Lynette De Freitas

Role Summary

The Business Development Manager is responsible for driving sales growth, client service, account management, and new business development. This role ensures strong customer relationship management, stakeholder engagement, and travel industry expertise to deliver value to clients while expanding XL Turners Travel’s market presence.

• Provide professional sales service to existing clients, ensuring satisfaction and retention.
• Collaborate with the sales team to deliver cohesive and high‑quality service.
• Maintain brand presence and promote XL Turners Travel through customer engagement and marketing communications.
• Deliver industry updates, fare comparisons, and supplier information to clients.
• Manage customer profiles via Profile Manager software to ensure accuracy and compliance with travel policies.
• Support marketing initiatives including newsletters, promotions, and educational opportunities.
• Report weekly on client service performance and customer satisfaction.
• Understand client procurement processes, travel policies, and financial requirements.
• Implement and monitor corporate supplier agreements to maximize cost savings.
• Present management information reports including travel spend analysis and customized reporting.
• Ensure accurate invoicing, reconciliation, and financial documentation.
• Support online booking tool OBT setup, training, and management.
• Provide weekly updates on account performance and compliance.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities through referrals, tenders, and market research.
• Conduct prospect meetings, assess client requirements, and deliver tailored sales presentations.
• Highlight XL Turners Travel’s value propositions and secure new accounts.
• Manage onboarding, transition, and implementation phases to ensure seamless integration.
• Achieve monthly new business targets and report weekly on pipeline and conversion results.
• Develop and maintain a structured call schedule prioritizing high‑value clients.
• Document client interactions, follow‑up actions, and progress updates.
• Support corporate events, promotional activities, and marketing campaigns.
• Ensure company website and social media channels are updated with relevant content.
• Promote corporate credit card solutions and assist clients with applications and implementation.
• Proven experience in business development, sales, or account management within the travel industry.
• Strong customer relationship management, stakeholder engagement, and communication skills.
• Ability to analyze travel spend, procurement processes, and supplier agreements.
• Experience in new business acquisition, tender management, and pipeline growth.
• Proficiency in CRM systems, Profile Manager software, and online booking tools OBT.
• Results‑oriented with a track record of meeting and exceeding sales targets and KPIs.

Role Summary

The Business Development Manager is responsible for driving sales growth, pipeline development, and customer acquisition by focusing on the Ideal Customer Profile - ICP. This role emphasizes increasing pipeline size, boosting sales activity, generating inbound leads, and improving collaboration between Travel Counselors and the business development team. The BDM ensures sustainable growth while protecting margins through strategic planning, market research, and relationship management.

Skills & Qualifications

• Pipeline Development: Build and manage a robust sales pipeline aligned with ICP to maximize conversion opportunities.
• Sales Growth: Increase pipeline size, drive sales activity, and achieve revenue targets.
• Lead Generation: Implement strategies to grow inbound leads and improve lead quality.
• Collaboration: Strengthen cooperation between Travel Counselors and BDM's to optimize business outcomes.
• Strategic Planning: Develop and execute business development strategies to achieve company growth objectives.
• Market Research: Analyze industry trends, competitor activity, and customer needs to identify new opportunities.
• Relationship Building: Establish and maintain strong client, partner, and stakeholder relationships.
• Sales & Marketing Alignment: Collaborate with sales and marketing teams to design and deliver effective campaigns.
• Contract Negotiation: Negotiate agreements with clients and partners to secure profitable deals.
• Performance Tracking: Monitor, evaluate, and report on business development KPIs and outcomes.
• Proven experience in business development, sales, or account management.
• Strong networking, relationship‑building, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation abilities.
• Strategic thinker with strong planning, execution, and analytical capabilities.
• Familiarity with the travel and tourism industry preferred.
• Proficiency in CRM systems - Freshsales and market analysis tools.
• Results‑driven with a track record of meeting and exceeding sales targets and KPIs.

