Assistant Director of Sales - Market Sales Melbourne

JOB SUMMARY Responsible for proactively soliciting and managing all group and catering opportunities. Manages reactive group and catering opportunities. Actively up-sells each business opportunity to maximize revenue opportunity. Leads and manages all day-to-day activities related to the sales function with a focus on building long-term, value-based customer relationships that enable achievement of property sales objectives. Achieves personal booking goals and makes recommendations on booking goals of direct reports. Ensures business is turned over to 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 • 2-year degree from an accredited university in Business Administration, Marketing, Hotel and Restaurant Management, or related major; 3 years experience in the sales and marketing or related professional area. OR • 4-year bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Hotel and Restaurant Management, or related major; 1 year experience in the sales and marketing or related professional area.

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES Understanding Market Opportunities & Driving Revenue · Reactively handles all group and catering opportunities with a strong emphasis on increasing conversion rates. · Partners with group/catering counterparts; Market Sales, GSO, to effectively manage the business opportunity. · Responds to all incoming group/catering opportunities for the property in line with MI response time guidelines. · Identifies, qualifies and solicits new and repeat group/catering business to achieve personal, team and each property’s revenue goals. · Focuses efforts on group/catering accounts with significant potential sales revenue. · In conjunction with the Snr. Director, Sales & Distribution, develops effective group/catering sales plans and actions. · Working with the individual properties, 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. · Effectively cross sells to maximise market share for the participating hotels. · Uses negotiating skills and creative selling abilities to close on business and negotiate contracts. · Hotel Communication – coordinates with hotels for site inspections and entertainment. Updates hotels on their accounts and pending business status and ensures follow-through and property “buy-in” on customers’ service needs. · Maintains accurate and up-to-date account data and reporting using an account management system.

Maximizing Revenue • Provides positive and aggressive leadership to ensure maximum revenue potential (e.g., sets example with personal booking goals). • Recommends booking goals for sales team members.

Managing Sales Activities • Approves space release for catering to maximize revenue (DOS, Group) in the absence of a Business Evaluation Manager. • Participates in sales calls with members of sales team to acquire new business and/or close on business. • Executes and supports the operational aspects of business booked (e.g., generating proposal, writing contract, customer correspondence).

Analyzing & Reporting on Sales and Financial Data • Analyzes market information by using sales systems and implements strategy to achieve property’s financial room and catering goals. • Assists Revenue Management with completing accurate six period projections. • Reviews sales and catering guest satisfaction results to