Strategic Account Manager

The Ideal Strategic Account Manager:

The Strategic Account Manager reports to the Regional Sales Director and is responsible for developing and executing the appropriate market strategy to earn prospective business and advise current customers to maximize revenue and hit a new/upsell/retention revenue quota consistently. This position will drive the business from: the country’s largest dealer groups and within our OEM certified programs. Within their existing book of business, they will identify and pursue upsell opportunities and work to ensure the client is retained and happy to earn referrals. The Strategic Account Manager will manage the progress and results of their account base, evaluate account performance and advise the product teams of ways to maximize dealer spending for best ROI. This is a remote position and US residency is required.

The Position Responsibilities:

• Plan strategically for growth of your books of business by understanding market potential for an existing customer list and ability to maximize share within the current book.
• Identify your prospect targets based on your current relationships, OEM programs and your referral network and execute tightly against that plan.
• Be a resource for the Marketing Team, providing information and individual client success and areas for improvement, and assist with successful implementation of objectives.
• Clearly communicate with cross functional teams to give visibility into the marketplace to help product development.
• Conduct reviews with clients to ensure negative performance trends are identified and rectified and positive trends are communicated.
• Continuously review the existing account portfolios to enable better and more focused day-to-day customer relationship management via your partner Customer Success Team member or yourself.
• Effectively transition accounts to Customer Success Team members to maximize revenue creation opportunities and minimize customer cancellations.
• Engage with the fast-paced environment and think strategically to build business and problem solve.
• Exceptional understanding of sales methodology to approach and uncover needs and upsell current customers / new prospects and present solutions.
• Generate profitable new business, focusing on a high average deal size on ever sale.
• Identify your prospect targets based on your current relationships/book of business, OEM programs and your referral network and execute tightly against your account plan.
• Leverage account plan to grow your book of business by understanding market potential for an existing customer and aim to maximize share of groups within the current book.
• Maximize market share within our certified OEM programs (FCA, Mazda, and Acura).
• Monitor / Identify and work with at-risk accounts to create appropriate action plans.
• Proactively monitor and analyze account performance and trends to determine adjustments to dealer expectations, goals, and objectives. Share feedback internally and serve as a leader within the organization to help improve overall business processes.
• Research, communicate and discuss industry issues and trends with customers and prospects to show credibility.
• Respond to client escalations and communicate Customer Success Team with dealership facts identified during in-field visits.
• Ride-along with new sales hires, demonstrating the way of selling and maintaining accounts in the field.
• Use strong technical and business development skills to increase your customer’s utilization of current products/technology as well as sales of new technologies as they are released.

Skill Requirements and Preferred Experience:

• 3-4 years of experience selling to franchise automotive dealers (headhunting selling experience required).
• Extensive selling & headhunting experience, this role will be more selling & headhunting than account management.
• 2 years of experience selling Paid Search advertising.
• 1-2 years of experience in Digital Media platforms, specifically with Google Analytics, Google Ad Network, Microsoft Ads, SEO, Facebook.
• Advertising agency experience preferred.
• Automotive experience needed.
• Bachelor’s degree or other equivalent years of experience required.
• Ability to translate technical aspects to customer-facing business language.
• Proven track record of flawless execution and attention to detail.
• Strong computer skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Mastery of Google Analytics & Google Ad Network.
• Salesforce CRM experience strongly preferred.
• Jira, or ticketing system experience preferred.
• Strong ability to understand a Digital Media report and translate it to a dealer.
• Strong ability to understand Google Analytics trends and communicate the details of it to a dealer.
• Strong ability to understand complex technology and explain their benefit to the client.
• Communication skills (clarity, tone / convey information in an organized, efficient manner that is suitable for the audience in both written and verbal communication).
• Customer-centric; conveys strong commitment to think with the customer in mind and their business’ success.
• Driven to hit sales quotas consistently.
• Critical thinker; ability to anticipate needs and impact of decisions.
• Self-motivated to work from an at-home environment; will set up a weekly schedule for themselves that helps them hit quotas.
• Interpersonal skills that allow them to develop relationships built on trust and mutual respect.
• Can execute sales or save deals independently; however, recognizes when to seek help to close business or save a deal.
• Time Management: ability to juggle numerous responsibilities while prioritizing work to ensure all deadlines are met.
• Strong curiosity to learn more, always staying on top of digital trends.
• Relevant collegiate industry exposure preferred.
• This is a remote position; however, US residence is required.
• Able to travel (<60-70%).