Role Summary

Key Responsibilities

The Customer Success Manager - CSM is responsible for managing strategic customer accounts, empowering clients to unlock maximum value from Amadeus travel technology solutions. This role drives customer success, adoption, renewals, and upsell opportunities, ensuring measurable ROI and business impact. The CSM leads the post‑sales cycle, partnering with customers to achieve early adoption, maximize usage, and deliver sustainable growth.

• Customer Success & Alignment: Partner with account managers and decision makers to define KPIs, success plans, and engagement models.
• Post‑Sales Cycle Management: Lead onboarding, internal handovers, and go‑live meetings to ensure smooth deployment of Amadeus solutions.
• Adoption & Usage: Monitor customer adoption metrics (login rates, active users), proactively address challenges, and share resources to boost engagement.
• Customer Health Monitoring: Track customer success KPIs via dashboards, conduct monthly, mid‑year, and annual business reviews, and problem‑solve adoption bottlenecks.
• Renewals & Expansion: Support account managers in renewals preparation, identify upsell and cross‑sell opportunities, and drive account growth.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with clients, partners, and key stakeholders to ensure satisfaction and maximize ROI.
• Technical Coordination: Act as a liaison to resolve technical challenges by activating internal experts and providing progress updates.

Skills & Qualifications

• Proven experience in customer success, account management, or business development.
• Strong relationship management, stakeholder engagement, and communication skills.
• Ability to analyze customer KPIs, adoption metrics, and business outcomes.
• Experience in post‑sales support, renewals, upsell strategies, and account growth.
• Proficiency in CRM systems, success planning tools, and performance dashboards.
• Knowledge of travel technology solutions and customer deployment processes preferred.

Summary of Role:

This is a key strategic commercial role and broader Amadeus business. The main purpose Sales and Account Management is to deliver sustainable and profitable growth through traditional and digital sales, automating sales processes and methodologies for the region. This role will be responsible for retaining and developing customers as well as identifying and capturing new business opportunities within specified geographic territory and/or customer segment through digital methods. Managing traditional customers such as Travel Agencies, and diversifying new customers such Consortiums, SME’s and OTAs.

Acquisition:

Contribute to the preparation & delivery of the quarterly sales plan for the region and identification of the target customer and prospect groups based on pipeline renewals, booking volumes variation using dedicated analytical tools in Qlik and CRM.

• Identify and capture new business opportunities within a specified geographic territory and/or customer segment (small deals). Promote and sell products, services and solutions through direct contacts, virtual events and road shows (webinars).
• Using virtual selling tools, deliver business or product presentations. Also, bring product experts who may be based in their markets/regions to enhance the relationship and improve the probability of successful sales. Identify customer specific needs and deliver compelling virtual sessions to present the proposal and using digital tools walk the customer through the implementation and onboarding process. Using various digital communication channels (email, instant messaging, video calls, etc.) manage and negotiate to achieve a deal closure.
• Actively participate in the campaign driven sales process, handle leads created as part of the campaigns and report on the campaign progress daily logging activities performed in the CRM.

Retention:

• Ensure retention and growth of market share through upselling and development of existing customers.
• Using virtual selling tools (video calls, live presentations - Teams, Zoom) identify and qualify business opportunities by establishing and developing relationships with top level executives.
• Coordinate and participate in RFP/RFI responses and follow-up.
• Support the delivery of the marketing plan by analyzing webinar outcomes, following up on webinar attendees and support the awareness a educational digital activities in 1-to-1 or 1-to many activities.
• Sales Pipeline reporting. rate on monthly, quarterly and yearly basis, as defined by management.
• Monitor and manage the sales pipeline velocity at desired level.
• Contribution to sales and marketing plan:

• Manage all inbound leads and responsible for sustainable growth within the Meetings, Incentives and Events Division.
• Prospect and focus on all leads for Meetings, Incentives and Events division, as well as assist with New Business for Inbound and Sports divisions.
• Presentation of demos/ training/ sales presentations to potential clients and do the necessary follow-up until closing the deal.
• Understand the needs of our target prospects and articulate the value that Tourvest Destination Management provides.
• Follow the full sales cycle and put strategies in place.
• Maintain accurate information on prospects and interaction activities in the Company’s reporting tool.
• Host meetings/ events.

