UK. Specialist training company TRT hosted its first-ever cabin crew and management inflight sales training programme last month.
The five-day programme, called ‘Maximising Sales Potential’, attracted crew and management from United Airlines, bmi (scheduled), Britannia Airways, easyJet and MyTravel Airways
The programme was originally designed to take the winners of last year’s Inflight Sales Person of the Year (ISPY) awards onto another level, said TRT managing director Christine Martin. “It would transform the ‘world’s best selling cabin crew’ into people who could motivate, coach onboard and train their colleagues. The aim was to ‘boost and cascade’ their skills, confidence and enthusiasm,” she told The Moodie Report.
Two airlines, MyTravel Airways and easyJet, sent additional cabin crew to the event.
“The way forward is to create the role of sales motivators onboard, to help reverse the trend of inflight retail losing its market share,” said Martin. “We can prove that cabin crew who were at ISPY are selling as much as +58% more than before. We could not ignore the very clear opportunity to develop these people and hand them back to their airlines with the skills and confidence to influence their colleagues.”
The programme was supported by leading airline suppliers, such as BAT and Masterfoods. The Lancaster Group, a long-time champion of the ISPY concept, was again the main supporter of this front-line training initiative.
More airlines are now acknowledging that cabin crew hold the key to inflight retail success, said Martin. “Investment in this group of people will pay dividends if only that leap of faith is taken,” she said.
easyJet inflight operations manager Vickie Mathews commented: “Retail sales training is a key focus for easyJet in 2004. Through ISPY, and latterly this intensive five-day course, TRT have equipped our trainers with all the latest techniques to achieve this. Above all, TRT have provided the motivation to encourage our cabin crew to increase sales onboard. The training has exceeded our expectations and complements our programme of establishing the role of inflight sales co-ordinators, resulting in increased commission for cabin crew.”
Masterfoods International Travel Retail manager Martyn Westbury said: “What impressed me the most was their thirst for knowledge, their passion for selling and the desire to do their very best for their airline.”
