The Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association (WHLA) is a well-established non-profit organization dedicated to serving Wisconsin’s lodging industry. Our members consist of hotels, motels, resorts, and bed & breakfasts throughout Wisconsin along with all of the industry suppliers who support us. If you love sales and hospitality, this is the position for you!

The ideal candidate will have a strong track record of inside sales success with a passion for communicating value to customers. You’ll have the opportunity to grow in this role by learning about best practices in association management while helping to develop our sales plans and identifying new opportunities for our members.

The association went through a staff leadership and technology transformation during the pandemic, which will allow the right candidate to be hands-on in implementing systems and processes that will make the organization’s sales operation successful. You’ll get some time “on the road” on occasion, visiting members and potential members and attending industry-related events. Keys to success include the ability to work with a small team in a collaborative environment and creatively finding ways to engage current and potential members on our limited non-profit budget.

WHLA’s offices are located in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Reports To: President & CEO

Status: Full time, Non-Exempt

Base: $40-$44k

Bonus / Commission Potential: $10-$25k (uncapped)

Responsibilities

Develop annual membership recruitment and retention plan with support from the President & CEO.
Actively recruit hotel and lodging property members, associate vendor members and Chambers of Commerce/CVB members using both inbound leads and prospecting strategies including cold calling and occasional in-person visits.
Work with lodging property and chamber/CVB members to sell them targeted marketing and advertising opportunities including:

Lodging Directory advertising, including Co-Op ads in the Directory
Targeted Marketing offerings (discounted 3rd party advertising opportunities)
Website, social media and email marketing promotions

Track reasons for non-renewal for analysis, providing any recommendations for improvement.
Track objections to joining for future value proposition development
Pursue expansion of group memberships that will succeed in improving our market penetration.
Serve as main liaison to outsourced vendor selling advertising, sponsorship and event opportunities to industry vendors, including:

Strategic Marketing Partnerships
Inn Touch, conference program, and other publication advertising
Trade Show booths
Sponsorships for the conference, webinars, projects, and events
Website and WHLA Insider e-newsletter sponsorships, and any online ads or sponsorships.

Provide all related sales support services, including:

Submission of information for development of marketing pieces
Generate and maintain sales leads
Proof ads and placements to ensure inclusion of all sales
Serve as the liaison with current and potential customers
Enter and update accurate sales status spreadsheets, monitor payment status, and collect past-due payments

Generate new ideas for revenue-generating programs, including expanded Targeted Marketing Programs, to grow overall association revenue, providing proposals to the CEO for consideration.
Recommend pricing and changes for all items for sale
Trade Show Management:

Plan & implement traffic-generating show activities
Service exhibitor needs before, during and after the show
Manage and oversee set-ups, exhibitor registrations, break-downs and security of show area on-site
Evaluate show successes and failures, making recommendations to the CEO for improvements for the next Show.

Serve as the staff liaison to the Membership Committee and other committees/task forces as assigned.
Prepare reports and proposals assigned by the CEO for WHLA board and committee meetings.
When assigned by the CEO, attend board and committee meetings, give reports or proposals as needed.
Other duties assigned by the President, CEO

Qualifications

At least two years experience selling on behalf of a membership based association or the hotel and lodging industry OR five years in a B2B sales environment
Professional presence and strong interpersonal skills
Must possess valid driver’s license and provide own transportation
College degree preferred

Skills & Abilities

Ability to communicate effectively in writing and verbally
Ability to work independently
Ability to generate and follow up on leads, scheduled appointments
Knowledge and overview of all association member benefits, opportunities, events and activities
Excellent organizational and problem solving skills
Flexibility and ability to work under changing priorities and workloads while managing multiple projects
Ability to deliver exceptional customer service to members, prospective members, and community partners
Ability connect with diverse group of members/potential members
Ability to successfully contribute/thrive in a small team environment

Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association

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