Group Sales Manager

Blackberry Farm•Walland, TN

About The Position

The Group Sales Manager obtains, organizes, and books group business and on-property functions for Blackberry Farm, Blackberry Mountain, and High Hampton Hotels, while ensuring activity stays within the group sales strategy. The role works with corporate, leisure, and wedding group planners and coordinates group arrangements from proposals and contracts through deposits, operational communication, site visits, and follow-up. The position also promotes the properties as meeting, leisure, and wedding destinations, develops new group leads, and maintains reports and tracking systems for prospective business and sales activity. The job requires regular and consistent attendance, compliance with company policies and procedures, effective collaboration with team members and managers, and interaction with guests. The position has no supervisory responsibilities. Work is primarily computer and phone based, with some on-site work during group site visits at Blackberry Farm and Blackberry Mountain.

Requirements

Hospitality industry experience is required.
Familiarity with Microsoft Windows, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Opera.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to present and sell Blackberry Farm, Blackberry Mountain, and High Hampton enthusiastically as meeting destinations and provide exceptional group service.
Ability to communicate effectively with guests, managers, and team members.
Intermediate mathematical skills for reporting, statistics, and budgets.
Ability to make sound judgment calls regarding sales and customer requests.
Ability to complete tasks in a timely manner while handling constant interruptions.
Ability to exercise judgment and make decisions based on job knowledge and awareness of company goals.
Ability to safely operate a company vehicle or golf cart.
Must be a leader in their current role and provide examples of succeeding ahead of their peers.

Nice To Haves

A college degree or equivalent experience in group sales or service is preferred.

Responsibilities

Act as a contact for corporate, leisure, and wedding group planners.
Coordinate group details, including room blocks, activities, meals, meetings, and special requests.
Oversee, approve, and create receipts for preliminary deposits, payments, and postings.
Communicate group requirements to operational staff.
Solicit feedback from group contacts.
Sell group activities and special services.
Create and maintain group policy and information manuals.
Conduct telephone solicitation and personal sales calls to potential customers and repeat group planners.
Coordinate and conduct site visits, including booking and confirming the departments involved with the stay and leading tours.
Write and negotiate group proposals and contracts through the Opera system.
Generate and send contracts in a timely manner.
Promote Blackberry Farm, Blackberry Mountain, and High Hampton as meeting, leisure, and wedding destinations through trade shows and sales calls.
Attend trade shows and handle pre-show mailings and post-show follow-up when needed.
Generate leads for new group business.
Attend weekly Yield Meetings and run weekly group reports for those meetings.
Produce reports and maintain tracking systems for prospective group business, group marketing efforts, proposals, contract revenue, and ADR.
Identify ways to improve how the work is done.
Comply with company policies and procedures and maintain regular, consistent attendance.
Work effectively with team members and managers and interact with guests.