How to Become a Hospitality Sales Manager
The hospitality industry is larger than ever, with inexpensive airfares increasing travel around the world and hotels and other hospitality-focused businesses finding new ways to market themselves via the Internet and social media websites. Managing a sales department in this industry can be both challenging and exhilarating, and becoming a hospitality sales manager requires you to have a business or marketing background, a customer-first attitude and a self-starter mentality.
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Instructions
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Earn a bachelor's degree. As in any job, one of the best ways to get to the management level is to get a degree, preferably in marketing or business. In this position, you will be potentially managing several people and large budgets, and your employer will want to know that you have a thorough educational background in this area.
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Work in the industry. In addition to a related education, hospitality-based companies will want to see that you have worked in the industry, demonstrating that you understand the basics of the business and have learned at the feet of established managers. Showing that you have the ability to deal with customers and provide top-notch service while learning “back-of-house” details will make you an attractive promotion candidate.
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Show an ability to create leads. The sales manager will ultimately be responsible for an increase in sales and growth in his department. The ability to draw groups that will regularly use your business and to create exciting ideas to market to local hospitality-purchasing decision-makers will be essential to be successful. Showing on your resume that you have brought in new clients to other sales positions is important.
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Lead people. Because you will oversee a department, you should have experiencing being a manager or leader. You may not have direct management experience on your resume, but if you can show that you been in positions of leadership—in a civic organization or a school-based activity—will help you land a management job.
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Show great interpersonal skills. Every good salesperson is first a people person and could “sell ice cubes to Eskimos,” as the old saying goes. Having a customer-focused attitude and being a person who other people like and enjoy being around is important in hospitality sales. People care very much how they spend their vacation and leisure money and will not spend it with you if you don’t make them comfortable.
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Be willing to work a non-traditional schedule. The hospitality industry is not a 9-to-5 gig, and to work here—especially as a manager—you should be prepared to sacrifice nights, weekends and holidays. In addition, times when people traditionally take vacation will most likely be your busiest time of year; plan your vacation for off-season times.
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References
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