Julie Golding
Development Manager — NSW, ACT & QLD, Silversea
1. What does your role involve and how long have you been in your current position?
I am employed as a Business Development Manager NSW South/ACT for Silversea Cruises for just over 6 months now. My role is to grow and develop new and existing accounts in my territory, maintain relationships, and cultivate new ones, and attend client and trade events to grow my sales area.
2. How did you start out in your career? Were you always destined to work in the travel industry?
I started my career in hospitality and Tourism working in Hotels and Resorts around Australia where I was able to confidently deal with domestic and international guests. I was very lucky to work in resorts such as: Dunk Island, Great Keppel Island, and Ayres Rock Resort.
3. Did you complete formal qualifications, and do you think they are important?
At first my direction was to be a Travel Agent and I completed 2 years of Joint Schools Secondary TAFE Program in year 11 and 12 then carried on to do my Travel Certificate and Advanced Travel Certificate at TAFE, I then decided to swap into Hospitality and completed a Hospitality Course (also at TAFE). I believe TAFE skills give you the practical knowledge you need to support the role you are choosing. Three years ago I completed Training and assessment Certificate IV and then a year later Diploma in Travel and Tourism to dip my toe into teaching travel at TAFE.
4. What do you love about your job?
I am very relationship and results driven so I really enjoy forming long lasting relationships and supporting my trade agencies. Being in sales I also love achieving my targets and setting goals for myself to exceed these.
5. What were some of the greatest challenges you’ve had in your career?
Learning new processes and systems internally is always tricky for me as I am so focused on what I do “outside” in the field and trying to adapt to what companies require internally.
6. What factors are central to your success?
Making sure I follow through and get back to my agents in a timely manner. Have a vested interest in not only growing your area but their business as well.
7. Did you have mentors, and if so, how did you find them?
Yes, I was lucky enough to be a part of an amazing program at one of my old companies that assigned you a mentor. We met every quarter to discuss my successes, what I can improve and future goals, He was amazing. I also advised someone I admired in the industry, I would love to have her as a mentor and she agreed that I can contact her whenever I need to make big decisions or just bounce something off her.
8. What are the keys to good business?
Personally I believe:
Reliability: doing what you said you’d do when you said you were going to do it.
Competence: consistently delivering superior results
Openness: Being transparent in communication “having open conversations and candid discussions.”
Compassion: Looking out for the best interests or treating everyone as you would want to be treated
9. What advice would you give to others in the industry who would like to follow in your footsteps?
Work in internal departments like Reservations, Inside Sales Coordinators so you understand the business internally, do public speaking courses as you need to present your product to people who do allot of research so you need to be confident. Have a thick skin, not every travel agent will want to see you, they may have had a client miss an important flight etc, so don’t take things personally.
