Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Travel Industry Sales Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The Travel Industry Sales Manager is responsible for driving revenue growth, developing new corporate and leisure accounts, managing strategic partnerships and distribution channels (including TMCs and OTAs), and leading consultative sales processes across targeted territories. This role owns sales strategy execution, pipeline management, RFP responses, contract negotiation, and cross-functional collaboration with operations, marketing, revenue management, and product teams to ensure deliverables meet client expectations and company profitability targets.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Sales Executive or Account Executive in travel, hospitality or TMC
Corporate Travel Consultant / Account Manager at a Travel Management Company (TMC)
Business Development Manager from adjacent travel/technology firms

Advancement To:

Regional Sales Director / Head of Sales (Travel & Hospitality)
Global Accounts Director / Strategic Partnerships Director
VP of Sales / Commercial Director (Travel)

Lateral Moves:

Strategic Partnerships Manager
Revenue Management Lead
Marketing & Distribution Manager (Travel Technology)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and execute territory and vertical-specific sales plans to acquire new corporate and leisure accounts, consistently meeting or exceeding quarterly and annual revenue quotas.
Own the end-to-end sales cycle: prospecting, qualification, solution design, proposal creation, negotiation, contract closing, and onboarding for mid-market and enterprise travel accounts.
Manage and grow a book of business, cultivating long-term relationships with key decision-makers (procurement, travel managers, finance) and expanding share-of-wallet through upsell and cross-sell initiatives.
Lead the preparation and submission of high-quality RFPs and RFI responses for corporate travel programs, including pricing design, policy recommendations, and service level commitments.
Negotiate commercial contracts, program terms and SLAs with clients and distribution partners (TMCs, OTAs, corporate travel buyers) to maximize margin while ensuring client satisfaction.
Build and maintain an accurate sales pipeline in CRM (Salesforce or equivalent), provide weekly forecast updates, and deliver pipeline metrics to senior leadership.
Collaborate with product, revenue management and operations teams to create tailored travel solutions, bundled services, and pricing strategies that align with client objectives and company profitability.
Identify, recruit and manage channel partners including Travel Management Companies (TMCs), travel consolidators, and technology integrators to grow distribution and referral revenue.
Conduct consultative sales meetings, on-site presentations and product demos (virtual and in-person) to communicate value propositions for travel management, negotiated rates, and corporate programs.
Design and present commercial proposals, business cases and ROI analyses that demonstrate cost savings, service improvements, and measurable KPIs for prospective clients.
Implement account plans and development strategies for strategic accounts, including quarterly business reviews (QBRs), service audits, and roadmap alignment with client travel policies.
Monitor market trends, competitor offerings, and industry benchmarks (ancillaries, dynamic pricing, airline consolidator rates) to inform product positioning and pricing tactics.
Lead cross-functional onboarding and transition activities for newly won accounts, coordinating with operations, customer service and technology teams to ensure timely implementation.
Train and enable internal stakeholders and channel partners on commercial policies, product updates, distribution rules (GDS/ARC/IATA), and successful selling tactics.
Drive digital distribution initiatives, including GDS participation (Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport), content connectivity, and integration programs with corporate booking tools and online booking engines.
Develop and execute targeted prospecting campaigns (email, LinkedIn, trade shows, industry events) and lead generation strategies to build a healthy sales funnel.
Track and report on key performance indicators (KPI) such as conversion rates, average deal size, win/loss ratio, contract renewals, retention rates, and revenue per client.
Collaborate with marketing to develop targeted collateral, case studies and sales enablement materials that resonate with travel buyers and procurement stakeholders.
Lead price and commission negotiations for corporate programs, ancillaries and negotiated fares; ensure transparency in cost structures and alignment with legal/commercial policies.
Participate in industry events, trade shows, and travel association meetings to network with buyers, partners and influencers and to generate qualified leads.
Act as the primary escalation point for commercial and service delivery issues; manage client expectations and coordinate remediation plans to protect revenue and client relationships.

Secondary Functions

Support preparation of executive-level business reviews, board reports and monthly sales performance decks.
Collaborate on product feedback loops: collect client input on features and distribution needs to influence roadmap prioritization.
Mentor and coach junior sales colleagues, sharing best practices for travel-specific selling, RFP development and contract negotiation.
Maintain accurate CRM records, document account activities, and ensure pipeline hygiene for forecasting accuracy.
Contribute to regional pricing strategy and yield management discussions by sharing market intel and account-level performance data.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Corporate B2B sales expertise with experience selling travel management services, hotel contracts, or corporate air programs.
CRM proficiency (Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics) — pipeline management, forecasting, reporting.
GDS and distribution knowledge (Amadeus, Sabre, Travelport) and corporate booking tool integration experience.
Strong contract negotiation and commercial structuring skills, including RFP creation and SLA definition.
Revenue and yield management fundamentals — pricing strategy, margin optimization and ancillaries packaging.
Data-driven selling: competency with Excel (pivot tables, v-lookups), BI dashboards and KPI analysis.
Experience with TMCs, OTAs, affiliate networks and channel partner management.
Proficiency in proposal development tools and presentation software (PowerPoint, Google Slides).
Familiarity with travel industry regulations and accreditation (IATA/ARC knowledge a plus).
Experience working with corporate travel policy design, duty-of-care solutions and travel risk management products.
Knowledge of digital distribution channels and API integrations between booking platforms and travel suppliers.
Experience responding to and managing complex multi-country RFPs and global account rollouts.

Soft Skills

Consultative selling mindset with strong listening skills and ability to diagnose client needs.
Excellent negotiation, influencing and persuasion skills, able to close complex deals and manage procurement stakeholders.
Strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen and a results-oriented focus on quota attainment.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships at C-suite and operational levels.
High level of organization and time management; comfortable managing multiple large opportunities concurrently.
Resilience and adaptability in a fast-paced, changing travel market.
Effective written and verbal communication; able to create clear proposals, business cases and executive summaries.
Leadership and coaching skills for mentoring junior sales staff and influencing cross-functional partners.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Marketing, Tourism, or related field (or equivalent practical experience).

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree plus professional certifications (e.g., Certified Travel Counselor, corporate travel certifications) or MBA for senior roles.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Hospitality & Tourism Management
Business Administration / Sales & Marketing
Economics / Finance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

5–10+ years in B2B travel sales, account management, or business development roles within travel management companies, hospitality groups, airlines, or travel technology firms.

Preferred:

Proven track record of selling enterprise travel programs, managing global accounts, or developing channel partnerships that delivered measurable revenue growth. Experience with TMC distribution, large RFP wins and multi-stakeholder negotiations is highly desirable.