At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a dynamic sales team to drive revenue and create unforgettable travel experiences.
- Company: Travelbound, a leader in educational travel with over 30 years of experience.
- Benefits: Hybrid working, annual bonus, 25 days leave, and opportunities for overseas travel.
- Other info: Join a diverse and inclusive culture that values innovation and personal growth.
- Why this job: Shape the future of educational travel while leading a passionate team.
- Qualifications: Proven sales management experience and strong communication skills required.
The predicted salary is between 37800 - 46200 £ per year.
With more than 30 years’ experience, Travelbound are the industry leaders in high quality, subject-led tours for schools, universities, colleges, and clubs.
With bespoke itineraries to incredible worldwide destinations, and our exclusive Chateau du Molay in Normandy, Travelbound tailor every tour to meet your specific educational and cultural requirements.
Whether it’s a history trip to New York & Washington, introducing Art & Design students to Paris, or organising orchestra and choir performance tours in Italy, every detail will be taken care of to create a truly tailormade, inspiring learning experience.
Travelbound is an exciting period of growth.
We’re looking for talented people who want to think differently to create a best in industry culture, and a desire to drive change and performance.
The Role: Sales Manager
Lead the Travelbound Core sales team to deliver the brand’s revenue and margin plan across both new business and repeat bookings.
This is a people leadership role, with success achieved through a high-performing team.
You will create a strong performance culture with clear expectations, regular coaching and accountability, while developing efficient sales processes that drive results.
You will enjoy designing efficient, effective processes that make selling easier, and take real pride in building a high performing team that people enjoy being part of.
This is a key role for Travelbound beyond the sales floor.
Working closely with Product, Commercial and Marketing, you will help shape what we sell, how we price and promote it, and how we generate demand.
Acting as the voice of the customer, you will use market and competitor insights to influence decisions and drive business performance.
Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities
- Team performance and capability
- Set team targets, territories and account ownership, ensuring clear performance expectations
- Lead regular pipeline reviews, 1:1s and quarterly performance and development reviews
- Monitor enquiry and sales quality, using data and CRM insights to coach and improve performance
- Recruit, onboard and develop new team members to full productivity
- Recognise success, provide constructive feedback and manage underperformance effectively
- Build a team environment that is ambitious, collaborative and enjoyable to work in
- New business delivery
- Own the new business number and the conversion steps behind it: enquiry to quote, quote to option and option to confirmed
- Ensure timely lead response and consistent follow-up across all opportunities
- Manage pipeline health, reallocating inactive opportunities where needed
- Develop multi-academy trust and multi-school opportunities alongside the wider partnership approach
- Partner with Marketing to improve lead quality and campaign effectiveness
- Retention and repeat growth
- Drive school retention and repeat bookings year-on-year
- Maximise early rebooking opportunities and reactivate lapsed schools
- Increase value per school through upselling, longer trips and destination growth
- Promote exceptional service and responsiveness as the foundation of long term school relationships
- Sales process, data and technology
- Own Hub Spot discipline for the team: stage accuracy, close dates, lost reason capture and forecast integrity
- Produce and analyse sales, pipeline and trading reports
- Deliver accurate forecasting and proactively identify risks
- Champion automation, Hub Spot enhancements and AI tools to improve efficiency
- Build a culture of curiosity around technology, where the team tests, learns and adopts smarter ways of working
- Use data and insight to drive performance and continuous improvement
- Commercial and cross-functional working
- Manage pricing, discounting and margin performance within agreed authority levels
- Work closely with Product, Operations, Sales Admin and Marketing to optimise performance and customer experience
- Give the wider business clear insight into market trends, competitor activity and customer feedback
- Represent the needs, challenges and strengths of the sales team across the organisation
- Champion the behaviours that reflect Experience Education’s values: curiosity, ownership, passion and progress
Essential
- What we are looking for
- Proven line management of a sales team of five or more, including target setting, coaching and formal performance management
- Track record of delivering new business and customer retention in a B2B environment
- Strong commercial numeracy, with the ability to build and challenge a forecast rather than simply report one
- Experienced CRM user, able to build reports and analyse performance independently
- Demonstrable success in improving individual and team performance through coaching
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
- High emotional intelligence, resilience and empathy, with the judgement to have difficult conversations well
- Embraces change, encourages innovation and champions continuous improvement
Desirable
- Experience in school travel, group travel, education or another seasonal booking-cycle environment
- Experience leading a sales team through growth, expansion and change
- Experience in Hub Spot
- Exposure to multi-academy trust, framework or key account development
- Some Of The Benefits
- Hybrid working pattern between our office and homeworking
- Annual Bonus scheme
- Opportunities to travel overseas on familiarisation trips
- 25 days of annual leave plus public holidays and a bonus day off for your birthday; we also have a tenure based annual leave benefit, up to a maximum of an additional 5 days depending on length of service
- Global recognition and reward programme
- Access to extensive online learning resources
- In-house training opportunities
- Various employee discounts and offers, including discounted trips with our brands
- Regular social events
- Diversity and inclusion
We believe that people are happier and perform best when they are able to be their true selves and that diverse teams deliver better results.
