Heidi Vargas Charest
Cocoa Beach,FL
Summary
Highly motivated professional with 34 years of entrepreneurial and management experience. Skillfully creates and maintains professional and loyal relationships with co-workers, staff and clients while managing administrative and sales employees. Comfortable working independently as a manager and leader and as a collaborative team member. Applies business acumen and experience and exercises decisive judgment to meet and exceed organizational goals.
Overview
39
39
years of professional experience
Work History
Owner
Tiny Tavern
10.2019 - Current
- Complete thorough opening, closing and shift change functions to maintain operational standards each day.
- Interview, hire and train staff to improve customer retention and bolster sales.
- Comply with health codes, sanitation requirements and license regulations while streamlining productivity initiatives.
- Increase profits by overseeing inventory and strategically increasing Beer/Wine prices.
- Plan and coordinate special events to boost customer numbers and profits.
- Create and implement marketing and advertising strategies to support revenue goals and promote strategic growth.
- Reconciled daily sales, prepared bank deposits and assessed financial transaction reports.
- Reorganize bar stations to streamline service flow.
- Develop and implement bartender training programs, policies and procedures.
- Manage day-to-day business operations.
- Oversee daily operations, ensuring all tasks are completed accurately and efficiently by team members.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with clients, resulting in repeat business and referrals.
- Set employee schedules, delegate work, and service performance.
- Maintain positive relationships with local community and government officials.
- Recruit, hire, and train talented staff to fill vacancies.
- Enhance financial controls to minimize theft and loss risks, continuously maintaining accurate accounts and cash drawers.
- Analyze sales data to identify trends and adjust purchasing decisions accordingly.
- Develop unique events and special promotions to drive sales.
- Purchase Beer/Wine and cultivated strong vendor relationships.
- Monitor and adjust pricing, discounts and promotions to maximize profitability.
- Kept facility compliant with health codes, sanitation requirements and license regulations, alleviating potentially heavy fines.
- Managed staff schedules and maintained adequate coverage for all shifts.
- Oversaw successful marketing campaigns to increase restaurant exposure and awareness.
- Analyzed sales data to identify trends for informed decision-making related to menu adjustments or operational changes.
- Plan and execute strategies to increase customer loyalty and retention.
- Managed payroll, daily deposits, and cost controls.
Director of Sales
Generations Travel
11.2022 - 06.2023
- Developed and promoted weekly, monthly and quarterly cruise sales objectives.
- Pursued cruise sales deals by qualifying clients, building individualized proposals and preparing final contracts.
- Implemented cruise sales programs by developing field sales action plans.
- Established sales objectives by forecasting and developing annual sales quotas for regions and territories.
- Coached, developed and motivated team to achieve revenue goals.
- Resolved customer complaints regarding cruise sales and service.
- Built relationships with customers and industry professionals to establish long-term business growth.
- Supported cruise sales team members to drive growth and development.
- Established a culture of continuous improvement by fostering open communication channels and empowering employees to voice their ideas.
- Cultivated strong professional relationships with suppliers and key clients to drive long-term business development.
- Scheduled employees for shifts, taking into account customer traffic and employee strengths.
- Observed each employee's individual strengths and initiated mentoring program to improve areas of weakness.
- Trained and guided team members to maintain high productivity and performance metrics.
Senior Luxury Cruise Sales Agent
iCruise.com
08.2007 - 11.2022
- Asked open-ended questions to best understand client needs and determine best cruise travel offerings.
- Explained benefits of purchasing travel insurance with clients.
- Sustained operational efficiencies, coordinating domestic/international customer travel accommodations while managing cruise, airfare, hotel bookings, and rental car reservations.
- Coordinated group travel arrangements for conferences or events requiring attention to detail and clear communication among multiple parties involved.
- Expanded client base by diligently prospecting new leads and effectively presenting Cruise line offerings.
- Boosted referral rates by cultivating positive relationships with satisfied customers who were eager to recommend my services to others.
- Achieved top performer status within the company.
- Increased personal sales revenue by consistently meeting and exceeding sales targets.
- Served clients with knowledgeable, friendly support at every stage of shopping and purchasing.
- Identified new business opportunities through cold calling, networking, marketing and prospective database leads.
- Stayed current on company offerings and industry trends.
- Attended monthly sales meetings and quarterly sales trainings.
- Enhanced customer satisfaction by providing personalized travel recommendations and booking services.
- Prioritized client safety and well-being by staying up-to-date on travel advisories and providing appropriate guidance during trip planning.
- Utilized advanced knowledge of diverse global cultures when designing customized itineraries suited to specific client requests.
- Participated in ongoing professional development opportunities related to the travel industry, enhancing expertise in the field.
- Monitored industry trends to stay current on popular destinations, emerging markets, and best practices in the field of online travel sales.
- Assisted clients in obtaining necessary documentation such as visas or passports for international trips efficiently.
- Supervised payments via credit and debit cards and handled sensitive information with professionalism and discreteness.
- Followed up with customers to increase customer service with travel plans.
- Arranged travel accommodations for groups, couples, executives, and special needs clients.
- Provided exemplary customer service to new and existing clients, which helped build lasting relationships and secure new travel assignments.
- Organized memorable and exquisite travel itineraries and vacations for high-level clients, celebrities, politicians, and business executives.
- Maintained up-to-date knowledge of travel industry trends, regulations and best practices to better serve customers.
- Recommended travel insurance plans to customers to reduce uncertainty and risk of financial loss.
- Coordinated both international and domestic travel accommodations for customers, arranging for Cruise, airfare, hotel and rental car reservations.
- Asked open-ended questions to better ascertain client needs and determine best cruise international travel offerings.
- Monitored currency exchange rates and advised customers on best time to purchase foreign currency.
- Increased client satisfaction by creating customized travel itineraries tailored to individual preferences and needs.
- Assisted clients with flight changes and cancellations to minimize travel disruptions.
- Managed client itineraries, ensuring all travel documents were accurate and delivered in a timely manner.
- Increased revenue by upselling premium cabin upgrades, drink and dining packages, hotels for pre and post stays.
Office Manager and Sales
Fairfield Communities
03.1998 - 07.2007
- Conducted weekly travel sales team meetings to review progress toward established goals and support individual achievement.
- Supported travel sales agents by compiling sales and marketing collateral materials and organizing special promotional events to enable customer acquisition.
- Performed travel market analysis and list management tasks to identify agent sales prospects.
- Monitored travel industry trends and economic developments and modified sales strategies to enable goal achievement in changing market conditions.
- Coordinated and conducted travel sales classes to teach procedures to new staff members.
- Negotiated and reviewed contracts, rates and terms with current facilities and suppliers.
- Managed busy calendar for executive team, planning travel and preparing meetings and communications.
Office Administrator and Manager
OR-D Systems
06.1989 - 06.1996
- Monitored payments due from clients and promptly contacted clients with past due payments.
- Oversaw receiving and organizing correspondence, answering and forwarding calls and creating business letters and records.
- Administered payroll and maintained proper documentation of employee personnel.
- Developed databases, web forms and file systems to fill different needs.
- Coordinated installation of software systems and collaborated with user experience team on design and implementation of new features.
- Supervised work and output of 5 software engineers.
- Mentored newly hired employees, prepared for project tasks and trained on unfamiliar systems.
- Tackled development tasks based on system requirements and documented approaches.
- Developed mitigation strategies and prepared standard operating procedures.
Inventory and Product Sales Associate
BJ's Wholesale
07.1985 - 09.1989
- Prepared merchandise for purchase or rental.
- Placed special orders or called other stores to find desired items.
- Ticketed, arranged and displayed merchandise to promote sales.
- Exchanged merchandise for customers and accepted returns.
- Maintained knowledge of sales and promotions, return policies and security practices.
- Unboxed new merchandise and restocked shelves in appealing and organized arrangements to promote items.
- Used CRM database to track referral and appointment data.
- Monitored customer order process and addressed customer issues.
- Performed quality control inspections on parts and packaged bulk items for delivery or sale.
- Received, examined and reshelved returned products.
- Operated point of sales and product and parts lookup computer systems.
- Finalized sales receipts, contracts, logs and other documentation regarding products being sold.
- Participated in physical inventory counts to keep information accurate and current.
- Performed scheduled inventory counts and supply audits.
- Entered information into system to update status reports.
- Kept work areas clean, neat and organized for optimal productivity and worker safety.
- Stored and organized items in tool or supply rooms, allowing for easy retrieval.
- Tracked outgoing orders to provide shipping status to customers.
- Issued supplies, materials and products to team members based on information from requisitions.
- Packed and unpacked items, checking breakables before stocking on shelves.
- Assisted retail, wholesale and service customers with selecting optimal parts for different needs.
- Coordinated restocks by working closely with parts manager to fill critical gaps.
Education
MCC Master Cruise Consultant - Tourism and Travel Management
CLIA
02.1996
Bachelor of Science - Computer Science
Drexel University
05.1989
Skills
- Project Management
- Operations Management
- Business Development
- Strategic Planning
- Customer Service
- Sales Strategics
- Strategic Decision-Making
- Resources Allocation
- Business Planning
- Sales Development
- Cost Analysis and Savings
- Attention to Detail
- Negotiation and Persuasion
- Staff Hiring
- Verbal and Written Communication
- Trends Analysis
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Policies and Procedures Development
- Driven and Determined
- Relationship Building
- Change Management
- Training and Development
- Professional Networking
- Purchasing and Planning
- Risk Mitigation and Management
- Budget Control
- Customer Relations
- Performance Improvement
- Financial Management
- Issue Resolution
- Quality Assurance
- Financial Administration
- Vendor Relationship Management
- Negotiation
- Business Administration
Traveling the World
Have traveled 6 of the 7 Continents. Antarctica is next.
Timeline
Director of Sales
Generations Travel
11.2022 - 06.2023
Owner
Tiny Tavern
10.2019 - Current
Senior Luxury Cruise Sales Agent
iCruise.com
08.2007 - 11.2022
Office Manager and Sales
Fairfield Communities
03.1998 - 07.2007
Office Administrator and Manager
OR-D Systems
06.1989 - 06.1996
Inventory and Product Sales Associate
BJ's Wholesale
07.1985 - 09.1989
MCC Master Cruise Consultant - Tourism and Travel Management
CLIA
Bachelor of Science - Computer Science
Drexel University
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