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Join us to create and deliver experiences that inspire people, spark connection, and bring imagination to life-while having a lot of fun doing it.

We're seeking a hospitality-focused, relationship-driven Director of Sales to lead growth across our South-Central Territory (Nashville, New Orleans, Louisville, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Charleston, SC). This high-impact role is ideal for a sales leader who excels in team development, strategic hotel partnerships, and delivering exceptional client experiences while driving measurable revenue results.

About the Job
The Director of Sales (DOS) is responsible for setting the strategic direction and leading the Sales team to meet and exceed revenue goals. This is achieved through thoughtful sales strategy, strong leadership, and hands-on coaching to ensure consistent execution. The DOS serves as the undisputed expert of the local destination, deeply immersed in the market with strong knowledge of hotel partners, venues, and industry relationships.

What You'll Be Doing

• Client Relationship Management
  
  • Define and drive the territory's relationship management strategy, building executive-level partnerships with key clients, hotels, and industry partners aligned to long-term growth.
  • Advise the sales team on complex client needs, translating insights into customized solutions while promoting best practices for discovery and strategic selling.
  • Set the standard for client communication across the territory, cultivating high-level relationships and intervening in critical or high-stakes discussions as needed.
• Sales & Marketing
  
  • Develop and implement the overall lead generation and qualification strategy, analyzing data and establishing best practices to ensure efficiency across the sales team.
  • Set and refine the overarching sales strategy for the Territory, aligning with national objectives, monitoring performance, and driving accountability for results.
  • Define proposal development standards, oversee strategy for major opportunities, and engage directly with top clients to secure key wins and partnerships.
  • Collaborate with Managing Directors, Events, and Creative teams, as well as across territories with DOS' and ADOS', to promote consistency and best practices.
  • Represent Access at high-profile industry events and conferences, leveraging relationships and insights to shape market perception and uncover growth opportunities.
• Product Knowledge
  
  • Serve as the top destination expert and ambassador within Access and the industry, leading the development of destination knowledge resources aligned with market positioning and sales strategy.
  • Establish and uphold best practices for team communication on destination offerings and vendor partnerships, ensuring consistency across the Territory.
  • Build and maintain senior-level relationships with key partners to secure preferred access, insights, and competitive advantages for clients.
• New Business Development
  
  • Set the overall strategy for client identification, prospecting, and pipeline development across the territory, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, market opportunities, and revenue objectives.
  • Partner across territories to share best practices, coordinate outreach, and oversee KPI performance to ensure market coverage and growth.
  • Drive the Territory's closing strategy by setting standards, coaching the team to improve win rates, and personally leading enterprise-level or strategic deals.
  • Establish the strategic direction for FAM and hotel event participation, representing Access at the most critical partner events to secure senior-level relationships and alignment with company goals.
  • Define and monitor pipeline KPIs for sustainable growth, regularly adjusting tactics, coaching leaders, and removing obstacles to ensure long-term pipeline health and team success.
• Proposal Contract and Negotiation
  
  • Defines negotiation standards and frameworks for the territory to ensure consistency, risk mitigation, and profitability.
  • Engages in negotiations for enterprise-level or strategically critical opportunities; partners with executive leadership as needed.
  • Collaborate with National, Events and Creative teams, to ensure successful implementation of client programs.
• Reporting and Administration
  
  • Oversee territory-wide Salesforce data quality, forecasting, and reporting, ensuring adherence to CRM standards and accurate pipeline management. Build and leverage dashboards to monitor performance, identify risks and opportunities, and inform strategic decisions at both the territory and national level.
• Team Development and Management
  
  • Mentor and inspire team members to exceed both company and individual revenue performance goals.
  • Oversee and manage the entire sales team, setting KPIs and performance benchmarks that align with Access' objectives.
  • Lead hiring, training, and development to build and sustain a high-performing sales team.
  • Define and refine ongoing training programs to strengthen capabilities for both new and tenured team members.
• Access Values
  
  • Consistently display the Access Values (Imagine First, Demand Integrity, Embody Excellence, Always Collaborate, Service Obsession)

About You
You're a hospitality-first sales leader who blends strategic acumen with emotional intelligence. You thrive in building trust, coaching high-performing teams, and delivering results through collaboration, accountability, and strong market presence.

Must-Haves

• 10+ years of sales experience in DMC, events, or hospitality
• 3+ years of sales leadership with a track record of team growth and coaching
• Strong knowledge of and relationships within the [local hotel/market ecosystem]
• Salesforce fluency: pipeline management, forecasting, and reporting
• Confidence in client-facing roles, especially with hotel GMs and executives

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience expanding into new/emerging markets (e.g., Napa, Seattle, Portland)
• A warm, approachable leadership style, especially with newer sellers
• Flexibility for light regional travel

Work Environment

• Location: Nashville or Atlanta preferred.
• Hybrid: This is a hybrid role requiring regular in-person engagement. Team members should be comfortable traveling to our local office, meeting with clients and vendor partners, and representing Access at networking and industry events.
• Travel: Regional travel required as needed to support clients, hotel partners, and program execution.

Why Access?
CULTURE & EXTRAS

• Certified as a Great Place to Work - 3 years in a row and counting!
• 50+ years in the industry!
• Women-owned and women-led
• Fun, creative, and supportive culture
• Focus on recognition and employee value - including annual and quarterly awards
• Paid day off to serve your local community
• Annual all-company retreat to connect, learn, and have fun together
• Annual qualifier-based incentive trip for top performers (certain departments eligible)
• Regional team outings
• Monthly companywide meetings to connect, learn, and celebrate wins

COMPENSATION

• Highly competitive total compensation, including strong base salary and quarterly bonuses
• Very strong performance-based quarterly commission plans
• 401k with company match (eligible after 1 year - up to 4% of salary matched, vested immediately
• Monthly cell phone stipend

WORK LIFE BALANCE

• Work from home opportunities and flexibility (including full home office setup)
• Flexible schedule opportunities
• Generous PTO
• Sick days
• 9 full holidays
• 5 half days off prior to holidays to unplug early
• 2 floating holidays off to be used on holidays of your choice
• ½ day Fridays in July & August (based on achievement of goals)

HEALTH, WELLNESS, AND FAMILY

• Extensive menu of health plans to choose from
• Paid parental leave
• Pet insurance program
• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP)

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Mentorship program
• "Masterclasses" in industry/department-specific topics
• State-of-the-art technology platforms and tools - including training
• Annual and monthly meeting content that focuses on professional development

Ready to ACCESS your next big opportunity? Apply today!

Access is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We are a proud Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [email protected].