We are committed to building an inclusive culture and embracing diversity in all its dimensions.
This includes inspiring change through increasing awareness of unconscious bias.
Together we will cultivate a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment, where everyone can flourish.
Experience Education Student Travel Group
Travel Bound is a part of the Experience Education Student Travel Group, a collective of specialist brands dedicated to delivering exceptional and memorable travel experiences for schools and groups.
Our specialist brands include Travel Bound, Ski Bound, World Challenge, JCA, Edwin Doran and Master Class, and they operate across 5 unique travel categories: curriculum tours; ski trips; expeditions; UK activity centres and sports tours.
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Travelbound Sales Manager in Brighton employer: Experience Education
Experience Education is an exceptional employer that values innovation and collaboration in the educational travel sector. With a strong focus on employee growth, we offer a hybrid working model, an annual bonus scheme, and generous leave policies, ensuring a healthy work-life balance. Join us to be part of a dynamic team dedicated to creating meaningful travel experiences that align with educational goals.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Travelbound Sales Manager in Brighton
✨Get Involved in Local Travel Events
Join local tourism fairs or travel expos in your area. These events are a treasure trove for networking, and you can often meet hiring managers from companies like Experience Education who are looking for fresh talent for roles like Travelbound Sales Manager.
✨Showcase Your Travel Know-How
Create a travel blog or use social media to share your experiences and insights about different destinations. This can help you stand out to recruiters in the travel industry, demonstrating your passion for the sector and your ability to engage with an audience.
✨Connect with Alumni from Your School
Check out alumni groups linked to the travel and tourism sectors. Often, these connections can lead to inside info about opportunities at companies like Experience Education and give you a leg up for your Travelbound Sales Manager application.
✨Don’t Shy Away from Cold Emails
If there's a dream company you want to join, don’t hesitate to send a friendly email to their HR or recruitment team. Express your interest in their vision and mention that you’re keen on any Travelbound Sales Manager openings they might have. It's a bold move, but it might just pay off!
We think you need these skills to ace Travelbound Sales Manager in Brighton
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Travel:In the travel and tourism industry, your love for exploration and different cultures should shine through in your application. Make sure to share personal anecdotes or experiences that highlight your enthusiasm for travel—this can really set you apart when applying for the Travelbound Sales Manager role at Experience Education.
Highlight Your Customer Service Skills:Customer service is king in travel and tourism. When detailing your work experience, focus on situations where you provided outstanding service or resolved customer issues, as this demonstrates your ability to ensure client satisfaction. Include specific examples in your CV to show that you're ready to face the challenges of the Travelbound Sales Manager position at Experience Education.
Keep Your CV Travel-Themed:When it comes to CV conventions in the travel industry, think of including any relevant certifications or training you've completed, like first aid or tour guiding courses. If you've travelled widely yourself, don't hesitate to mention that—it's all about showing your background fits the globetrotting vibe of Experience Education.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter should not only explain why you're a great fit but also reflect your personality! Use this space to express what excites you about the travel sector and how you can contribute to Experience Education's adventures. Share any unique perspectives or ideas you have to enhance the travel experience, especially as a full-time Travelbound Sales Manager.
How to prepare for a job interview at Experience Education
✨Show Off Your Travel Knowledge
For a role in travel and tourism, it’s vital to demonstrate your knowledge of different destinations, cultures, and travel trends. Brush up on popular destinations and recent changes in travel restrictions. We suggest bringing some interesting travel stories or experiences to share—this can help you connect personally with the interviewer!
✨Prepare for Customer Scenarios
Expect to be hit with customer service scenarios during the interview. They might ask how you'd handle a challenging traveller or resolve a booking issue. Think of a few real-life examples from your experiences, even if they’re just from customer service roles. This will show that you're ready for the field and have the right mindset to tackle on-the-ground challenges!
✨Highlight Your Flexibility and Passion
In a full-time travel position, there are often irregular hours and spontaneous travel opportunities. Be sure to convey your flexibility and willingness to embrace the unpredictable nature of this industry. Let’s showcase that enthusiasm for travel and how it drives your decision-making!
✨Know the Tools of the Trade
Get familiar with travel booking systems and tools, such as Amadeus or Sabre. If you have experience using any specific software or even social media for travel promotions, bring that up! We want to show that you can hit the ground running and adapt quickly to their processes at Experience Education.
