Sales Customer Service / Client Relations / Industry Relations / B2B

Jose F. Costa

****-*-*****@*******.*** +212-***-**-**-** linkedin.com/in/jose-f-costa Marrakech, Morocco A highly articulated, multilingual professional with over 12 years of experience managing busy teams of B2B sales within the travel luxury sector. Leading the consolidation and expansion of industry and client relations, he has extensive experience as the facto principal for what has become one of the most prestigious travel agencies in Morocco. An enthusiastic and committed team player with a wealth of transferable abilities including project development and organizational skills, he has ability to think out of the box in order to address complex questions from new perspectives. Looking for a full-time, remote-based position in the travel industry, where he can contribute to the growth of the organisation by providing fresh approaches to business, seizing on his previous career expertise.

CORE SKILLS

• Highly persuasive and effective communicator, both verbally and in writing: Experienced in addressing demanding and many-sided issues in a clear, engaging style in reports, essays, written presentations, and emails.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills: Researching, filtering and interpreting data with views to provide accurate diagnostics and reliable forecasts, drawing rationally founded conclusions and defining next steps.

• Project management: Defining objectives and deciding performance guidelines, organizing and overseeing teams, allocating tasks, collecting, evaluating and following up on feedback, and co-ordinating responses.

• Excellent attention to detail: Identifying key issues and propositions, prioritizing actions, detecting potential flaws and anticipating issues for prompt tackling and resolution, examining implications and co-ordinating responses.

• Proactive leadership: Providing guidance and coaching, encouraging motivation and monitoring performances to ensure highest standards of quality are met. Taking executive actions when appropriate, in accordance with company’s goals and ethos. Managing escalations and resolving internal disputes. Encouraging team dialogue and cross-departmental collaboration.

• Exceptional relationship-building skills: Ensuring customer loyalty and engagement by building strong personal relations, effective networking and consistent follow-up. Making sure disputes or misunderstandings are promptly tackled in a spirit of reciprocate fairness and mutual gain. Identifying customer aspirations to provide responses tailored to their needs.

• Software and Operating Systems: MS Office package, MacOS package, Zoom and Skype for Business, Chimp, Canva

• Languages: English: Fluent Spanish: Native French: Advanced Moroccan Dialectal Arabic: Proficient EXPERIENCE

MARKETING DIRECTOR & DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

Mountain Voyage Morocco Nov 2009 - Current

Communication & persuasion: Effectively handling complaints, safeguarding company’s interests while ensuring customer satisfaction. Planning, organizing and delivering and average of 3 weekly Zoom presentations to clients and suppliers. Maintaining clients’ engagement via regular email exchanges. Saved the company over half million euro in refunds by persuading 80% of clients affected by pandemic outbreak to postpone their customers’ trips.

Analysis & writing: Designing and creating company’s main literature, including website texts, contracts and terms and conditions. Researching and stablishing policies, and producing documents such as company emergency procedures, Covid19 procedures, addresses to clients, and regular reports and recommendations to company founders.

Organizational skills & project management: Re-structured company’s organigram, created role descriptions, provided internal training. Co-ordinated with external supplier for the creation of company’s software. Created procedures for efficient compilation of client data by Sales Team, and the sharing of data across departments. Developed effective company policies for remote working following Covid19’s outbreak.

Team management and HR: Recruiting Sales Team, conducting job interviews and assessing candidates’ suitability. Directly overseeing and managing Sales Team (20 staff), assigning enquiries, monitoring email exchanges and stepping in when appropriate to set right client expectations and ensure dossier confirmation.

Leadership: Successfully managed the emergency repatriation of several dozens’ upscale travellers in face of imminent border closure during pandemic outbreak, co-ordinating actions with staff, clients, airlines, local authorities, and suppliers, and providing last minute solutions to unforeseeable problems with limited resources and under pressure.

Marketing: Monitoring competition performance and analysing market trends to define differentiation and unique selling propositions. Creating relevant sales tools including presentations, brochures, and sample travel itineraries both in English and in Spanish. Designing and implementing several successful B2B email campaigns, expanding subscriber list from 900 to over 5,000 travel designers. Quintupled number of enquiries, enlarging the company from 7 to 40 staff members.

Control of quality: Inspecting properties and other suppliers included in company’s product portfolio to ensure maintenance of standards. Qualifying new suppliers for inclusion in portfolio. Defining customer service, sales process and operations guidelines, monitoring their correct implementation, and taking action to correct performance flaws when necessary.

Industry relations: Main company contact for luxury travel networks. Successfully managing all aspects of the company’s presence in international trade shows, from logistics to merchandising and meeting planning, and acting as company delegate in these. Overseeing relations with suppliers, directing negotiations and developing human connections to ensure support and fidelity.

MOROCCO TRAVEL CONSULTANT

Mountain Voyage Morocco Sept 2008 - Sept 2009

Worked closely with client agencies worldwide to design and book tailormade Morocco luxury itineraries appropriate to their customers’ interests and preferences.

Managed dozens of accounts from initial email to trip research/prep/follow-up and customer service.

Expanded client portfolio in the Latin American market through the development of strong human connections and effective networking.

Received consistent good feedback from clients and travellers on performance reviews.

Exceeded sales goals by 30%.

REAL ESTATE CONSULTANT

Compass Properties Morocco Aug 2008 - Aug 2009

Managed enquiries from initial email to contracting & purchase and customer service.

Showed properties to potential buyers and other brokers at open houses and by appointment.

Negotiated and completed corporate real estate transactions.

Developed strong human connections with clients to encourage repeat business and referrals.

Managed relations with foreign partner selling agencies and recruited new ones. EDUCATION

Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge, UK 2001 - 2004 BA (Comb Hons) European Philosophy & Literature AND Film Studies Final mark: First Honours Degree

Relevant modules successfully completed included:

• Communication

• Analysis, Argument and Persuasion

• Writing Criticism / Criticism as Writing

Contact this candidate