize on increasing demand for luxury strategies.
“Data-Driven Marketing Tactics” (Tuesday, October 4 at 2 p.m. EDT): This third webinar will offer “actionable tips and tactics” for targeting each distinct marketing channel by using consumer lifestyle data. DeMarco and Tubman will talk about research-driven strategies for generating, nurturing and converting Regent Seven Seas’ cruise leads for each target guest. DeMarco says it’s all about developing skills to target the right marketing channels with the right messaging.
In summing up the luxury line’s approach, “We want the playbook out so it’s turn-key,” she stresses. So, don’t expect a vague discussion, but rather specific information that drills down into what the research shows is needed to convert prospects to booked clients. For example, the hosts might say: “Here’s what we’re seeing, so this would be really good to do. Here’s what would give you the most bang for your buck.”
DeMarco calls them “data-driven strategies,” based on market research gathered over the past 10 months or so. She says the question her team asked was this: “How do we take this great information and put it into bite-sized pieces that are actionable?”
As an added incentive, Regent Seven Seas’ travel partners who attend all three webinars and take a post-series survey will have the opportunity to win a cruise to sail and bring a guest on Seven Seas Explorer , The World’s Most Luxurious Ship™, with a guest on a 2023 Alaska cruise.
Additional Training
In addition to the webinars, Regent Seven Seas plans to also conduct additional travel advisor training via tutorial videos. In the near future, internal team members who are experts in certain areas—such as digital advertising, social media or other skill sets—will provide specific training and steps for advisors to take. Again, the goal is a highly targeted approach that could lead to immediate growth in the advisor’s business.
“Based on our research and booking trends, there has never been a bigger opportunity for luxury, as guests’ motivations have shifted and there is unprecedented demand for luxury experiences,” says DeMarco. “Our new in-depth research will enhance our market-to-fill strategy which can be leveraged by travel partners to fast-track their growth in the luxury space.”
“These webinars are just the first step in what will be a full program of heavy-weight investment and support for our valued travel partners as we look toward growth plans for 2023 and beyond,” said Tubman. “Travel partners who attend the series will unlock a host of exclusive resources and materials, teaching them how to capitalize on the valuable and fascinating findings from our customer segmentation study, which could truly transform their business.”
Travel partners can register for this initiative at www.rssc.com.
Related Stories
Swan Hellenic Names Patrizia Iantorno VP of Global Marketing
Virgin Voyages Launches Advisor Booking Platform