City Sales Manager

Big Bus Tours LTD Washington DC United States of America Sales
Warning! Vacancy expired

Company Description

Big Bus Tours is the world’s largest operator of open-top sightseeing tours, fueling the spirit of adventure in 23 world-famous cities across four continents. Beginning its journey 28 years’ ago, with a fleet of only three buses, Big Bus Tours has swiftly expanded to a global fleet of over 400 hundred open-top buses, turning 5 million tourists into explorers, every year. Big Bus Tours operates in London, Dubai, Hong Kong, New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Abu Dhabi, Budapest, Istanbul, Miami, Muscat, Rome, Paris, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Darwin, Sydney, Vienna, Washington DC, Dublin, Singapore, Los Angeles and Berlin with a sightseeing concept designed to provide a flexible approach to city discovery. Each open-top bus tour provides a hop-on, hop-off facility at a variety of interesting locations, with complimentary additions to enhance the visitor sightseeing experience. In February 2015, private equity firm Exponent purchased Big Bus Tours, with a shared vision to make Big Bus Tours the number 1 thing to do in each world-famous city. In 2016, Merlin Entertainments PLC became a shareholder, offering a natural synergy with Big Bus Tours and Merlin attractions and experiences around the world. With entertaining guides and commentary and knowledge of the latest events in each city, the Big Bus City Crew leaves every passenger with a story to tell.

Position

Description

Own partner relationships in assigned local market to ensure (a) increase in sale of Big Bus tickets through local distribution partners (any business retailing Big Bus tickets to their customers) and (b) increase in attachment rate/revenue for sale of local attraction tickets (where Big Bus would sell the attraction tickets through its distribution network). The role will encompass planning, prospecting and account management, leveraging best practices to ensure that we maximize all local sales channels.

The individual will manage a local sales team within the assigned city and work closely with the local operations team as well as global sales, marketing and product teams.

Key Areas of Accountability and Responsibility

Planning:

  • Devise a sales plan to include growth from existing sales outlets for cities within assigned city.
  • Identify opportunities to optimize sales through all B2B channels for local market.

Prospecting/Negotiating:

  • Actively attend relevant (Concierge, and trade) sales events, representing Big Bus and, where relevant, its attraction partners.
  • Devise a sales plan to include growth from existing sales outlets for cities within assigned city to either increase sales or reduce costs, ultimately leading to business growth.

Account Management:

  • Establish a reporting process in conjunction with final team to monitor and identify growth opportunities by channel and where relevant, by agent.
  • Drive a “pursuit of excellence” culture & motivate local agents and partners in order to exceed goals and maximize the sales execution.
  • Work with Area Manager to resolve high severity requests or issue escalations as needed.

Team Management

  • Manage and motivate sales executives, ensuring that channel conflicts are minimized and sales growth in any one channel does not cannibalize sales in another.

 

Requirements

Knowledge/Skills

  • Good understanding of travel industry with an ability to assess demand thus ensuring that we plan sales and promotional activities in a timely manner
  • Proficiency in additional languages will be an advantage
  • Proficient in use of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
  • Working knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics and Google Analytics
  • Excellent communication, negotiation and presentation skills
  • Demonstrate ability to present and influence credibly and effectively throughout the organization

Education/Experience

  • At least 2 years’ experience in sales function, ideally gained within the travel industry
  • Proven ability to set the example for and lead other team members
  • Experience in delivering sales initiatives based on customer needs and ability to solve complex problems effectively
  • Proven ability to manage multiple projects at a time while paying strict attention to detail
  • Budget management & reporting experience in managing marketing budgets and ensuring diligent use of budgets to attain maximum impact
  • Minimize 3rd party agent debt derived from agents with credit facility

Competencies

  • Communication – Ability to express ideas or facts in a clear and persuasive manner. Convince others to own expressed viewpoint.
  • Leadership – Motivates enables and inspires others to succeed, utilizing appropriate styles. Has a clear vision of what is required and acts as a positive role model.
  • Strategic and Critical Thinking – Takes account of a wide range of longer-term issues, opportunities and contingencies. Identifies the means of implementing plans in line with the vision and direction.
  • Analytical – Effectiveness in identifying problems, seeking pertinent data, recognizing important information and identifying possible causes of problems.
  • Planning and Budgeting – Ability to establish efficiently an appropriate course of action for self/others to accomplish a goal.
  • Customer Focus – Exceeding customer expectations by displaying a total commitment to identifying and providing solutions of the highest possible standards aimed at addressing customer needs.
  • Resilience – Able to maintain effectiveness in situations of disappointment and/or rejection.
  • Commercial Awareness – Able to understand the key business issues that affect the profitability and growth of an enterprise and takes appropriate action to maximize success.

Other information

Working Hours and Conditions

Core working hours are 9.00am to 6.00pm, Monday through Friday and such additional hours as may be necessary for the proper performance of duties. 

The role involves frequent travel (sometimes through different time zones) and the necessity of overnight stays, it is accepted and understood that mobility and the need to work flexible hours is an integral part of the role.