Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Catering Sales Executive

🎯 Role Definition

The Catering Sales Executive is a revenue-focused hospitality sales professional responsible for generating new business and growing existing accounts for catering and event services. This role owns the full sales cycle — prospecting, qualifying, presenting tailored menus and proposals, negotiating contracts, and coordinating with culinary and operations teams to ensure flawless execution. The ideal candidate is a consultative seller who understands menu costing, pricing strategies, corporate procurement cycles, and event logistics, and who leverages CRM, digital marketing, and industry networks to build a predictable, scalable pipeline of corporate, nonprofit, and private event clients.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Catering Sales Coordinator / Catering Account Coordinator
Hospitality Sales Representative / Inside Sales (Events)
Event Coordinator or Banquet Captain transitioning into sales

Advancement To:

Senior Catering Sales Manager / Key Accounts Manager
Director of Catering Sales / Director of Events
Regional Sales Manager or Head of Food & Beverage Sales

Lateral Moves:

Event Sales Manager (Venue-focused)
Corporate Sales Executive (Corporate F&B procurement)
Business Development Manager (Hospitality services)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and execute a territory and account-based sales strategy to meet and exceed quarterly and annual catering revenue and profitability targets across corporate, nonprofit, social, and private-event segments.
Proactively prospect, cold-call, and network to generate new leads through LinkedIn outreach, industry events, referrals, and digital marketing channels, maintaining a consistent cadence of outreach activity.
Qualify inbound and outbound leads quickly and effectively, converting prospects into confirmed catering bookings by managing the entire sales lifecycle from initial contact to signed contract and deposit collection.
Respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs), prepare detailed bids that balance competitive pricing with profitability, and coordinate internal teams to ensure timely, professional submissions.
Create customized proposals and professional banquet event orders (BEOs), including menu design, staffing plans, equipment needs, timelines, and detailed budgets that align with client objectives and company margin targets.
Conduct client consultations, site visits, tastings, and event walk-throughs to capture client requirements, recommend menu and service solutions, and align expectations prior to event execution.
Use CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar) to maintain an accurate sales pipeline, record client communications, update forecasting metrics, and produce actionable reports for sales leadership.
Negotiate contracts, pricing, and terms of service while protecting negotiated margins, ensuring liability coverage, deposit schedules, cancellation policies, and scope-of-work are clearly documented.
Cross-sell and upsell catering products and services such as beverage packages, AV, staffing, premium menu items, rentals, décor, and venue sourcing to increase average order value.
Build and maintain long-term relationships with key decision-makers at corporations, venues, event planners, and third-party vendors to secure repeat business and strategic partnerships.
Collaborate closely with culinary directors, operations managers, event production teams, and on-site staff to ensure proposals are operationally feasible and that events are delivered to specification.
Prepare accurate event budgets, perform menu and cost analysis, and track profit and loss at the event level to ensure adherence to margin targets and to identify opportunities for improved pricing strategies.
Create and deliver compelling sales presentations, menu tastings, and proposals for client-facing meetings, demonstrating value, service differentiators, and culinary creativity.
Maintain an up-to-date competitive intelligence log by monitoring competitor pricing, menu trends, service offerings, and market demand to adapt sales tactics and promotional strategies.
Coordinate pre-event planning meetings and final confirmations with clients, logistics teams, and vendors to minimize surprises, clarify responsibilities, and confirm timelines and staffing levels.
Manage contract administration, invoicing, payment collection, and post-event reconciliation to ensure accurate billing and timely resolution of discrepancies.
Develop account plans for strategic clients that include growth objectives, cross-sell opportunities, renewal timelines, and custom service offerings tailored to client needs.
Track and analyze sales KPIs (conversion rate, average order value, pipeline velocity, win/loss ratio) and prepare weekly and monthly performance reports with recommendations for continuous improvement.
Lead or participate in tastings, culinary showcases, and marketing events to generate leads, demonstrate capabilities, and strengthen client relationships.
Mentor and train junior sales staff, account coordinators, and operations liaisons on best practices for consultative selling, CRM usage, and event handoffs.
Work with marketing to develop targeted sales collateral, digital campaigns, SEO-optimized landing pages, case studies, and email sequences that support lead generation and nurture campaigns.
Ensure consistent follow-up and post-event outreach to solicit client feedback, secure testimonials, encourage referrals, and convert one-time clients into long-term accounts.

Secondary Functions

Maintain organized records of proposals, contracts, client communications, and pricing models to support audits, client history reviews, and legal compliance.
Assist operations with periodic forecasting of staffing, inventory, and equipment needs based on booked and pipeline events to enable efficient resource planning.
Support the creation of seasonal menus, promotional packages, and limited-time offers by providing market feedback and client insights to culinary and marketing teams.
Participate in cross-functional project teams for large or strategic accounts, providing sales perspective during budgeting, sourcing, and venue setup discussions.
Train front-line event staff and banquet managers on VIP client expectations, special requests, and unique service standards for booked events.
Help maintain vendor and supplier relationships, negotiate service agreements where applicable, and coordinate third-party rentals or specialty services.
Monitor health, safety, and licensing compliance requirements related to catering events and escalate issues that could impact service delivery or client satisfaction.
Contribute to sustainability initiatives by recommending eco-friendly service options, waste reduction strategies, and sustainable sourcing practices for clients preferring green events.
Support CRM data hygiene initiatives by cleansing outdated records, merging duplicates, and tagging accounts for targeted campaigns.
Participate in post-event debriefs, capturing lessons learned, client feedback, and operational pain points to refine sales proposals and improve service delivery.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proven B2B and B2C catering sales experience with demonstrated ability to close mid- to large-size accounts and achieve quota.
CRM proficiency (Salesforce, HubSpot, Cvent, or similar) for pipeline management, forecasting, and activity tracking.
RFP/RFQ response and proposal writing skills, including preparing detailed cost sheets, pricing models, and contract terms.
Strong financial acumen for menu costing, margin analysis, budgeting, and event-level P&L management.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills — building cost templates, using pivot tables, and performing scenario modeling.
Event operations knowledge: banquet event orders (BEOs), staffing plans, timelines, floor plans, and vendor coordination.
Negotiation and contract management skills, including experience with deposit schedules, cancellation terms, and liability clauses.
Presentation and tasting facilitation skills, including the ability to prepare and deliver polished sales decks and culinary demonstrations.
Familiarity with event management and POS systems (e.g., Caterease, Ungerboeck, Lightspeed) and basic integration workflows with CRM.
Digital marketing and lead-generation familiarity: email campaigns, paid search basics, LinkedIn outreach, and SEO-friendly content contribution.
Knowledge of food safety, licensing, alcohol service regulations, and event permitting relevant to catering operations.

Soft Skills

Consultative selling mindset: listening, advising, and positioning solutions that solve client business needs rather than pushing packages.
Exceptional verbal and written communication for client negotiations, team coordination, and clear proposal documentation.
Relationship-building and stakeholder management skills to develop trust with procurement teams, event planners, and C-suite sponsors.
Highly organized with exceptional time management, able to juggle multiple active opportunities at different pipeline stages.
Resilience and persistence in follow-up, cold outreach, and handling objections while maintaining professionalism.
Strong attention to detail to ensure accurate pricing, event specifications, and flawless handovers to operations.
Problem-solving and crisis management aptitude to troubleshoot on-site or pre-event issues and coordinate rapid resolutions.
Team-oriented collaborator able to work across culinary, operations, marketing, and finance teams to deliver integrated event solutions.
Creative selling and upselling capability to identify value-adds that increase client satisfaction and revenue per event.
Presentation presence and confidence for tastings, sales meetings, and industry networking events.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent with proven sales experience in hospitality, catering, or events.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Sales & Marketing, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Hospitality Management
Business Administration
Sales & Marketing
Culinary Arts / Food & Beverage Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of direct catering or event sales experience; or 3+ years in B2B hospitality sales with clear revenue responsibility.

Preferred:

3–7 years of progressive experience selling catering, corporate F&B programs, or large-scale events; experience responding to RFPs and managing corporate procurement cycles.
Track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets, managing complex account relationships, and coordinating multi-departmental event execution.
Experience with CRM-driven sales processes, formal tender submissions, and negotiations with venue partners or third-party vendors.