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Cosmos warn agents: Switch sell or risk cuts
Cosmos has warned agents it will be forced to review commission levels unless agents switch sell from the big four operators and begin selling its holidays in greater numbers.
Sales director Andy Washington told the trade it wants to see improved levels of business from independent retailers, particularly during the key post Christmas booking period.
Describing the situation as a “huge opportunity” for both Cosmos and agents, Washington said it had no desire of following Thomson, Thomas Cook and First Choice in slashing payments to 7%.
“I’d like [the performance of agents] to be much better and we regard this as a huge opportunity for them to get behind Cosmos,” Washington told TravelMole. “We are comfortable with our commission levels but they need do push us during the key months of January, February and March.
“We want agents to turn off the operators who have reduced commission and turn to us. If they don’t, and we are at a price disadvantage, then we will have a problem.
“Agents have relied on the big four yet they could have earned more commission from us. Now they can earn massively more by booking Cosmos.”
Washington warned that if no improvement is evident in the new year, it will be forced to re-think its strategy.
“We’d have to review the current levels. But we are determined to support the trade to make this work,” he said.
He added that Cosmos was continuing to distance itself from the mass market operators and insisted its product and service would set it apart from rivals, even if it was undercut on price.
“We have no aspiration to be a mass market player and our on-going strategy is to move further away from the big four,” he said. “We offer a more specialist product and our ethos is that we care.
“Independent agents must also add value. As long as they do that, we can all benefit.”
Report by Steve Jones
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