Advanced Specialist, Sales

Advanced Specialist Sales

Our mission is to partner with schools to deliver learner progression. All students
from the age of 5 through to 18 have their own individual learner journeys. Alongside their teachers Pearson can help them make the progression most appropriate to them whether onto Further or Higher Education onto Apprenticeships or directly into work. Through a consultative collaborative sales approach we support our school customers with the right choice of products and services for their learners.

Reporting to the Manager Sales the Advanced Specialist Sales role is to build and maintain relationships with a defined group of customer accounts to deliver year on year business growth. These accounts will be based on largest and most influential Multi Academy Trusts Chains Dioceses Federations Teaching Alliances and other large organised consortia of schools across 11-19 targeting Senior Leaders in those organisations to influence curriculum decisions.

Working with colleagues across the matrix sales teams the Advanced Specialist Sales will collaborate on sales plans deliver customer value learner progression and target areas for growth across the region. This role aligns with industry level titles such as National Trusts Partnerships Lead.

Accountabilities:
Managing a retain and grow strategy with SLT within key Multi-Academy Trusts. Leading on:

Driving revenue growth in MAT customer base or revenue growth in defined independent school group
Managing longer term strategic partnership within key Multi-Academy Trusts
Lead generation across GQ & VQ for CDMs at subject level
Multi -functional collaboration to support customers in acquisition and retention

Key Performance Indicators:
Annual revenue in customer base for courseware and qualifications vs target
YoY revenue growth in customer base for courseware and qualifications
Meetings virtual and in-person
Customer and prospect coverage
Lead generation
Pipeline health & Lead conversion

RESULTS
Generating profitable sales through new business growth and senior leadership relationship driving sales effectiveness and efficiency
Exceed annual revenue goals by building and maintaining a pipeline of opportunities across qualifications and learning services that follow clearly defined strategies for accounts.
Working closely with key accounts and stakeholders to deliver a retain and grow strategy leading to overall growth year on year.
Taking accountability for driving qualifications and learning services revenue within a broad product portfolio across your region
The ability to drive results and outcomes as a result of professional well planned and executed strategies
Develop strategy to ensure the highest chance of success in your region
Working productively across your matrix team including developing and implementing national strategies to increase revenue
Demonstrating foresight and flexibility to adapt your strategy to maximise opportunity and minimise risk
Ability to use and interpret market information which capitalise on strengths weaknesses and opportunities for promoting revenue growth
Use One CRM (Salesforce) effectively to capture interactions and pipeline but also drive the most effective outputs

CUSTOMER
Creating maintaining and managing relationships with future customers at key stakeholder level.
Managing the complex nature of secondary schools and their stakeholders.
Regularly responsible for uncovering and developing new customer relationships
Use sales experience and technique to develop customer relationships into growth opportunities
Delivering breadth of product expertise in the 11-19 education market; providing expertise to various stakeholders.
Apply appropriate sales tools and skills to drive productive outcomes at each stage
Demonstrate an in depth understanding of the customers learning and growth strategies values challenges internal policies and apply that to growth plans.
Articulating the value of what you are selling in ways that are relevant to the customer overcome competition and engage key stakeholders
Deliver powerful sales presentations communicate effectively and with gravitas to relevant stakeholders and decision makers

PERSONAL
Think and work independently forming and implementing your strategy for the region
Take responsibility for solving complex customer and market challenges
Makes understanding changes in the market a key focus and uses that information effectively with customer and the business
Uses strong communication skills to not only influence customers but also to develop a successful internal network
Take ownership for personal development of skills knowledge and experience
Growth mindset
A proactive decision-maker who considers commercial implications alongside customer need

REQUIRED SKILLS/EXPERIENCE:
Essential Experience and competencies:
The ability to leverage communication in order to change attitudes or behaviour by using written or spoken words to convey information to gain specific advantage impact or outcome.
Demonstrate collaborative attitude and behaviour consistent with team and organisational values as the matrix account structure will deliver the complete customer experience.
Strong selling skills with a particular focus on managing senior level relationships in secondary schools/trusts and driving revenue growth.
Strong product knowledge across resources and qualifications in the secondary market
Objection handing negotiation and presentation skills
Demonstrate share and inform best practice.
Provide key market insight to other areas of the business and to inform national activity

Personal competencies:
Highly motivated and results driven shows initiative to achieve and generate opportunity
Customer growth focused
Strong organisational and planning skills
Commercially minded and able to effectively define and deliver sales strategy
Committed and flexible
Aptitude for learning new technologies and skills. Competent with digital media

ROLE QUALIFICATIONS:
Excellent knowledge of the UK education market
Demonstrative experience in a business to business sales environment selling complex solutions at a senior level (growth and acquisition)
Field based and willingness to travel (80%)
Full UK driving licence

This role is home-based with access to our London office if needed and term-time only.

Your rewards & benefits
We know youll do great work so we give a lot back with some of the best benefits in the business. We know one size doesnt fit all so our workplace programs meet the different needs of our diverse teams and their families too.
Please see our attractive UK benefits here: Pearson Jobs Benefits