Sales manager

Scenic & Emerald Cruises are a luxury river and ocean cruise line based in Manchester. This exciting and challenging role within the trade sales team offers the opportunity to be part of the company’s growth and increase our market share within the UK travel industry.

The Sales Manager will be responsible for a sales region, area to be defined by location, and will be:

• Based remotely, with travel to Head Office once per quarter
• Required to attend events both in the UK and overseas, incurring overnight travel when required
• Required to host overseas familiarisation trips as well as attend overseas conferences when required
• Build and maintain industry leading relationships, be a constant ambassador for both brands and be a constant promoter to positively impact to the UK’s growing sales targets

A flexible approach to working hours is required that can include evening and weekend work as and when required.

Key Responsibilities

1.     Sales Development:

• Develop and implement effective sales business plans to increase passengers, revenue, and market share with sales region
• Agree campaigns with partners that drive sales growth and brand visibility through their distribution opportunities
• Analyse sales and market trends, customer behaviour, and competitor activity to adjust tactics and remain competitive
• Collaborate with the Key Account Managers, supporting Key Account Sales & Marketing plans to drive regional retail and homeworking engagement to increase visibility and sales growth
• Own, manage and drive the best return on investment for account marketing budgets within the assigned account portfolio
• Implement successful consumer events in addition to travel agent partner’s events

2.     Partner Support, Management and Development:

• Provide regular training and support to enhance the team’s product knowledge, sales skills, and performance
• Increase partner knowledge, expertise and confidence across all products, systems and campaigns
• Present at consumer shows, conferences, regional meetings and other events
• Conduct performance reviews and implement incentive programs to maintain a high level of motivation with account portfolio

3.     Client Acquisition and Relationship Management:

• Identify and target new business opportunities, including luxury partnerships, group travel and individual business partners
• Build and maintain strong relationships with existing clients, ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction and repeat business
• Attend industry events, trade shows, and networking opportunities to generate new leads

4.     Sales Reporting and Activity Data:

• Monitor sales performance metrics and provide weekly trading feedback
• Ensure Salesforce is up-to-date with accurate information on sales activities, leads, and customer interactions
• Analyse reporting to create priorities and adjust sales strategies based on performance data and changing market conditions
• Ensure focus across all products, aligning interim needs of the business alongside the long term targets

5.     Collaboration and Communication:

• Collaborate with internal marketing, sales support, commercial and product teams to align sales strategies with promotional activities and seasonal campaigns.
• Work closely with operations, customer service, and product development teams to ensure a seamless customer experience
• Lead from the front to improve internal relations
• Increase the voice of agent/tour operator partners that deliver quality business, that sit outside the key accounts

Goals and Objectives

The Sales Manager will be expected to achieve the following objectives:

• Increase revenue from assigned accounts by a targeted percentage each year
• Enhance client satisfaction scores through proactive relationship management
• Develop and implement at least three Sales & Marketing plans annually
• Deliver regular performance reports that demonstrate growth and identify new opportunities