Inside the Minds of FareHarbor Leadership: Sales

Meet Lisa Rauch

Welcome back to our interview series, Inside the Minds of FareHarbor Leadership! This time, get to know our Director of Sales, Europe, Lisa Rauch!

In this series, you’ll hear directly from members of the FareHarbor leadership team about their journey within the company, some personal anecdotes, their favorite FareHarbor features and experiences, and more!  

You just passed your one-year mark at FareHarbor (woo!). What have been your favorite aspects of your position so far?

I would have to say my favourite thing about FareHarbor is really the people. I get to work with so many passionate and hardworking individuals who have been supportive in the directions we’re setting for the Europe sales team. It has been a really exciting year and the best part is that there is no shortage of opportunities for us to partner with incredible tour and activity operators across the region. 

With over 15 years of experience in the hospitality and travel industries, are there any recent industry trends you have noticed that surprise or excite you?

I’m really curious about the role that AI will play in the travel industry. We’re already seeing travellers turn to tools like ChatGPT to curate holidays including recommending tours and activities to do while on their trip.    I’m excited to see the impact AI will have, but also how we can use these tools to enhance our day-to-day work at FareHarbor. 

In terms of company culture, how does FareHarbor compare to other companies you have worked for in the past?

It’s really a special place to work. I’ve had the opportunity to work at some amazing companies and during my tenure there was always a period where it felt like culture and strategy came together to achieve great results, but frankly it often felt like the exception rather than the rule. At FareHarbor, preserving the amazing culture of openness, support and putting our clients first is a top priority, and you can feel it, which makes showing up every day a true joy.  

As our Director of Sales in Europe, what qualities do you look for when hiring a new sales executive? 

We are always looking for curious, engaged, passionate sales people with on-the-job experience, preferably in the SaaS industry. Of these qualities I personally think curiosity is super important in sales.  If we’re curious about our clients’ businesses and ask probative questions to better understand their pain points, we can customise an incredible solution and ensure a great experience with FareHarbor. 

What FareHarbor program or resource do you think is the most valuable to our clients?

FareHarbor has such powerful and customisable software that it’s hard to name one. But two programs that I think are very valuable to our clients are FareHarbor Connect and the FareHarbor Distribution Network. These are two incredible resources that can help increase revenue and market share for our clients with almost no additional work. 

What is your favorite FareHarbor tour or activity you have been on?

I love the Amsterdam Light Festival which takes place every December – January in our beautiful city.  In my opinion, the best way to enjoy the festival is by boat and I’ve had the chance to take tours with several of our clients including Pure Boats and Friendship Amsterdam.  But before I joined FareHarbor, I went on vacation in Hawaii and got to experience the beautiful Island of Kauai.  While there we took a tour with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters and it is still a highlight of my life.  

As someone who has lived in several cities — Los Angeles, Singapore, and now Amsterdam — what is your favorite you have visited and/or lived in?

I’ve had such great fortune to call each of these incredible cities home.  They are so different with reasons to love them all.  But I still say the best city I’ve ever had a chance to visit (not live) is Tokyo, Japan.  The city is just buzzing 24 hours a day; but it also has so much to offer from eclectic neighbourhoods, shopping, sumo wrestling (a must see!) to award-winning restaurants but also, the best convenience store snacks you will find anywhere in the world.  

Stay tuned for more installments of this series to learn more about what it’s like to work at FareHarbor across our different offices.