Business Development Executive

ABOUT US

Join the leading independent rail vacation provider in North America and beyond! Railbookers Group, home to both Railbookers and Amtrak Vacations, is passionate about delivering unforgettable train travel experiences. We take pride in crafting seamless, personalized itineraries for our guests and travel advisors, offering the largest selection of independent rail vacations worldwide. If you have a passion for travel and a knack for sales, we invite you to be a part of our growing team.


Job Purpose:

We are seeking a seasoned professional Business Development Executive with a strong understanding of the area of specialization, wider department goals, and cross-functional department goals. The successful candidate will be responsible for promoting and selling the Railbookers and Amtrak Vacations brands primarily to travel agents within the designated sales territory. This position operates as part of a team and reports to the Vice President of Sales, USA. The role requires excellent attention to detail, multitasking abilities, and the capacity to work on problems of diverse scope where analysis of situations and data is required.


Duties and Responsibilities:

• Sales and Relationship Building:
  • Make daily outbound calls to travel agents within the assigned to sales territory.
  • Develop strong relationships with partners at the travel agent, manager and agency levels to help increase Railbookers and Amtrak Vacations trade sales.
  • Build productive and stable working relationships with internal functional teams and relevant cross-functional teams with minimal support or supervision from senior team members.
• Training and Presentations:
  • Conduct online and in-person training webinars for travel agents.
  • Develop and execute joint consumer presentations and virtual travel talks to support assigned agency partners.
  • Participate in virtual and in-person partner conferences as needed. (Occasionally support partners outside assigned sales territory as required.)
• Customer Service and Problem Solving:
  • Intercept customer service issues from travel agents and work with Guest Relations department to resolve, with the support of other teammates where needed. 
  • Resolve a wide range of problems in creative ways, demonstrating good judgment and critical thinking to obtain successful solutions.
• Performance Management:
  • Achieve daily, weekly, and monthly phone and email communication goals in accordance with specified KPIs and performance guidelines.
  • Monitor the performance of assigned agencies on a weekly, monthly & yearly basis.
  • Actively seek feedback and opportunities for improvement, conducting retrospectives to diagnose and recommend improvements.
• Product Knowledge and Communication:
  • Maintain thorough and complete knowledge of Railbookers Group products, services, and brand USPs.
  • Ensure that travel agent partners are kept up to date with the latest brand information including itineraries, brochures, and product enhancements.
• Brand Representation:
  • Represent the Railbookers Group brands in an appropriate and professional manner.
  • Model the RBG Values and Ways of Working and lead by example for more junior team members.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of proven inside and/or outside sales experience required.
• Must be located in the USA in one of the states we employ in. 
• Travel industry sales experience required.
• Proven success and skill in negotiating and/or closing business with accounts.
• Post-secondary qualification in sales, business, or marketing an asset.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel or similar.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends on occasion.
• Ability to work virtually from home with suitable office space.
• Some overnight travel required to attend partner events, company meetings and FAM trips.  Approximately 20-30%

The Business Development Executive will work with minimal instruction for day-to-day tasks and may need guidance for complex or new assignments while working independently and demonstrating proactive self-motivation. This role requires the ability to handle complexity and variety, actively seeking opportunities for improvement and growth within the organization.


What we Offer:

• Work from Home  
• Generous PTO Package  
• Bonus and Incentive Plans  
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance including Optional HSA
• Employer sponsored Life and AD&D Insurance
• Voluntary Life and AD&D Insurance
• Voluntary Short-term/Long Term disability Plan
• EAP - Employee Assistance Program
• 401 (k) with Employer-Match
• Work Away from Primary Location
• Familiarization Trips (Get paid to experience our vacations!)  
• Employee and Family/Friend Travel Discounts  
• Corporate Discounts through Working Advantage  
• Employee Referral Bonus Program
• Cross-Departmental and Advanced Training Opportunities  
• Anniversary, Birthday, and Recognition Perks  
• Years of Service Awards  
• Annual Reimbursements for Home Office (office expenses, phone, internet)

Remote - Work from home Location Requirement: While this position is remote, candidates must be permanently located and authorized to work in one of the following U.S. states:

USA: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin.