Membership Sales Director

The Elm City Club is seeking an energetic, results-driven Membership Sales Director to lead our member growth and engagement strategy. While a strong foundation in modern marketing principles is required to effectively position the Club in the marketplace, this is fundamentally a high-touch sales leadership role.

The ideal candidate is a top-performing salesperson who excels at pipeline management, prospecting, conducting compelling club tours, closing leads, and building long-term relationships with prospective and current members. You will leverage your marketing acumen to craft data-driven outreach campaigns, but your primary metric of success will be converting leads into vibrant, long-term Club members.

Key Responsibilities

Sales Execution & Pipeline Management (Primary Focus – 70%)

• Drive Prospecting & Lead Generation: Proactively source, prospect, and engage high-caliber prospective members through community involvement, corporate networking, current member referrals, and targeted outreach.
• Lead Conversion & Closing: Guide prospective members through the entire sales lifecycle—from initial inquiry and high-touch personalized club tours to application submission and onboarding.
• Pipeline Management: Maintain and organize the CRM database, meticulously tracking lead progress, follow-ups, conversion rates, and sales metrics to ensure sales targets are consistently met or exceeded.
• Corporate & Reciprocal Outreach: Identify and execute strategy for corporate membership accounts and partnerships with local businesses, institutions, and universities (including Yale University and surrounding professional hubs).
• Retention & Ambassador Program: Collaborate with current members to turn satisfied members into brand ambassadors; design and incentivize member-get-a-member referral campaigns.

Marketing Strategy & Positioning (Supporting Role – 30%)

• Strategic Positioning: Utilize digital and traditional marketing principles to refine the Club’s value proposition, ensuring marketing channels directly support lead generation and sales acquisition.
• Campaign & Content Oversight: Collaborate with external agencies or internal staff/club committee to produce targeted promotional collateral, digital ad campaigns, social media content, and email sequences that generate qualified sales leads.
• Market Intelligence: Conduct regular market analysis and competitive research to optimize membership pricing, category structures, and promotional incentives.
• Event-Based Sales Strategy: Host prospective member preview events, open houses, and private tours aligned with major Club events to showcase the active culture and dining amenities.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Sales Experience: Proven success in direct sales, high-end hospitality sales, private club membership sales, luxury real estate, or high-touch B2C/B2B account executive roles.
• Track Record: Demonstrated history of consistently meeting or exceeding revenue targets and sales quotas.
• Marketing Background: Educational degree or direct professional background in Marketing, Brand Management, or Communications, with the ability to build demand-generation campaigns that fuel a sales pipeline.
• Salesforce / CRM Proficiency: Hands-on experience with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot, or Jonas Club Software) for lead tracking and sales forecasting.
• Interpersonal & Closing Skills: Outstanding verbal and written communication skills with the polished presence necessary to present to executive-level prospects and community leaders.
• Flexible Schedule: Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends to host prospect tours, attend private networking events, and support major Club social functions.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Total new member acquisitions across defined membership tiers.
• Monthly/quarterly lead-to-close conversion rates and sales pipeline velocity.
• Member referral program engagement and resulting acquisitions.
• Net growth in total membership dues revenue.

For over 130 years, The Elm City Club has served as a premier private social and dining destination in the heart of New Haven. Known for its rich history, warm hospitality, refined dining, exclusive member events, and vibrant community, the Club offers dynamic social and networking opportunities for leaders, professionals, and families across the region.