• Understand client fee model per client (includes annual fee negotiations and increases.
• Understand contract per client and align to the contract in order for service delivery and value adds delivery to match the contract terms.
• Action Development plan: Completed and updated quarterly for every client and provide advisory recommendations best suited to clients’ needs.
• Client Business Reviews, Extensive experience creating reviews from raw data, understanding data analytics, compiling into presentations to all key players including C levels. This would include client strategic value and recommendations.
• Supplier Negotiations, Relationships and meeting attendance.
• Ability to work with global technology solutions implemented within client base.
• Client meetings, workshops, roadshows throughout the country, group and individual training on Reporting and Online booking tools
• Assist with Technical support for Company Online booking tools
• Arranging and Project manage Client events from start to finish e.g. Roadshows,Teambuilding, PA/ Travel booker breakfasts, Easter & Christmas functions, Staff Awards and Supplier events etc.
• Marketing material such as designing invitations, coordinate R.S.V.P’s, Travel tips and monthly newsletters to existing clients.
• Acting as the Brand Ambassador and Introduction and Sales of Company risk management product.
• Complaint Management.
• Client surveys and reporting there of
• CRM, Weekly, Monthly adhoc client reporting.
• Client Implementations - Assisting New Business with initial information gathering, Tender Presentations and attendance of implementation meetings
• Introduction and roadshows to new clients.
• CRM/ Weekly reporting.
• Client business plans and provide recommendations there of.
• Budget and profit analysis
• Client portfolio included; Global Multi national accounts, South African brands and SME corporate clients

• All aspects of Managing own company involving daily operations., administration and finance, Consulting and booking of reservations (flights, car, hotels and all aspects of travel products & services).
• Establishing New Business and cold calling.
• Key Account and Client Relationship Management.
• Product Management and Supplier Relationships.
• Specializing in Leisure, Corporate, Group Travel and making reservations pertaining to these fields.
• Groups included tour packages for Sporting, school groups, Pilgrimages etc.
• Assistance with Meet & Greets, Visa/ Embassy appointments for individual and group travelers.
• Designed own website and all marketing material i.e. specials, newsletters etc.
• Social Media & Digital Media.

• Account Management for portfolio of Corporate Global and Local clients therefore maintaining all aspects of Client Relationships & Client Service levels.
• Error logging and Complaints Management.
• Retaining and increasing business according to income and GP margin.
• Client Retention & Profit Growth.
• Client/ Financial Business reviews – Compiling reviews from raw data, presenting and providing recommendations to key-players & C- Levels.
• Monthly meetings/ Call plans/ Client Workshops/ Roadshows/ Training
• Service Levels Agreements and Contract Management.
• Client reporting and MIS/ monthly reports.
• Advisory function on best practices for Clients’ Travel Programme.
• Project Manage all functions as per Account Management role, business plans providing recommendations and best practices.
• Budgets/ Profit & Loss analysis.
• Multi-level relationships with C Levels and Global Keyplayers. Liasing with all key players i.e. internal and external colleagues, clients and suppliers.
• Extensive expensive with Global conference calls, liasing with Global clients and collegues.
• Client Financial negotiations, understanding of fee negotiations and Implementation thereof.
• Supplier Relationships, Meetings, Negotiation of rates and Corporate agreement negotiation.
• Implementation of new corporate accounts with New Business. Attendance of Implementation meetings, workshop and introductions.
• Promoting Company products and services such as Advisory services, MICE, Technology platforms.
• Client surveys and responsible for Client Balance scorecards and implementation thereof.
• Client portfolio included; Global Multi national accounts, South African brands and SME corporate clients
• 1996 | Junior/ Intermediate/ Senior Consultant/ Team Leader - Johnnic Publishing, BasilRead, ABI. Siemens, Novartis inhouses
• 2007 | Operations and Strategic Relationship Manager. Managed a Team of consultants of +/- 8 – 10 staff for strategic accounts i.e. Super Group and University of Witwatersrand
• 2009 | Client General Manager

• Part Time

• Part Time