Is it time for sales reps to
The UK lockdown in March prevented operators’ regional sales manager from getting out and about to meet agents. Many turned to video calling to continue to engage with the trade and to provide product training – with great success. Now, with some semblance of normality returning, Harry Kemble asks three suppliers if their sales teams have resumed face-to-face meetings
AMAWATERWAYS
“We are working hard, but we are also working smart,” says Jon Knight, national sales manager at AmaWaterways. Knight says his team has been “busier than ever” during the Covid-19 pandemic despite the river line’s on-the-road team not being out and about.
None of the three have been made
redundant or furloughed. Instead, Knight and his team have partnered with agencies to put on a programme of trade webinars and pre-recorded agent training sessions. They’ve also produced 50 virtual cruise events for travel agents to invite customers to ‘attend’, and the most well-watched of these was viewed by 129 people. In addition to his responsibilities as national sales manager, Knight also currently covers agencies in the southeast. Business development manager Joanne Smithies looks after agents in the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, while fellow BDM Rachel Simon is responsible for the southwest of England, the Midlands and Wales.
We much prefer speaking to people one on one. But we are making the best of the situation and the world we are living in
On average, Knight says each of the team is making five or six calls to agents a day. “We’re busier than ever,” he says. “We
encourage our team to think of themselves as still being on the road within a geographical area. Instead of being out on the road, they are doing virtual meetings or phone calls. “We’re quite a small outfit. It’s much easier for the field sales team to get in touch with agents.” Knight says that, prior to Covid, one training session would almost fill a BDM’s day. “It is not sell, sell, sell,” he adds. “We are very much into hearing from the agent, seeing how we can support them and listening to their needs. “They have a lot on their plate so the last thing you want to do is bang out all these sales messages if they are not in a position to talk sales.” In March, the line contacted agents to gauge
Jon Knight
whether they wanted face-to-face meetings. “It was very 50:50 then,” Knight says. Face-to-face meetings are still on hold, and a decision on when to resume them is under review. Knight says he feels meetings have not felt “right” up to now, adding: “We will have a discussion and see if it’s appropriate. We do much prefer speaking to people one on one. But we are making the best of the world that we are living in.”
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3 SEPTEMBER 2020
travelweekly.co.uk
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