Business Development & Inside Sales

Willis Johnson & Associates • Houston, TX

15d • $70,000 - $140,000

About The Position

Reporting to the Director of Marketing, the Client Development Specialist is responsible for identifying, nurturing and booking potential prospects to meet with our wealth management team, and owning the prospect relationship until they become clients. This role directly supports the firm’s new client acquisition goals. Responsibilities include identifying opportunities from both prospective and existing customers by understanding their needs, discussing solutions the firm can provide, and ensuring a smooth sales process throughout. Why Willis Johnson & Associates? Willis Johnson & Associates is a fast-growing, award-winning wealth management firm specializing in corporate executives and professionals. We help our clients optimize their personal financial lives—from compensation and benefits strategy to tax mitigation, retirement planning, investments, and insurance. And with everything we recommend, we put our clients first—always. No product sales. No commissions. Straight fee-only financial planning and asset management. The same way we take care of our clients, we invest in our team. We provide a very competitive benefits package including fully paid medical, dental, vision, disability/life insurance, 401(k), and PTO. We pride ourselves on supporting personal and professional growth. We encourage continued education for all employees and support participation in educational conferences and events. We’re tech-forward and trust our team to get their jobs done without micromanaging.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
• 1 to 2 years of experience (investments or financial advisory industry preferred)
• Proven inside sales experience
• Track record of over-achieving quota
• Strong phone presence and experience dialing dozens of calls per day
• Detail-oriented with strong project management and prioritization skills; able to manage multiple stakeholders and projects simultaneously while maintaining quality work
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Nice To Haves

• LinkedIn prospecting and networking experience is a plus
• 2 to 3 years of experience in the investment or financial advisory industry is advantageous
• Interest in obtaining Series 65, CFP®, CPA or CFA® – we sponsor and incentivize these certifications and support conference attendance
• CRM and marketing automation platform experience preferred

Responsibilities

• Over 50% of the day-to-day job activity is warm calling and emailing
• Expectation of 250+ calls and 50+ customized emails per week
• Make outbound phone calls to prospects in order to:
• Schedule an initial meeting
• Get feedback on meetings and schedule follow-ups
• Register prospects for firm events
• Add contact info to firm touchpoints (Outbound Marketing Communications)
• Build a respectful, long-term rapport with prospects and clients to nurture referrals through what can be a long sales cycle
• Make outbound calls before and after an initial meeting; coordinate with Wealth Management Advisors to answer prospect technical questions while on the call
• Actively prequalify prospects before scheduling meetings to ensure qualification standards are met and advisors have necessary data in advance
• Maintain, refine, and build upon prospect and outbound marketing communication lists
• Coordinate with the Director of Marketing to support campaigns, promote event attendance, and own the sales cycle with all prospects generated through marketing and referrals
• Stay within all industry compliance rules and regulations for all communications
• Research client connections to identify optimal prospective client targets through LinkedIn
• Identify potential referrals for clients to advisors in advance of semi-annual meetings
• Handle objections effectively by providing alternate solutions and recommending relevant content to convey the firm’s value proposition
• Prepare advisors on prospects before meetings, debrief afterwards, and document relevant data in CRM
• Produce regular weekly activity reports and monthly metrics reports
• Attend weekly Cases-In-Motion and bi-monthly Marketing meetings

Benefits

• Collaborative, positive teammates
• Advancement opportunities
• Autonomy in your role
• Professional development options
• Rewarding work that matters
• 401(k) plan with opportunities to earn up to 7% the first year and 10% with tenure
• Opportunities for the best and brightest to buy in and become owners over time
• 11 paid holidays and 15 PTO days
• Employer-paid Health/Dental/Vision insurance for individuals and families
• Employer HSA contributions
• Employer-paid Life and Long-Term Disability

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees