Catering Sales Manager

GTA-IB Management LLC•Palm Harbor, FL

12d•Onsite

About The Position

The Catering Sales Manager is a highly motivated individual responsible for booking and servicing new and existing social and corporate catering business to meet and exceed food and beverage and group rooms revenue goals. This role involves telephone solicitation, outside sales calls, site inspections, and written communication. The ideal candidate will focus on the future development of catering sales within a specific territory.

Requirements

Must be able to speak, read, write, and understand the primary language used in the workplace.
Requires good communication skills, both verbal and written.
Ability to identify and develop accounts.
Extensive knowledge of meeting room capacities, banquet set-up, audio-visual, and any other pertinent details as they relate to sales.
Knowledge of hotel and competitive market.
Must possess computer skills, including, but not limited to, accounting programs, Microsoft Office, Excel and iVvy.
Excellent interpersonal and sales-related skills.
Exceptional organizational and time management skills.
May be required to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form; to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Determine, develop, and execute action plans against existing and new target accounts to achieve and exceed sales revenue expectations.
Develop and maintain ongoing relationships with the competitive set and customers, and actively participate in community organizations and professional associations to maintain visibility and market share.
Continually target and prospect new business using marketing and sales resources.
Qualify incoming leads and send proposals, contracts, and addendums if needed to negotiate catering business using marketing and sales resources.
Negotiate guest room rates, meeting room rental, function space, and hotel services within approved booking guidelines.
Follow up on outstanding proposals and contracts to effectively close business.
Process definite contracts and route information effectively and appropriately to the hotel turnover catcher who will forward it to the operations team.
Analyze competition, market trends, and customer needs to continually assess productivity against established goals and budgets.
Analyze historical, current, and future hotel performance to capture the maximum amount of revenue and meet/exceed individual sales goals and sales budget.
Maximize revenue by selling all facets of the hotel, including guest rooms, golf, spa, and F&B outlets.
Manage account details so all pertinent aspects of solicitation and closing are complete and documented in the Delphi sales and catering system.
Conduct tours of the property to social and corporate customers and other potential customers, informing them of all hotel services available; entertain customers on property during site inspections, pre-planning trips, and program operation when appropriate.
Complete required site forms to alert the hotel of tours.
Competently utilize required systems/equipment and platforms to effectively evaluate availability, profitability, and track the progress of groups from proposal through execution.
Maintain accurate, organized, and up-to-date files, including computer filing and sales platform records (attachments, traces, activities, etc.).
Complete business evaluation process to maximize revenues for food & beverage with the Director of Catering and Conference Services.
Actively participate in all sales/operational meetings.
Travel is required to attend customer events, conduct outside sales calls, and participate in trade shows.
Participate in planning events for upcoming groups.
Maintain strong client relations and ensure that event specifications are communicated and executed for a successful event experience for the planner and attendees.
Monitor and manage room blocks according to contract.
Monitor and enforce program deadline dates and work with clients to release meeting space not needed to maximize hotel revenues.
Service Catering groups of all sizes, as well as handling any resort-wide special projects as assigned by the Director of Catering and Conference Services.
Produce and distribute catering resumes two weeks prior to the first day of main group arrival and communicate any changes and updated information to hotel departments.
Distribute BEOs for groups and affiliates 10-14 days prior to events.
Accurately forecast group rooms and group food and beverage revenues for assigned groups and affiliate business within a 5% variance (forecasts on a running 90 days).
Check sleeping room and suite block, special room concessions, and rates as outlined in contract with group reservations agents, as well as updating group reservations agents with any changes.
Verify credit information submitted in account management software system at point of turnover, to include estimated amount of billing, billing type, and appropriate contact and update information as necessary until departure.
Participate in occasional Pre/Post-Conference meetings to review the program and final bill with the client.
Introduce and recommend preferred vendors as determined with the revenue goal of the resort.
Maintain solid and open communication with all hotel operating departments.
Demonstrate a strong commitment to the Salamander Collection operating principles and philosophies.
Professionally represent the resort in the community, industry organizations, and events.
Perform other duties as assigned to meet business needs.