Senior Key Account Manager: Public Sector at Liquid Telecom South Africa

Job Purpose:

• To maximize revenue opportunities through establishing, developing and maintaining long-term relationships with strategic customers as well as defining and executing sales strategies that focus on increased sales and profitability.
• Managing strategic accounts and delivering profitable, long term revenue from nominated accounts.
• Ensuring delivery of annual revenue targets through delivery of information, communication and technology solutions.
• Establishing appropriate relationships with customers and leverages those relationships to achieve financial targets
• Work collaboratively to set up service relationship for nominated accounts.
• Serve as the primary relationship owner for an assigned group of top tier client accounts with responsibility retain and grow these accounts.

Minimum Requirements of Job

• Related University degree or diploma
• 5 years account management experience dealing specifically with Public Sector clients (SOE's, Departments, Municipal etc)
• Business Acumen - Essential
• Proficient in MS Office

Key Outputs:

Strategic Sales Management:

• Plan and develop account strategies outlining the sales account plans, forecasts and pipeline management for new and existing clients.        
• Understand customer strategic, tactical and operational strategy              
• Understanding of prospective client€™s business and product /services requirements. Develops and lead the implementation of the account strategies based on an appropriate understanding of customer situation, its needs and industry trends.              
• Ability to understand and articulate the LTSA value proposition 
• Strategic and conceptual selling using solution selling approach 
• Produce Informative, executable and measurable account plan  
• Engage Executive leadership collaborating to achieve creative solutions to drive positive revenue growth as well as contribute to complex problem solving  
• Effectively solve problems and manage risk to ensure that set targets are met. (mitigate risk at all times)               
• Forge or develop high level relationships (D and E levels) with the intention of expanding our market share and make LTSA the preferred partner of the assigned portfolio to ensure incremental business for LTSA products and services               
•  Influence and inform customer strategy to enhance competitive advantage. Align client needs to LTSA product offering
• Upsell and cross sell existing and new LTSA products and services through diligent, robust and thorough account management principles

Customer Engagement:

• Adhoc and planned customer engagement sessions to achieve set objectives and goals as set out in the account plan               
• Oversee and coordinate the relationship between team members in own organization with their counterparts in allocated accounts.        
•  Develop a positive relationship with the relevant stakeholders in the account, prioritising communication at Executive level.   
• Set up strategic product and service review meetings on quarterly and or half yearly to facilitate LTSA client top management engagement         
• Promote LTSA brand by being true LTSA ambassador in the industry. (exemplary and professional)           
• Build trust and credibility by living the LTSA values          

Account Management:

• Aggregated point of contact for the LTSA client  
• Drives growth in allocated accounts through the introduction of new products and services (increase number of products and services we provide)          
•  Take ownership of the new business opportunity and the business case up to the signature of the contract.        
• Identify and evaluate value creating business opportunities €“ individually and in collaboration with Solutions architects.          
• Identify strategic fit and prioritise opportunities and pursue and implement identified opportunities       
• Leading the sales opportunity & customer interface for the proposal to ensure that information is provided to the Bid team to improve the bid and there- after to close the sale.          
• Leading the process to convert the new sales opportunity into an order
• Manage the quote and order process to completion through SFDC           
• Adopt virtual team leader role encompassing all the customer facing and affecting functions that LTSA provide   
• Drive collaboration between internal LTSA teams that are assigned to deliver services and value to the customer
• Chair and/or facilitate all customer-related contact sessions like meetings, quarterly review, strategic planning sessions             
• Manage the preparation of contractual agreements.      
• Drive and supports new products, services and solutions into the account.           
• Manages pre - and post-sales support areas to ensure seamless introduction of new product services and propositions to accounts.      
•  Represent client interest within LTSA to ensure that service adjustments are done where necessary       
• Where required assist in expediting payment by the client            
• Ensure that they obtain sufficient Product Sales /Technology / Solutions / Services Training to enhance their knowledge of LTSA offering.     

Achieve Sales Target:

• Generate leads and build sustainable pipeline relative to sales target      
• Convert leads and client generated opportunities to committed order    
• Sell LTSA products and services to assigned client portfolio           
• Ensure revenue protection mechanisms are operating at optimal levels  
• Grow client portfolio revenue in line with business financial year targets
• Optimal retention of existing business and or clients by maintaining minimum target churn rate
• Migrate clients from run rate generating model to large scale wholesale volume and term deals 
• Improve ROI by increasing sales volumes on existing LTSA network infrastructure             
• Ensure sales target variance is regularly tracked against account pipeline             

Reporting:

• Careful, accurate forecasting and reporting in a timely manner as requested from time to time. 
• Provide monthly sales forecast reports as and when required.   
• Present monthly / weekly qualified sales pipeline/forecast to ensure that red flags are raised on time.    
•  Ensure that SFDC is an accurate reflection of pipeline status      
• Secure reliable business intelligence relevant to new business opportunities and provide feedback at weekly sales meetings            
• Participate and take ownership during weekly meetings especially parking bay issues which may affect the order intake.
• Provide constant feedback regarding the network performance and network uptime to ensure that LTSA deliver on its promise             

Budget Management:

• Develop and control annual budget and forecasts / pipeline on monthly basis     
• Prepare and control both sales and expense budgets      
• Align sales and expense budgets to goals and objectives set out in account plans
• Ensure acceptable return on marketing investment