Sales Executive

PGL are currently looking to appoint a Sales Executive to join the Telesales Team based at PGL’s Head Office in Ross-on-Wye.

PGL is the UK's leading provider of school trips and children's adventure holidays - offering outdoor education and adventures of a lifetime to children since 1957. With over 25 centres across the UK and Europe, PGL cater for more than 400,000 guests each year and we need enthusiastic, energetic staff to make that happen.

PGL’s Telesales Team handle sales of all UK Adventure and Overseas products to both new and retained groups. Each Sales Executive is responsible for maximising profitable revenue within a given geographic territory.

Key responsibilities include:

• Effectively managing sales leads from new and existing PGL clients;
• Proactively contacting and managing relationships with all groups who have enquired or previously travelled with PGL;
• Maintaining accurate records of each enquiry/booking using the computer based systems;
• Meeting Key Performance Indicators to ensure that individual performance targets are met;
• Meeting individual monthly and annual performance targets for bookings and revenue;
• Contributing to departmental monthly and annual performance targets for revenue and bookings;
• Using sales techniques effectively to overcome hurdles and objections in closing sales;
• Working closely with reservation teams to ensure clear communication during enquiry and booking process.
• Exploring the sales opportunities within your assigned LEAs in order to maximise bookings from both existing and potential customers;
• Managing bookings from point of sale to confirmation to ensure the highest possible conversion rate from option to booking;
• Supplying customers with all the information they require regarding their prospective holiday in a timely manner, to handling telephone calls and correspondence for schools and group bookings;
• Ensuring payments are collected in a timely manner by proactively chasing payments and working closely with the reservations teams to send invoices etc;
• Providing accurate information about customers to the reservations teams and other internal colleagues/departments in a timely manner;
• Helping teachers to overcome issues as they launch their trip to ensure that the maximum number of trips go ahead;
• Maintaining accurate records of each booking.

We’re looking for somebody who gets a buzz from securing sales and is pro-active and tenacious in following up leads. You will have previous sales experience and enjoy working to challenging targets.

Additional skills and experience will ideally include:

• Experience in a customer service role – must have the ability to listen to customers and proactively seek to meet their needs;
• Strong personal organisation skills – ability and experience of effectively prioritising workloads and multi-tasking in a busy open plan office environment;
• Confident and polite telephone manner;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Computer literate with experience of Word and Excel;
• Keen attention to detail;
• The ability to work unsupervised and as part of a team and to adhere to strict deadlines;
• Experience of dealing with customers via telephone and email;
• Previous experience of working with schools and groups or within other travel industry sectors.

The role is full time, 37.5hrs per week, 8.30am – 5.00pm. Occasional weekend visits to PGL sites are expected, with overnight stays and time off is given in lieu.