Catering Sales Manager

Pyramid Global Hospitality•Fort Wayne, IN

1d•$50,000 - $55,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Catering Sales Manager directs, coordinates, trains, and supervises Banquet and Catering Support staff. The role develops existing accounts and secures new ones to maximize hotel revenue, while analyzing and reviewing ways to increase sales through marketing efforts. It is based at The Bradley in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a hotel managed by Pyramid Global Hospitality. The manager develops catering sales plans and strategies, monitors account production and market trends, identifies new opportunities, and manages client relationships and event revenue. The position works with food and beverage and hotel teams to ensure catered functions are executed properly, oversees client experiences and assigned group room blocks and meeting space, and leads pre- and post-event coordination. The role also generates 30-, 60-, and 90-day banquet and catering revenue forecasts and helps manage divisional expenditures within budget. The position may require some travel, including automobile travel for sales calls and account servicing and occasional airline travel. Candidates must have reliable transportation, a valid state driver’s license, and a good driving record. Compensation is $50,000–$55,000.

Requirements

Post-high-school education; or one to two years of related experience and/or training in hotel sales or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Highly developed customer service skills.
Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information discreetly and professionally.
Ability to identify sales opportunities.
Excellent problem-solving and customer-service skills, including the ability to solve problems without direct supervision.
Excellent time-management and organizational skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to track actions and follow through on processes.
Strong computer skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite: Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Strong attention to detail and the ability to set priorities, multitask, and meet deadlines.
Ability to understand the competitive landscape and adjust sales strategies in response to market and economic changes.
Ability to work effectively with internal and external customers, including those requiring patience, tact, and diplomacy to defuse anger.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common journals, financial reports, and sales and catering agreements or contracts.
Ability to respond to common customer or business-community inquiries and complaints and present information effectively to groups or individual accounts.
Ability to calculate discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume.
Ability to solve practical problems with limited standardization and interpret written, oral, diagrammatic, or scheduled instructions.
Reliable transportation, a valid state driver’s license, and a good driving record for sales calls.
Ability to meet the stated physical demands, including occasionally lifting or moving up to 10 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management, Business Administration, Marketing, or Communication.
Previous experience in a four- to five-star boutique hotel and familiarity with its quality and service expectations.
Delphi experience.

Responsibilities

Direct, coordinate, train, and supervise Banquet and Catering Support staff.
Maintain knowledge of company banquet food-service standards, best practices, policies, and service initiatives, and ensure the Banquet team follows them.
Develop market awareness to predict revenue opportunities and establish proactive strategies.
Set individual sales plans and goals for corporate and social catering.
Monitor production of top accounts, evaluate market trends, maintain prospect records, and independently solicit and book business.
Develop strategies to increase market share when hotel revenue penetration goals are not being met.
Analyze market research to determine customer needs, sales potential, pricing, and discounts, and develop catering sales campaigns.
Control divisional expenditures in line with budgetary requirements.
Develop sales plans, client relationships, key accounts, target markets, and sales products to meet or exceed revenue goals.
Adjust sales plans and strategies in response to competitive, market, and economic changes.
Coordinate with food and beverage and hotel staff to ensure catered functions are executed properly.
Conduct client visits and participate in industry events with other sales managers.
Plan and structure catered events creatively.
Develop and supervise contracts, proposals, and customized menus that meet client needs and financial goals.
Conduct client site inspections and tastings as needed to secure business.
Greet clients before functions or events as needed.
Inspect meeting rooms daily to verify correct setups.
Communicate with management daily or through weekly reporting about prospective and lost business, customer and operational issues, discounted events, and specialized room setups.
Attend and participate in regular Banquet Event Order meetings.
Generate 30-, 60-, and 90-day banquet and catering revenue forecasts.
Lead pre-event and post-event meetings for assigned groups and communicate group needs and feedback.
Identify operational challenges for assigned groups and work with property staff and customers on solutions or alternatives.
Manage customer budgets to maximize revenue and meet customer needs.
Oversee customer experiences from file turnover through the post-event phase and turnover back to sales.
Manage group room blocks and meeting space for assigned groups.
Manage revenue and profitability associated with events.
Carry out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with organizational policies and applicable laws.