Hear from our Regional Directors of Sales, Kim
Forget all your preconceived notions about remote work. I’ve worked in hospitality for 20+ years and many of those years were spent on property at a hotel. I’ve worked for JE since 2018 in a 100% remote position as a Regional Director of Sales.
When I started, I questioned how my hotels would know I’m booking business for them, not sitting on my couch bingeing the latest Netflix series. They say the proof is in the pudding. Here are the reasons I have come to believe that remote work for hotel salespeople is better than working in person.
No Distractions
In my former hotel life, I worked as a Director of Sales on-site. We all know that everybody wants to be in sales. We are often the flashy go-getters, the elbow rubbers, and the outgoing or even outlandish personalities on the hotel team. The name of the game is generating revenue by any means necessary. My typical day would consist of one or all of the following: prospecting for new business before getting distracted by a Facebook notification, taking a 2-minute quiz to find out which Disney Princess I am, chatting with coworkers who walked into my office, covering a front desk shift, or fulfilling an impromptu site tour request from an eager bride. There were countless distractions that took away the time that I could spend actually selling every day.
Now, I have a 12-hotel portfolio to support. I have to stay organized, prioritize my time, and not get distracted. I still take breaks, but I don’t have coworkers walking to my office several times a day. I don’t have site tours that require me to drop everything I’m doing. I spend my time prospecting for new business more strategically. I’ve become more aware of how to juggle more tasks, different personalities, and make this position work for me and my lifestyle. Today, my only distraction is my 8lb, 4-legged sales assistant, Cooper. Very few people that he sits in my lap and watches me work. I feed him treats when he behaves and get plenty of snuggles from him when I need to. It’s the best distraction in my #JELife.
Opportunity to Build Meaningful Relationships
When I first started with JE, I wasn’t sure how I was going to make friends with all of my colleagues remotely. We didn’t see each other every day, so how would we build meaningful relationships? Surprisingly, I’ve developed more meaningful relationships working remotely than I ever did on property. Connecting frequently through Teams, Zoom calls, texts, FaceTime, and more, I now work with some of my best friends that will be friends for life. And the best part is, we can hop on a plane to visit each other and work together anytime we like. I take advantage of this often. ???? I’ve also learned if I fall short or need help, when there’s a family crisis or tragedy, success or good news to share, there is always someone to support you, cry with you, or celebrate with you.
The emphasis on meaningful relationships comes from our culture beautifully designed by our Founder and CEO, Toni Jacaruso. She is the main reason I’m still here and has been a huge part of my success here at JE. I don’t think she knows that.
Continual Education and Growth
I currently oversee a 12-hotel portfolio. If it weren’t for the unlimited resources available that enable me to work efficiently, I would be drowning, my clients would be unsatisfied, and I would spend countless hours obsessing over work. Besides learning how to be a better salesperson, I have eaten a big slice of humble pie in learning time management skills, how to set boundaries, and how to be bold in my ask (just ask my husband). I’ve stepped up my game thanks to JE. In my time here so far, I’ve learned new hotel brands, discovered market segments I previously knew nothing about, trained my onsite hotel teams, and mentored other Regional Directors of Sales. Now that I have 4+ years of working remotely under my belt, I don’t think I could go back to working in person. I am more productive, less distracted, and accomplish a higher quality of work being remote.
JE is hiring Regional Directors of Sales to join our team. If you are ready to step off property and start working remotely, send me a message on LinkedIn. Or visit https://bit.ly/3FMqa4s to learn more about the position. When you are ready to apply, list my name as the referrer, and you will receive a preliminary interview to discuss your experience with our Director of Talent.
I love working remotely for JE, and I have no doubt that you will too.
Kim Leitner is a Regional Director of Sales for Jacaruso Enterprises. In her role, Kim oversees the sales efforts for a portfolio of hotels. Kim has worked for JE since 2018.