Sales Director-National Accounts

The Director of National Accounts represents Explore St. Louis in the marketplace and works closely with internal teams, hotel partners, and community stakeholders to position St. Louis as a competitive destination for large-scale meetings and conventions.  Strong preference will be given to St. Louis area residents, but this position may be based remotely. Travel is required.  Success in this role requires a disciplined, outbound sales approach, strong industry relationships, and the ability to identify and close complex, multi-year opportunities.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Demonstrated track record of success in sales is critical.
• Knowledge of the St. Louis area, hospitality industry and convention / tourism business is preferred.
• Experience in proactive prospecting and sales strategy. Proven success in selling large group, convention, or hospitality-related business.  Ability to identify and qualify new leads and move them through the pipeline.
• Destination expertise and storytelling skills.  Strong understanding of the meetings, conventions, and tourism industry.  Expert knowledge of the local area, venues, hotels and attractions plus the ability to tell a compelling story explaining why the destination is a good fit for the group.
• Demonstrated ability to develop new business through proactive prospecting and relationship building.
• Effective decision-making plus excellent presentation and communication skills are essential.
• Experience managing complex sales cycles and multi-stakeholder negotiations.
• Solid negotiation and closing skills.  Competence in resolving objections, offering value-driven solutions, and closing contracts.
• Ability to work independently while contributing to a collaborative team environment.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Effective communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Proficiency in CRM and technology to manage accounts, track activity and analyze data.  Experience with Simpleview and Momentus Elite software is highly desirable.  Proficiency in MS Outlook, Word and Excel.
• Time management and organizational skills.  Demonstrated ability to manage multiple leads and complex proposals for various groups simultaneously.
• Working collaboratively and effectively with local partners including hotels, venues, and city officials to host site visits and deliver successful client familiarization trips.

Compensation includes a competitive salary and incentive plan.  Explore St. Louis offers a robust benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance as well as pension, paid holidays and PTO.  Apply on our Explore St. Louis Careers URL or email a resume and cover letter to jobs@explorestlouis.com.  Please include your cover letter and resume when applying online. NO PHONE CALLS! EOE.

Explore St. Louis is the sales and marketing organization responsible for selling and promoting St. Louis as a convention, meeting site, and leisure travel destination. Explore St. Louis manages and operates the America’s Center Complex which includes the Cervantes Convention Center, the Dome at America’s Center, the Ferrara Theatre, and the St. Louis Executive Conference Center.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement: Explore St. Louis values diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, past or present military service, marital status, gender identification or expression, medical condition or any other protected characteristic as established by law.