Sales Manager

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. Ensures 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.

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 Event Booking Center.

·        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 (i.e., The Ritz-Carlton’s Gold Standards, MHR Spirit to Serve Daily Basics, RHR Savvy Service Basics, Courtyard, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn Basics of the Day, Residence Inn Daily Huddle, or TownePlace Suites Morning Meeting).

·        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., Event Booking Center, 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 (e.g., Training Energizers, etc.).

·        Leverages available eTools (e.g., eRooming Lists, eProposals, Passkey, etc.).

·        Conducts site inspections.

·        Creates contracts as required.

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