Business Development Manager Corporate Travel Management

As a Business Development Manager, you will sell managed corporate travel programs (air, hotel and car booking, traveller tracking and support, and travel reporting) to Canadian companies that spend $150,000 to $5 million a year on business travel. You will sell primarily to Controllers and Accounting, Purchasing departments, and VP and Director-level leadership. This role is 100% new business development – you will not take over or manage the company's existing contracted accounts. Leads come from a mix of company-supplied warm leads, a company prospect database, and your own prospecting. The territory is Canada, worked from the head office in Burlington, Ontario. This is the company's first dedicated sales position, reporting directly to the President. The base salary is $65,000, plus uncapped commissions.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• $65,000 base salary, plus uncapped commissions
• Year 1 OTE: $70,000 – $75,000
• Year 2 OTE: $85,000 – $90,000
• Uncapped commission, paid monthly
• Company-paid health benefits
• Company cell phone
• Business expense account
• Mileage allowance for business travel
• Paid vacation, sick days and personal days
• Attendance at the annual global partner network conference
• Career advancement – opportunity to help build a sales team over the next 5 years

THE COMPANY & CULTURE

Our client was founded in 1978 and is an established, family-owned, privately held company growing revenue by 15–25% per year. Headquartered in Burlington, Ontario, they have 18 employees, with 16 at head office and remote travel agents in Calgary and other locations. They are a corporate travel management company that books and manages air, hotel and car travel for businesses, and they are the Canadian partner of a global travel management network operating in 40 countries. Their clients are mainly large Canadian businesses with 100 to 999 employees, with a strong base in the pharmaceutical and industrial sectors.

The culture is stable, relationship-based and low in bureaucracy. Decisions are made quickly by a leadership team of three. Annual staff turnover is under 10%, and average employee tenure is 10 to 15 years, with one employee at 31 years. The company does not outsource its service – clients deal with their own human travel advisors.

OFFICE LOCATION & SALES TERRITORY

• Head Office: Burlington, Ontario, Canada
• Work arrangement: Office-based – 5 days per week. This is not a remote or hybrid role.
• Sales territory: Canada
• Selling is done from the office by phone, video and online demos, with in-person client meetings as required
• Hours: Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week. No evening or weekend client calls or visits.
• Overnight travel: Less than 5% – approximately 2 to 3 trips per year

EXPERIENCE, BACKGROUND & EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

• 5–15 years of B2B sales experience, including prospecting, cold calling and closing new accounts
• 2–3 years of corporate travel industry experience is required – for example, working at a travel management company booking or managing air, hotel and car travel for corporate clients. Leisure travel, airport and transportation roles do not meet this requirement.
• Proven sales experience is required in addition to travel industry experience – travel counsellor or reservations experience alone does not qualify
• Experience selling to senior decision-makers such as CFOs, Controllers, Purchasing leaders and VP or Director-level executives
• Experience managing long, multi-stakeholder sales cycles of 9 to 12 months
• Experience selling to large businesses with 100 to 999 employees
• Strong written and spoken English – you will write proposals and present to executive audiences
• Minimum post-secondary diploma
• Valid driver's licence and own vehicle required
• Must be able to commute to the Burlington, Ontario office 5 days per week
• This is a full-time role – candidates with a second job or outside business will not be considered
• Bilingualism is not required

TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Online demos – Expert
• Online booking tools and GDS (e.g., Sabre, Amadeus, Travelport) – Working knowledge required
• Microsoft Excel – Intermediate
• Microsoft PowerPoint – Intermediate
• Microsoft Word – Intermediate
• Google Drive / Docs – Basic
• CRM software – the company uses its own proprietary CRM system

THE PRODUCT / SERVICE / SOLUTION

• Managed corporate travel programs covering air, hotel and car rental bookings
• Custom travel programs and travel policies built around each client's business structure
• Duty of care – real-time traveller tracking and 24/7 emergency support from live travel advisors
• Online booking technology paired with dedicated human travel advisors
• Centralized travel reporting and traveller profiles
• Group travel and group movements

PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMERS / INDUSTRY FOCUS / DECISION MAKER(S)

• Canadian companies in any industry that spend $150,000 to $5 million a year on business travel
• Current client base is strongest in the pharmaceutical and industrial sectors
• Company size: mainly large businesses with 100 to 999 employees
• Location: Canada
• Decision-makers: Controllers and Accounting, Purchasing departments, and senior leadership at the VP and Director level, including CFOs and HR leaders. Typically 3 people influence the purchase decision.

SALES CYCLE / ORDER VALUE / ACCOUNT SIZE

• Ideal account size: $1 million to $1.5 million in annual travel spend (air, hotel and car)
• Target accounts range from $150,000 to $5 million in annual travel spend; a typical mid-sized account is $500,000 to $800,000
• Sales cycle: 9 to 12 months on average
• Typically 4 to 6 calls or meetings to win a new account after initial interest
• Accounts are contracted and generate recurring revenue over the term of the agreement

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES

• Senior, long-tenured travel advisors – clients deal with experienced people, not a call centre
• Booking technology combined with personal service from a dedicated advisor team
• 24/7 emergency support from live travel advisors, with no outsourcing
• Duty of care with real-time traveller tracking
• Custom travel programs rather than a one-size-fits-all platform
• Access to a global partner network operating in 40 countries for clients with international travel

TYPICAL DAY & DUTIES

• 100% New Business Development

On a typical day you will be cold calling and emailing target companies from the company database and your own lists, holding discovery calls with Controllers, Purchasing and senior leaders, reviewing prospects' current travel spend, delivering online demos, preparing proposals and PowerPoint presentations, and logging all activity in the CRM. Activity is measured on phone dials, discovery calls, demos and presentations, and deals closed. You will also re-engage former clients who no longer book with the company.

LEADS

• Approximately 25% warm leads supplied by the company
• Approximately 50% from a company-supplied database of about 2,000 Canadian companies, including history of previous contact
• Approximately 25% self-generated through cold calling, LinkedIn and your own network
• You will not take over existing contracted accounts – your commission is earned on the new accounts you win

OVERNIGHT TRAVEL

• Less than 5% – approximately 2 to 3 trips per year
• Travel is for the annual global partner network conference, trade shows, training and select client visits

SUPPORT & TRAINING

• Sales training: semi-structured, 1 to 2 months, delivered directly by the President, who has 45 years of experience selling corporate travel
• Product and technical training: 1 to 2 weeks on the company's booking systems and services
• Ongoing coaching and mentorship from the President
• You will be actively selling within 3 to 4 weeks of your start date

WHY YOU SHOULD APPLY

• Stable, established employer – 48 years in business, 15–25% annual revenue growth, under 10% staff turnover and an average tenure of 10 to 15 years
• Uncapped commission on recurring account revenue, tracked in the company's system so you can see exactly what each of your accounts earns
• Work-life balance – Monday to Friday, 35 hours per week, with no evening or weekend client work
• Learn directly from a President with 45 years of experience selling corporate travel
• Career growth – the company plans to build a sales team over the next 5 years, and this is the first hire

Equal Opportunity Employer

Just Sales Jobs and our clients are equal opportunity employers. We do not discriminate. All candidates are evaluated solely on performance merit and organizational fit.

Not the Right Fit? We May Have Other Roles for You.

If this particular role isn't the right match, we encourage you to browse our other open positions at https://justsalesjobs.ca/jobs-opening/ and apply for any that interest you. Our recruiters review every resume we receive — and if we have another role that could be a great fit for your background, we will reach out to you directly.

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