0105 - VPG - Account Manager

Description:   The Education Sales Account Manager is responsible for generating sales revenue, in an exclusive territory, by making product presentations primarily to educators in the K-12 market through virtual selling via web-based meetings and phone conversations. Customer visits and face-to-face prospecting may be used to support the primary virtual approach. The position requires a consultative sales approach to introduce product solutions. Compensation is comprised of base salary plus uncapped commission.   Essential Duties and Responsibilities:   The primary duties (i.e., more than 50 percent of the time) involve making sales, soliciting sales, and performing duties incidental to sales. o   Prospective customers at conferences/trade shows and school sites to introduce and demonstrate product solutions to begin the sales process. o   Follows up with prospects on a timely basis via email, telephone, and web conferencing tools to convert leads to product presentations and closed sales. o   Plans weekly itineraries and schedules appointments for product presentations to meet company activity level expectations (goals). o   Prepares accurate and timely customized quotes to prospective customers in the assigned territory. o   Generates additional sales by strategically targeting other prospective customers and soliciting referral business to meet or exceed sales quotas. o   Maintains strong, ongoing relationships with existing customers to enhance the customer experience and secure future sales and referrals.   o   Collaborates regularly with management and peers, both in the VPG Sales and other departments, to contribute ideas for strategizing and executing sales opportunities and identify areas for improvement.    o   Recommends and plans for attendance at conferences/trade shows, and customer visits, to establish relationships with new and existing customers. Keeps within budgetary constraints. o   Provides regular sales forecasting as required by management via CRM system. o   Follows established processes and procedures for gaining leads, presenting solutions, quoting, documenting completed product presentations, placing orders, closing out won and lost opportunities.   Sales Stewardship:   ·         Responsible for managing sales focused initiative projects ·         Along with the sales manager take part in other Divisions projects as the voice of sales ·         Fluent in all Sales Tools to include Q360 (CRM) among others ·         Attend trade shows when called upon by Sales Manager   Competencies:  To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:   ·         Planning/Organizing - Prioritizes and plans work activities; Uses time efficiently; Plans for additional resources. ·         Oral Communication – Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; Listens and gets clarification; Responds well to questions; Participates in meetings. ·         Written Communication – Edits for spelling and grammar; Able to read and interpret written information. ·         Professionalism – Approaches others in a tactful manner; Reacts well under pressure; Treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position; Accepts responsibility for own actions. ·         Business Acumen – Understands business implications of decisions; Displays orientation to profitability; Demonstrates knowledge of market and competition; Aligns work with strategic goals. ·         Problem Solving – Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Works will in group problem solving situations; uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics. ·         Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; Manages competing demands; Change’s approach or method to best fit the situation; Able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events. ·         Teamwork – Balances team and individual responsibilities; Gives and welcomes feedback; Contributes to building a positive team spirit; Puts success of team above own interests.   Qualifications:   To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Education/Experience:   ·         Requires post-secondary education in business, marketing, education or related field, plus previous consultative B2B sales experience. Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred. Current or previous educators with consultative B2B sales experience strongly desired. ·         Previous successful consultative sales experience, especially in the education market. ·         Strong follow-up skills.   Language Ability:   ·         Intermediate skills - Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, or governmental regulations.  Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and training manuals.  Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the public. Multi-lingual ability a plus. Mathematical Ability:   ·         Basic skills - Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.  Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to interpret bar graphs. Reasoning Ability:   ·         High skills – Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.  Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. Computer Ability:   ·         Requires intermediate MS Office skills (word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation applications); familiarity with using contact management systems (CRM-Q360, Salesforce, Dynamics) highly preferred; ability to learn and effectively use web meeting software; ability to efficiently navigate the internet is required. Physical Demands:   ·         The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 40 pounds. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit. The employee is occasionally required to stand for long periods of time while operating equipment (trade shows).   Other:   ·         Requires a valid driver’s license and availability for travel to trade shows, school sites and minimal overnight travel. ·         Some territories may require availability of a home office and the skills to work successfully from a home office.

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