Position Summary
The Sales Manager plays a critical role to the Visit Oakland Sales & Services department. This position requires a talented individual who can handle a variety of responsibilities listed below, as well as other sales related projects.
Seeking a high energy, positive and self-motivated individual who is just as comfortable jumping on a plane for a sales trip as you are being in the office developing a proposal for a client. You have excellent communications skills, are innovative in your sales approach and are the ultimate team player. You can adapt easily to change and thrive on creating collaborative and productive relationships with partners, customers, and internal team members. This is a position for a seasoned sales professional. It is a great opportunity for someone who is a relationship builder and likes to work in a fast-paced environment.
The Sales Manager should be organized, personable, creative, and have an aptitude for problem solving. It will be someone who thrives on multi-tasking, managing and overseeing projects, as well as day-to-day administrative duties. This role requires a flexible schedule in order to participate in local, industry networking and Visit Oakland related events that in some cases include evenings and weekends. The Sales Manager will serve as a backup and represent the Visit Oakland Sales Team when the Vice President of Sales & Services cannot attend events.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Lead Generation: Produces group business leads for Oakland hotels/venues to drive hotel room night occupancy in Oakland. Proactive solicitation of new business and existing accounts is accomplished during in and out of market sales calls/ sales missions, trade shows and client events by creating presentations, conducting site inspections/ FAMs, written communication, proposals, etc.
- Business Development/Account Production: Identify and develop new market opportunities. Grow existing accounts. Maintain client database through CRM. Track leads. Track traces. File maintenance. Monitor production of all top accounts. Evaluate trends within your market.
- Tradeshow Management: Includes managing tradeshow registrations, Visit Oakland sponsorship and booth activations for conventions and trade shows. Represents Visit Oakland on show floor, soliciting and collecting qualified leads and pertinent account info (booking venue, seasonality, space needs, peak room nights, etc.), distributes leads to Oakland hotel partners, manages booking cycle and reports ROI. Manages the annual sales calendar and oversees the logistics required for each activation. Facilitate partner participation pre/post cons, follow-ups and tracks expenses in Simpleview.
- Customer Service & Relationship Building: Act as a liaison between meeting planners and industry partners. Develop relationships and build partnerships with area business and hotels relative to the client’s needs. At all times be attentive, friendly, helpful, service-oriented and courteous to guests, customers, other employees, industry partners, etc.
- Site Visits & FAM Tours: Meet and greet and tour onsite contacts. Manage arrangements associated with site visits and FAM tours of destination/hotels/venues/etc.
- CRM Management: Maintains sales database, lead tracking and oversees conference servicing requests. Maintain records of all client contact, traces and account management in Simpleview.
- Reporting: Ensure timely, prompt and accurate daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly reports on sales activities, lead generation, definite room night bookings, site visits, trip activity, communications, and other sales related goals.
- Strategic Planning: Evaluates sales trends, competition and economic/business conditions; recommends modifications in sales program/strategies.
- Budgets: Manages expenditures within budgetary requirements.
- Industry Participation: Serves on industry committees and boards when appropriate as well as maintains membership in local, state, regional, and national industry organizations.
- Additional: Perform any other duties as requested by the Director of Sales.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in business, hospitality, or a related field
- Minimum of two years of experience working in the hospitality industry (can include internships)
- Strong computer skills, including mastery of Microsoft Office Suite and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software
- Excellent analysis, tracking and reporting abilities
- Superb oral and written communications skills
- Available on weekends and evenings as needed
- Valid Driver’s license and a clean DMV record
- Familiarity with Oakland as a meetings destination is a plus
- Ability to collect, retain, stay abreast of and communicate current Oakland and industry trends
- Efficient to work with minimal supervision and guidance
- Ability to clearly communicate with all team members when working remotely
- Thrives in a fast-paced environment
Physical Requirements
The physical and work requirements listed are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Ability to sit and work with hands and arms for at least eight (8) hours per day and five (5) days per week.
- Physical ability to stand, reach, lift, bend, kneel, stoop, climb, walk, crawl, push and pull items weighing up to 20 pounds.
- Stand and move throughout the office.
- Add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percentage.
- Have consistent and reliable attendance.
- Proficient interpersonal relations and communicative skills in English.
- Interpret a variety of instructions furnished in English written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
- Write routine reports and correspondence.
- Meet daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly and other deadlines consistently.
- Work under pressure with changing, ambiguous priorities.
- Communicate effectively and promptly to clients or employees of the organization.
- High level of manual dexterity to adeptly type and use computer equipment.
- Auditory and visual skills – Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
- Ability to work overtime occasionally at the last minute.
Preferred Qualifications
- Previous experience in hotel sales or hotel event management, including meetings and conventions or significant experience working at a convention and visitors bureau or other similar travel industry organization
- DMO and Simpleview experience a plus
- Background of working in hospitality sales for the San Francisco Bay Area Market
- Involvement with hospitality industry organizations
Compensation
Competitive Salary
Benefits: Medical, dental, life and retirement benefits
Relocation Package: not available
How to Apply
Submit resume, cover letter, and three professional references to jasmin@visitoakland.com