TL;DR
- Crystal’s Luke Smith wants agents selling the price clients pay to get off the ship, not the headline fare.
- Add in gratuities, Wi-Fi and beverages, and ultra-luxury value stacks up nicely against mainstream fares.
- Know your product… the nuances between Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea and Regent Seven Seas are worth learning.
- Don’t overlook loyal cruisers who may be ready to upgrade for a milestone birthday or anniversary.
- Crystal backs agents who do the work with year-end awards, top-seller dinners, incentive trips and monthly webinars.
What’s Happening at Crystal
Stop selling the headline fare. Sell the price your clients pay to get off the ship instead. That’s the message from Luke Smith, Vice President of UK and EMEA Sales at Crystal Cruises, and it’s a refreshingly down-to-earth reframe for your next ultra-luxury pitch. I know your diary is full this week, so consider this the two-minute version you can use on your next call.
The idea is simple once you sit with it. On paper, an ultra-luxury cruise fare can look steep next to a mainstream line, and that comparison stops plenty of good conversations before they start. But that gap only holds if you ignore everything the cheaper-looking fare quietly leaves out. Once you add back the extras your clients would end up paying for anyway, the numbers tell a rather different story.
A Closer Look
So what does Smith mean by the price you pay to get off? He means total value. On a line like Crystal, a lot is already included in what your clients hand over up front… gratuities, Wi-Fi, beverages and plenty more besides. Line that up against a mainstream fare that looks cheaper at first glance, and the difference narrows fast the moment every add-on is accounted for. That total-cost number is the one worth putting in front of your clients, because it reflects what they will genuinely spend.
Smith also makes the case for knowing your product properly. As he puts it: “We all invest in training and education so much, and you do need to understand the nuances between the likes of Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea and Regent Seven Seas.” Good news? That knowledge is exactly what lets you steer a client toward the right ultra-luxury fit with confidence, rather than hoping the brochure does the work for you.
The Agent Angle
Here’s where it gets interesting. Smith’s other reminder is to look closer at the clients already on your books. The loyal mainstream cruisers who sail with you year after year… they may be readier than you think to step up to something more special, and they trust you enough to listen.
The trigger is often a milestone. As Smith notes, “Maybe they’ve got a big birthday, a special anniversary, or whatever it may be.” Those are the moments when an upgrade feels earned rather than extravagant, and a warm, well-timed call from you can turn a routine repeat booking into a memory your client keeps for years. It costs you a few minutes and a little product knowledge, both of which you already have.
Where This Helps
And Crystal is backing the agents who put the effort in. The line runs year-end awards, top-seller dinners, incentive trips and monthly webinars, so there is real support sitting behind the sales technique. Put the total-value pitch to work, keep a friendly eye on your loyal cruisers, and let Crystal’s trade programme reward the graft. That is a tidy way to close out your week.
