Principal Account Sales
USA
Job description
· Job Description:
Responsibilities:
Client/Account Relationship
· Establishes proactively strong professional relationships and credibility with key IT and business executives in the corporate account.
· Focuses on senior business management challenges and strategies and is periodically called upon by client IT executives for advice and counsel.
· Acts as business partner to account and 'extension' of the customer's IT management team.
· Demonstrates breadth and depth of knowledge to position and map the company's capabilities that align to client business objectives and initiatives.
· Maintains high-level of customer loyalty and builds trust and integrity, as indicated in company conducted surveys and reports.
· Leverages existing engagements to spawn new business with opportunities that result in on-going profitable revenue growth for the company.
· Leverages the full company portfolio to add significant value to customer's business, continuously improve account profitability for the company and expand the company's share of wallet of the customer spent.
· Actively engages the Executive Sponsor and other senior company executives to build strategic relationships with the customer which ensure long-term business opportunities for the company.
Business Management
· Builds monitors and orchestrates sales pipeline activities to advance, invest in or divest of opportunities; focuses on generating new and break- through initiatives.
· Nurtures and closes new company solutions opportunities that result in substantial incremental orders, revenue and margins to the company, representing the entire company portfolio of products and services.
· Builds long-term growth opportunities (three years or more) using the Account Business Planning (ABP) process; actively manages the ABP through scheduled reviews and updates.
· Gains business buy-in for the account business opportunities and has a solid understanding of the business case from the company internal stakeholders in the GBU's and the countries/regions.
· Provides the business rationale and risk assessment for making company investments in the account.
· Meets quarterly and annual sales goals, and coaches company resources to meet and exceed targets
Account Team Management
· Orchestrates the resources and sponsorship essential for executing business effectively on a global scale. Engages company sales specialists, channel and alliance partners to fully leverage the portfolio of company solutions; optimizes deployment of specialists and partners, instills a sense of opportunity ownership to drive deal closure, and maintains ongoing dialogue with pursuit leads to maximize client value.
· Coaches account team members to optimize performance and to enable broader and deeper client engagement.
· Coordinates all company activities in the account, e.g. sales activity, marketing programs, executive forums, delivery of on-going engagements and RAP surveys; develops a communication plan and employs effective processes for keeping direct and virtual team members updated.
· Coordinates multiple WW BU delivery organizations to support client engagement and service in the account.
· Actively engages the Executive Sponsor and selectively leverages other senior company executives to build strategic relationship which favorably position long-term business opportunities for the company and are complimentary to overall account activities.
· Drives integrated planning and coordinated sales execution effectively.
People Management
· Identifies and grows key performers and develops a succession plan.
· Assesses and manages employee performance to ensure individual and group excellence; manages performance and results of high and low performers
· Motivates and supports sales teams in selling; counsels and supports individuals through selling challenges; demonstrates a high level of motivation and entrepreneurial ability in supporting the pursuit and closing of deals.
· Nurtures and advances the talent required to maintain the company's sales force excellence within area of control; sponsors and directs skill building activities to increase the productivity and accomplishments of the sales force.
Education and Experience Required:
· Bachelor's Degree, MBA desired.
· 8-10 years account management experience.
· Experience in IT industry and in vertical industry preferred.
· P&L and risk management skills and experience required.
Knowledge and Skills:
Account/Business Development
· Uses consultative, solution selling and business development skills to align the client's business needs with the company's solutions.
· Highly developed business development and negotiation skills.
· Focuses on client's key business challenges and drivers to position himself/herself as a trusted advisor.
· Advocates for client needs in negotiating solution sales and troubleshooting solution delivery issues.
· Establishes the overall account sales strategy and drives execution through rigorous reviews and disciplined application of sales tools (Siebel, TAS,).
· Ensures submital of timely and accurate forecasts and continually coaches team to do same.
· Actively seeks breakthrough and new opportunities by shaping demand, leading client discussions, and offering insightful approaches to solving client business challenges.
Account/Team Leadership
· Effectively leads the account team to ensure coordinated, efficient, account management, and accountability for achieving business results.
· Strong employee management and team leadership skills.
· In-depth knowledge of client's business, organizational structure, business processes and financial structure.
· Develops a comprehensive business-case approach in crafting client proposals and in Company internal requests for resource and/or investments.
· Attracts, leads, and retains global resources.
· Expertise in managing end-to-end sales processes involving complex, multi-country, multi-business unit deals.
Industry Acumen
· Keeps abreast of industry trends as relates to opportunities to create added value for the client.
· Knowledge of industry and client's security, risk and compliance issues.
· Demonstrates strong presentation and communication skills.
· High-level of vertical industry knowledge and account expertise.
· Apply IT best practices specific to the client's industry.
Portfolio Knowledge
· Knows the company's broad portfolio and how to integrate different solutions, or engages the appropriate resources, to create unique and innovative solutions for the customer.