Senior Manager Digital Sales at MultiChoice

Purpose of the Position

• To manage the Digital Sales team, achieve revenue targets, with specific focus on digital sales and partnerships.
• To lead the team; acting as a conduit between DMS, External Clients and the Publishers

Key Performance Areas

Revenue Sales Generation

Achieve digital budgets

• Including but not limited to DStv App, Showmax, Multichoice owned and operated websites (e.g. SuperSport, Mzansi Magic, M-Net), Multichoice Channel Apps, Mobile, Partner Programmes, Multi-Channel Networks, Social Media Platforms, Publisher Alliance Network
• Contribute in achieving the overall DMS budgets

External Stakeholder Management

• Publisher Alliance Relationship Management
• Create and drive an effective communication system between the Publishers and DMS, ensuring seamless day to day operations
• Act as a conduit between DMS and the various Publishers
• Provide insights as well as collect, collate and share the relevant information for monthly reports, meetings, and feedback as required
• Prepare for, and attend, status meetings as required and take the necessary post meeting actions
• Work with the Publishers to devise sales plans and activations for internal teams and market roll out

Internal Stakeholder Management

Sales Management

• Implement an effective platform and/or system to communicate sales opportunities to Sales SA & RoA, Strategy and Planning teams
• Sit on and participate in various Publisher steering committees to ensure effective communication flow and direct the DMS commercial agenda
• Use client insights to identify and evaluate strategic and innovative revenue generating sales initiatives and pathways to support the execution of the DMS sales strategy, all the while ensuring alignment to the growth strategy
• Understand client patterns and market behaviour to define data driven forecasting strategies to increase profitability through improved targeted sales strategies
• Lead and support the Sales team with the rollout of sales strategies into the market
• Work closely with the SME (Small to Medium Enterprises) team to create and deploy sales strategies
• Develop initiatives and grow new business, both from sales and a database perspective, from Digital Agencies through the Digital and Client Sales Teams

External Client Management

• Maintain and develop a network; build new relationships and keep/enhance existing client relationships
• Understand client needs/ trends and market behaviour to define informed and strategic opportunities and partnerships
• Establish solid relationships with direct clients

Solidify client relationships through:

•  Attending industry events and conferences
• Hosting Publisher specific activations (with a focus on digital sales and partnerships)
• DMS driven activations and events

Sales Generation

• Work closely with Head of Sales: Digital to lead and set the strategic vision for Digital Sales and take responsibility for formulating the sales strategy
• Use client insights to identify and evaluate strategic and innovative revenue generating sales initiatives and pathways to support the execution of the DMS sales strategy
• Work closely with DMS Business Enablement: Strategy and Insights, General Entertainment, and SuperSport teams across SA & Africa to create proposals
• Drive the sales of the DStv & Partner platforms and products across Digital Sales platform offerings
• Create and manage a strategy around current, missing and new business
• Understand client needs and patterns to identify opportunities
• Hunt for new and missing business

Operational Excellence

• Work closely with Head of Sales: Digital to define annual sales revenue targets, and allocate the overall, centralised budget, prioritising key brands and optimising marketing mix
• Work closely with Head of Sales: Digital to provide direction in setting performance criteria, ensuring alignment to growth strategy, and providing strategic direction and focus areas
• Scan the appropriate market landscapes to identify potential business opportunities
• Ensure alignment across functions and create optimal ways of working to enable an integrated client experience
• Collaborate cross-functionally across the business, as well as with third party platform partners, to design customised and bespoke, but not limited to, OTT, Owned and Operated, Partner and other Digital opportunities
• Provide input into digital pricing modelling services based on client insights/price sensitivities
• Record opportunity wins and losses to inform sales approach

Client Relationship Management & Networking

• Formulate strategic advertiser partnerships
• Maintain and develop a network (build new relationships and keep/enhance existing client relationships)
• Establish solid relationships with direct clients
• Attend industry events and conferences, as well as to generate new business leads

People Management

• Lead and drive a proactive, hunting sales culture
• Develop a high performing team and encourage frequent knowledge sharing between team members
• Determine and analyse development needs for the team, together with Head of Sales: Digital, and ensure that identified training requirements are budgeted for and executed
• Approve leave requests for team members and create a leave plan to ensure adequate coverage
• When required, initiate disciplinary processes for team members calling on support from HR and Head of Sales: Digital; when required
• Resolve grievances raised by team members and escalate only if required
• Address poor performance of any team member through the formal Performance Improvement Programme and ensure that continued poor performance is appropriately dealt with
• Motivate team members and ensure that their efforts are recognised
• Manage the recruitment and retention of the best talent
• Manage high performance in the team, encourage frequent knowledge and information sharing within the team
• Resolve conflicts

Qualification and Experience

• Post-graduate qualification in Media, Marketing or Sales
• 8-10 years sales experience in a large Telecommunications company or Media Sales environment
• A minimum of 5 years in the Television Advertising industry
• Proven record of sales generation
• Proficient in digital sales
• Knowledge of the advertising industry and established networks
• Understanding of the SA Television industry and proven success in the country
• Existing media industry relationships and a proven ability to build productive relationships
• People management experience

Technical Competencies

• Exceptional sales acumen
• Project management
• Presentation skills
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal in English
• Audience measurement metrics
• Data driven approach
• Networking
• Negotiation skills
• People Management

Behavioural Competencies

• Relationship building
• Conflict resolution
• Decision making
• Critical Appraisal
• Holistic Thinking
• Persuasion & influence
• Coaching