Deep in the heart of the Nation’s Capitol, Sundance Vacations Washington, D.C. office runs like a fine-tuned machine under the guidance of sales director Brian Zimmerman and sales co-director Kate Berger.
Zimmerman and Berger have been part of the Sundance Vacations team for a little more than seven years, serving in various capacities over the years. The Washington, D.C. office boasts a staff of four managers, 14 sales representatives and two administrative positions.
The office’s client base consists primarily of Washington, D.C., Baltimore and other Maryland cities and Virginia. Each week, the sales staff welcomes hundreds of clients at its sessions.
Prior to becoming sales co-director in Washington, D.C., Berger operated out of Sundance’s King of Prussia office in Pennsylvania. Zimmerman worked out of corporate office in Wilkes-Barre office and according to Berger, “has worked in all of Sundance’s sales offices.
“Brian and I have created quite the atmosphere here. After the multi-media presentation and discussion about our travel services, many of the clients say they felt like they were at a party,” Berger emphasized.
As for the sales team’s approach when dealing with clients, “we treat them like gold and with the utmost respect. Continuing, she said, “We give them the red-carpet treatment and get the clients to like you. In essence, we believe if you make a friend, you make a sale,” she explained.
“We like to make the whole experience fun and we encourage our sales reps to add their own personalities and be themselves,” Berger added.
Berger said the closing percentage at the presentations is really good, but added “there’s always room for improving those numbers.”
Prior to the sales presentations, she said clients are treated to coffee, ice water, cookies and, for added effect, music. “We play a lot of ‘80’s music and that’s where the party atmosphere comes in. And for clients who purchase vacations packages, we take their photographs and give them beach balls and leis to get them in the vacation mode before they leave,” Berger pointed out.
Following suit of all the Sundance sales office, the Washington, D.C. office also conducts a variety of charitable events. “For the Christmas holiday, we donate toys to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and the Shepherd’s Cove Facility where we also have food catered for a holiday party,” Zimmerman offered. “We also donate to the Wounded Warriors Project and the Baltimore Animal Rescue.”
But Zimmerman and Berger take extra pride in an upcoming event that will benefit Natasha’s Justice Project, which basically addresses the backlog of untested rape kits. “We’re sponsoring a comedy show on Oct. 18 on the campus of George Washington University, which will benefit the Natasha Justice Project, which is spearheaded by Natasha Alexenko. She is known for an HBO documentary that focuses on rape victims. We donated $1,500 and are sponsors of the upcoming comedy show,” Zimmerman stated.
Our team in D.C. also supports another charity, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS). Sundance Vacations employee Kate Berger has been lending a paw at BARCS for many years and has passed her passion on to other in the office and in her community. Read more about how Sundance Vacations Charities Helps Baltimore Animal Shelter on our Charities site.
The Washington, D.C. office is located at 4400 Jenifer St. NW, Suite 360. Sales office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 3 to 11 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. until the last client leaves, which is usually about 7 p.m., according to Berger.
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