Senior Sales Manager - Conventions

JOB SUMMARY

Responsible for proactively soliciting and managing large group/catering related opportunities with significant revenue potential. Manages group/catering opportunities not handled by an Event Booking Center (EBC). Actively up-sells each business opportunity to maximize revenue opportunity. Achieves personal and team related revenue goals. Verifies business is turned over properly and in a timely fashion for proper service delivery. Responsible for driving customer/guest loyalty by delivering service excellence throughout each customer/guest experience. Provides service to customers in order to grow the account on behalf of the company.

CANDIDATE PROFILE 

Education and Experience

• High school diploma or GED; 2 years experience in the sales and marketing, guest services, front desk, or related professional area.

OR

• 2-year degree from an accredited university in Business Administration, Marketing, Hotel and Restaurant Management, or related major; no work experience required.

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

Understanding Market Opportunities & Driving Revenue

• Targets group/catering accounts, markets, or segments with heavy emphasis on proactive solicitation and account saturation.

• Partners with group/catering counterpart to effectively manage the business opportunity.

• Responds to incoming group/catering opportunities for the property that are outside parameters of the .

• Handles all opportunities if property does not participate in an EBC.

• Identifies, qualifies and solicits new group/catering business to achieve personal and each property’s revenue goals.

• Focuses efforts on group/catering accounts with significant potential sales revenue.

• Develops effective group/catering sales plans and actions.

• Designs, develops and sells creative catered events.

• Maximizes revenue by upselling packages and creative food and beverage.

• Understands the overall market - competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, economic trends, supply and demand etc. and knows how to sell against them.

• Closes the best opportunities for each property based on market conditions and individual property needs.

• Uses negotiating skills and creative selling abilities to close on business and negotiate contracts.

Providing Exceptional Customer Service

• Handles complex business with significant revenue potential as well as significant customer expectations.

• Builds and strengthens relationships with existing and new customers to enable future bookings. Activities include sales calls, entertainment, FAM trips, trade shows, etc.

• Develops relationships within community to strengthen and expand customer base for group/catering sales opportunities.

• Supports brand’s Service and Relationship Strategy, driving customer loyalty by delivering service excellence throughout each customer experience.

• Provides excellent customer service in order to grow share of the account.

• Executes brand’s Customer Service Standards and property’s Brand Standards.

• Executes and supports the business Customer Service Standards and property’s Brand Standards.

• Participates in and practices daily service basics of the brand.

• Executes exemplary customer service to drive customer satisfaction and loyalty by assisting the customer and ensuring their satisfaction before and during their program/event.

• Serves the customer by understanding their needs and recommending the appropriate features and services that best meet their needs and exceed their expectations, while building a relationship and loyalty to the property and brand.

• Gains understanding of the property’s primary target customer and service expectations; serves the customer by understanding their business, business issues and concerns, to offer better business solution both prior to, and during the program/event.

Building Successful Relationships

• Works collaboratively with off-property sales channels (e.g., , Market Sales, Strategic Accounts) to ensure sales efforts are coordinated, complementary and not duplicative.

• Manages and develops relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.

• Uses sales resources and administrative/support staff.

Additional Responsibilities

• Utilizes intranet for resources and information.

• Conducts site inspections.

• Creates contracts as required.

• Executes and supports the operational aspects of business booked (e.g., generating proposal, writing contract, customer correspondence).