About the job
The Consulting Account Executive will work with leading customers in South Africa market to position and deliver Microsoft Consulting Services and accelerate cloud adoption and consumption.
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.
Develops and oversees the execution of account plans for multiple accounts and works to ensure engagements yield high volume sales for both Microsoft and the customer that are on track with goals, budgets, and forecasts. Understands customer drivers of digital transformation and leverages understanding to engage internal teams to accelerate the customer’s digital transformation and strategy. Cultivates relationships and uses Microsoft sales strategies throughout multiple levels of the customer’s organization to establish strong alignment on long-term goals and secure buy in and execution. Leverages knowledge of and experience with Microsoft’s product landscape, solutions, and strategy to address customers’ needs.
Proactively elevates a strong customer engagement strategy among internal stakeholders and partners. Proactively develops a comprehensive understanding of customer’s needs and strategies, priorities, and industry direction. Orchestrates high-impact innovative solutions that enable digital transformation and drive outcomes that create business value for customers. Leads the development and application of mature and dynamic account plans grounded on proven and often-tailored methodologies to manage business portfolios. Thinks strategically about account planning, setting standards and priorities, outlining where to and how to invest resources. Oversees a complex accounts and leads planning and prioritization efforts to ensure appropriate responses to account needs. Identifies board influencers and proactively engages with them to drive Microsoft’s perspective. Leverages relationships with key customer contacts to identify and understand the drivers of satisfaction. Leverages best-in-class sales and communication techniques to lead extended virtual teams and key stakeholders with deep industry expertise. Actively engages decision makers to articulate Microsoft’s value proposition and elevate Microsoft’s industry status as a preferred partner. Develops compelling, value-proposition presentations and specialized business plans for customers that drive business outcomes. Develops and implements plans for maximizing upselling/cross-selling opportunities in certain accounts. Leverages a strong knowledge of and experience with Microsoft’s solutions to address customers’ needs.
Responsibilities
Sales Execution
- Brings impactful industry insights into customer engagements and closes deals with customers. Acts as a thought leader across solution areas to advise customers across business functions on digital transformation. Leads virtual transformational shifts to drive deployment and create business value for customers. May lead partner integration into account/territory planning and customer engagements. Provides thought leadership.
- Orchestrates with team members on conducting personal campaigns to discover new opportunities and generate new leads. Leads conversations with strategic/high-potential customers (e.g., high budget, global account, highly competitive) along with account teams or partners.
- Drives consumption and grow business with existing strategic customers by initiating conversations, guiding others on demos or quotes, and the collaboration with partners or internal teams (e.g., Technical Sales Professionals, Global Black Belts). For licensing transactions and project engagements, ensures rapid and robust deployment plan at point of sale that is validated by services and partners. Drives advanced workloads and usage.
- Explores and assesses the needs of strategic/high-potential customers. Articulates business value and long-term implications for customer business. Collaborates with internal teams, partners, and services to lead the proposal or development of solutions that align with customer and Microsoft priorities. Analyzes market trends to identify opportunities for new solutions.
- Develops strategies for driving and closing strategic and/or prioritized opportunities. Collaborates with account teams to ensure alignment with the account strategy and plan. Leads deal execution with the deal teams across the organization. Coaches others on the implementation of close plans (e.g., how to map timeline, engage the customer, get customer buy-in and commitment) to de-risk and drive predictable deal closure.
Accelerate Cloud growth
- Lead the pursuit of the agreed IS opportunities, collaborate with the ecosystem and on their involvement and support in the execution of the Sales Strategy
- Continuously build sales expertise, learn and evolve Industry knowledge to support customers and the wider one Microsoft team and invest in personal development
Deal excellence
- Champion and adhere to Microsoft Customer Engagement Methodology – sales process
- On strategy selling, pipeline standard – log and maintain all MSX opportunities (revenue and consumption) for Industry Solutions opportunities, continuously qualify opportunities, adhere to Opportunity Review Board (ORB) process and close plan ownership
- Leverage strategic deal options, selling profitable deals
Qualifications
- Consultative Solution Sales work Experience
- Experience in technology sales experience in the commercial Sector ( FSI)
- 10+Years Industry Consulting Solution Sales experience ( FSI, Public Sector)
- Sales Strategy ability to develop strategies to manage pipeline and meet sales goals by reviewing forecasts, assessing and mitigating risks, and ensuring strategy alignment with business priorities.
- Opportunity/Deal Orchestration
- Business AcumenThe ability to understand the parts of the business and their interrelationships. This includes skill in understanding the industry, competition, and expected future developments and challenges, the business’s competitive strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities to grow the business and reduce operating costs; and being aware of the environment for opportunities.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.
