Helping You Get the Right River Cruise—Our Sales Process
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist
In 2022, we helped 50 couples and 1 single to either sail on a European river cruise or put down a deposit on a sailing for travel in 2023 or 2024. Perhaps the most interesting fact about these folks we helped is that we have never personally met 83% of our clients.
These are pretty amazing statistics for our small 2-person operation or as my lovely wife Anne likes to say that we are a “small volume, high touch agency.”
So, how do we help these folks who do not live in Pearland Texas (the greater Houston Texas area) get the right river cruise for their river cruise vacation (my unofficial count is residents of 25 different states)? Why do they use us instead of a local travel professional? How do we/they find us?
So, let’s explore together and learn about our sales process and how it helps the folks we serve get better river cruise vacations.
How Do Folks Find Us?
There are 2 main ways we get potential clients—they find us on the internet, or they are referred by past clients. We do not advertise and are lucky to have 2 key internet search articles that are number 1 on Google—our 2022-23 Europe River Cruise Company Comparisons (since 1 January to 12 January 2023, 1,217 folks have opened this article) and our Best River Cruise Routes Guide (since the start of January 2023, 490 folks have read this article).
Past clients are very good about referring us to their friends—it is a very high compliment they liked our past services to recommend us. We take this very seriously to help these folks get the right vacation on a river cruise.
So, now you know how they find us, the most important question is why do they use us instead of a local travel professional or do it on their own?
Why Do Folks Use Us?
I believe most folks use us because we have excellent knowledge about river cruises (okay I’ll say it—we know more than almost every travel professional in the US) and they can trust us.
Knowledge of the river cruise vacations we sell requires us to constantly keep updated about travel products, and the vendors who sell them. We must be able to match our clients to the best product for them.
But our knowledge is not just inside our heads—we have so many great content items about every possible phase and aspect of river cruising on our website—www.dreamdestinations.com it is astounding! Our clients and potential clients don’t have to remember what we tell them—they can read about and reference it later.
Here is just a partial list of items: an overview of Europe River cruising, Egypt cruises, route guides, port guides, company comparisons, FAQs (frequently asked questions), onboard reviews, stateroom comparisons and tours, blogs about our river cruise services, comparisons, advice, and reviews of routes, trip itineraries wellness offerings and the vibe of each line—over 50 blogs by my count! I have never found a resource so complete except for a small number of travel writers who travel for free—we have paid for all the 24 river cruises we have taken—I think it makes us not as biased as some others. Often their work is not as detailed as ours.
Trust is the other cornerstone of our business—are we who we say we are, do we tell the truth, can you trust your hard-earned dollars for a vacation we recommend?
I also think there are 2 other factors that help clients decide to use us.
First, do they like us—are they comfortable with our methods, processes, demeanor, and our relatability to get their desired river cruise vacation?
Second, do they care about us?
So, let’s see together if our knowledge, our likability, and our empathy towards our clients can help them towards the goal—to get the best river cruise experience for them.
How Do We Help Our Clients Get the Right River Cruise for Their Trip?
The process starts by our potential client reaching out to us for help by phone or email. Most have never taken a river cruise, but they are well traveled, often have taken an ocean cruise and think a river cruise would be an excellent vacation but are not sure how to start. They have already done their homework—a river cruise looks like a promising vacation option for them, but they are not sure about how to get the right one for their preferred travel style.
It probably helps that this is an expensive vacation (I like to say river cruising is an expensive hobby) and for that amount of money they are willing to get help—a lot of our clients plan their own vacations and are not totally comfortable giving up control. They also usually have not used a travel professional and want to know the value and cost to use us (there is very good news here—we do not charge any fees and feel the river cruise companies fairly compensate us with their commission structure which is already built into the cost of the cruise, so they in essence get our services for free).
Our first telephone conversations are always very interesting—we met some fascinating folks. They are sizing us up—knowledge, trust, care, and likeability by how we interact with them. They are always a little apprehensive—after all, there is a lot of concern that we will not get them the right river cruise and their first interaction with us is probably on the internet prior to the first phone call.
Imagine you are in their shoes—can these dudes really help us? On our end it is really simple—our superior knowledge of the river cruise industry and the routes put them at ease. It is not unusual for us to spend over an hour or more on a phone call.
I like to say we are the real deal—about 99% of their questions we can answer without notes and references. Here are their most common questions:
Which company would you recommend? Why?
What is the best route for a first-time river cruiser? Why is it better than other routes?
Have you ever been on a river cruise? Have you sailed this route?
What is the daily itinerary on route_____? Is there a lot of bus rides? Guided tours? Free time? How many different tours per port? What are the best ports? Why?
Is it regimented—what is the daily schedule?
What is included in the cruise?
How about food and wine and drinks? How many dining options? Can they handle my diet restrictions?
What type of stateroom should I pick? Do I need a balcony?
I’m very active—are there bikes and wellness activities? How good are they?
I have limited mobility—is a river cruise right for me?
What about high/low water?
What is the dress code?
What about pre and post trips?
What does it cost to use your services? Why should we use us?
What about travel insurance? What does it cost?
Now that we have gotten the myriad of questions answered, we start the process. First, if they have not done so yet, we require a completed travel request on our website for first time potential clients. We need to know who they are, where they live and what they want to do, why the want to go on a river cruise, and when they want to go.
With that in hand, we offer ideas of the best route—river cruising is first and foremost about the destinations. Once we have settled the route question, it is on to the company that best matches their travel style.
Now it is our turn to research their desires and match their needs to what products are available in their desired travel time frame.
After we discuss options, if necessary, and then we move to a formal quote. We provide a quote document, explain the key terms and conditions, and always explain the travel insurance offered by the vendor.
Now, it is decision time. They now need to accept the offer or decide it does not work for them, regardless of the reason. If we can resolve the issues—maybe a different cruise date or a different stateroom, we will attempt to fix it. Sometimes folks just say no—usually it is too high a cost for them. Since our mantra is always to do what is best for the potential client, we understand that it always does not work out and we are okay with that result.
Now, we make the deposit on their behalf using their credit card we have taken over the phone. We then make the deposit for all requested services. Once complete, we send a copy of the invoice to them.
Once we have completed the deposit, now we handle the details—transfers, pre and post arrangements, perhaps flights thru the vendor (we do not book air directly), or hotels.
We will help them during the pre-cruise planning phase and during the actual cruise.
About 90 days out, it is final payment time. Excitement builds.
Now comes the best part—usually a totally satisfied client, whose expectations were exceeded!
How cool is that—we hope it ends that way but sometimes there are bumps in the road (very seldom) and we try to fix the problem or improve for the next trip. Part of the reason it usually turns out favorably is that, as I like to say, “there are no bad river cruises in Europe and these vacation experiences are probably the best trip you will ever take!”
Our Final Thoughts
Wow—what a process!
I think you can see why we are in the business—it just is awesome to help folks have a great vacation.
We hope you enjoyed this report.
We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.
When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip. You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience. And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process. We think we have all these qualities.
Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!
ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51+ years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
