Wij zijn op zoek naar een ware sales guru als versterking van ons senior management team, die met een indrukwekkende track record in verkoopresultaten en een krachtige persoonlijkheid de onderneming van iedere Travel Counsellor, onze franchisenemers, verder weet te helpen groeien op het gebied van omzet en rendement. Tot de taken behoren onder meer het mede bepalen en het uitvoeren van onze verkoopstrategie, het behalen van de doelstellingen, leiding geven aan een team van Business Development Coaches en de verantwoording voor een effectief trainingsprogramma. Denk je genoeg energie, overredingskracht en sociale vaardigheden te hebben en uitermate resultaat gericht te zijn? Lees de uitgebreide omschrijving en neem contact op met Fred van Eijk, Managing Director.
Travel Counsellors are an award-winning, people-based travel business that places people at the heart of everything we do. Our vison is to be the most caring business in the world. We have 1,800 home-based Travel Counsellor Franchisees and 380 support staff based from our global headquarters located near the Trafford Centre in Manchester and globally in our 6 international offices. With sales of £600m plus per annum and ambitions to be a £1bn digitally enabled business, famous for the way we look after our customers and people, we are always on the lookout for talented individuals who will be integral to the on-going success of this entrepreneurial business.
The Company sets itself apart by recruiting the best talent, building personal relationships with customers and delivering the highest level of personal service and care that can be found in any industry. In 2017 we have won the Customer Focus Award in the National Business Awards and for over twenty years we’ve set the trends in travel homeworking. Our business model is tried and tested, based on relationships, retention and referral. It’s this approach that makes us more than a little different from the rest. And that’s what keeps our customers coming back year after year, again and again. In fact, we have one of the highest scores in the words for customer loyalty and advocacy with 95% of customers saying they would recommend Travel Counsellors to their friends, family and colleagues.
The business is growing quickly and has a huge opportunity for further growth predicated by delivering both world class levels of people engagement, development and support and world class leading levels of customer retention, loyalty and advocacy.
The Company’s culture is based on caring and it has a clear leadership mantra of inspiring people to a future without limits and people behaviours centred around Focus, Pace, Execution, Innovation and continuous improvement by encouraging feedback at all levels.
We’re looking for the very best talent to help us scale the business quickly. People with natural ambition, limitless thinking, a positive mind-set who are comfortable and skilled in the use and analysis of data to drive insight and value and who possess a high- level of people and relationship skills.
The Company’s Growth Strategy
- The Company has a clear strategy to drive growth through its core business strategy of RRP namely:
- The Recruitment of more Travel Counsellors, with a focus on improving the quality of each cohort of TCs through more effective recruitment targeting.
- Driving more sales from new and existing customers via Referrals and improving the Re-Book rates from existing customers; and
- Using Phenix, our in-house technology platform to enhance the experience we give our customers and enable our Travel Counsellors to improve their earnings.
In addition, we have identified a number of areas of transformational growth covering not limited to:
- Scaling the current core strategy beyond the existing Plan.
- A more intense focus on core travel markets such as corporate travel and cruise.
- Driving sales and margin through more effective pricing and yield management.
- M&A opportunities in current geographical markets
- Further international expansion.
- The more effective use of data analytics to drive value via our core Strategy
- Investment in technology to enhance the user experience of Travel Counsellors and customers.
- Pricing and yield management
Brief Overview of the Position
Reporting directly to the General Manager, with dotted-line reporting to Global Sales Director, you will be responsible for leading the Business Development Coaches, managing Sales Promotions and improving TC performance to the required minimum expectations locally.
Through coaching, supporting and clearly defining strategies and activities, you will help Travel Counsellors & Business Development Coaches achieve sustained high-performance. Most importantly, you will be responsible for encouraging accountability for TC Performance & TC Behaviours whilst ensuring focus remains on the long-term and short-term goals and business priorities. You will not only be empowering the Business Development Coaches & High-performing TC’s to improve their performance and create sustainable and successful careers, but you will also hold responsibilities for ensuring that the Company performance as a whole meets its Sales-related targets.
Main Responsibilities
- Drive TC Performance by personally supporting and coaching the highest performing 20% of TC’s to grow their businesses (measured against personal KPI’s).
- Work with the Global Sales Director, International BD Director & Head of Training & Development to implement and embed (& conduct where necessary) in-house sales initiatives, training and processes to Global standards (measured against adoption levels and/or TC retention).
- Ensuring TC’s are supported well and understand the business model and tools (I.e the use of our in-house IT system Phenix) to help transition mindset from the traditional travel agent to that of a tour operator.
- Ensure levels of engagement are high and attrition is managed well, identifying potential leavers early and taking proactive steps to retain where appropriate.
- Communicating change well, winning hearts and minds of TC’s and internal teams to develop a winning mindset
- Develop and implement BD promise to ensure clarity on TC commitment to Business Development coaching and interactions, ensuring all touch points are delivered, reviewed and measured.
- Manage the structure and activities of Business Development Coaches to help 80% TC’s grow their businesses through referrals, repeat business & utilising our in-house ‘Phenix’ platform (measured against cohort KPI’s).
- Development of Business Development Coaches, making sure all team have clear objectives and personal development plans. Drive high performance of team to ensure delivery of plans.
- Work with peers to ensure a one team approach and drive high levels of engagement with the Netherlands office environment.
- Work with Head of Sales Promotions to agree, execute & measure the effectiveness of promotions and incentives calendar (reporting based on ROI).
- Identify performance measures to drive value and identify where focus is needed
- Keep abreast of competitor activity to ensure market challenges are anticipated, understood and agree a plan of activity to mitigate impact on business and provide opportunity to TC’s to capitalise on market factors.
- Develop relationships with global support and colleagues to share knowledge of local market and utilise expertise within the global network to drive better performance of TC’s and Business Development Coaches.
The Sales Manager will be measured against growth metrics. Indicative metrics are listed below:
- Sales Revenue (% of Leisure Sales & % Corporate Sales)
- Gross commissions (& Margin)
- TC Retention (Attrition)
- NPS TC Satisfaction
- % Adoption (eg. Using our in-house system Phenix, sign-up to our in-house sales program and MyTC app etc)
- % Gold
- % non-bookers
- % Referral Rate
- % Rebook Rate (in 12mths)
- Volume & value of under performers
- Delivery of ‘BD promise’
Objectives will be set and progress measured in line with (but not limited to) the above.
Summary of Key Attributes and Qualifications
- Dutch speaking with knowledge of the Netherlands/Belgium markets, and experience of managing across Global markets (essential)
- Travel Industry experience preferable (not essential)
- Experience of operating in a target-driven environment with high-growth expectations
- Excellent written and oral communication skills, adapting style to suit the audience or individual
- Ability to motivate others and build trust through effective listening and collaboration skills
- Ability to drive high performance through a coaching and learning environment.
- Ability to engage with people at all levels throughout the global organisation – can nurture and cultivate influential relationships
- Will take responsibility for making things happen, you will be a self-starter with a positive mindset
- Willingness to learn and develop
- Proven experience within a Sales/Customer Management role
- Coaching and Mentoring Experience
- Be commercially astute, and have the ability to analyse MI/Data
- Be empathetic, encouraging, motivational and able to build/maintain relationships easily & naturally
- Have the confidence to present to various audiences e.g. 1-2-1, training small groups or conference-style
- Highly proficient in Microsoft Suite of products
- Advanced skill in MI analysis in a Sales/Advanced role
