Field Account Executive - SLED

Zones LLC.•Austin, TX

2d•$90,000 - $100,000•Onsite

About The Position

This is a field-based, quota-carrying sales position responsible for developing strategic customer and partner relationships, expanding existing accounts, acquiring new customers, and positioning Zones’ technology solutions and services to address the evolving needs of public-sector organizations. The ideal candidate is an established public-sector technology sales professional with a strong understanding of SLED procurement, contracting vehicles, competitive solicitations, technology solutions, and the IT reseller/channel ecosystem. The Field Account Executive will work closely with Zones’ inside sales, solution architects, services teams, OEM partners, contract specialists, and leadership to develop and execute account strategies that deliver sustainable revenue and gross-margin growth.

Requirements

5+ years of successful technology sales experience, preferably in State, Local Government, K-12, or higher education.
Demonstrated experience carrying and achieving a sales quota.
Proven track record selling IT products, solutions, and/or services.
Strong understanding of SLED procurement processes and government buying cycles.
Experience selling through contracts, cooperative purchasing agreements, or other public-sector procurement vehicles.
Strong prospecting, relationship-development, negotiation, presentation, and closing skills.
Experience working with technology OEMs, distributors, and channel partners.
Ability to develop relationships at both the technical and executive levels.
Strong CRM, forecasting, pipeline-management, and business-planning skills.
Ability to travel regularly throughout the assigned territory.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Information Technology, or related discipline, or equivalent professional experience
Existing relationships with SLED technology decision makers and procurement organizations.
Experience selling cybersecurity, networking, cloud, data center, end-user computing, managed services, or professional services.
Experience responding to or managing government RFP/RFQ opportunities.
Familiarity with state term contracts, cooperative purchasing agreements, NASPO ValuePoint, OMNIA Partners, Sourcewell, or similar procurement vehicles.
Experience developing strategic account plans and territory business plans.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute strategic account plans for assigned SLED customers.
Build trusted relationships with CIOs, CTOs, IT directors, procurement leaders, department heads, and other key decision makers.
Identify new business opportunities within existing accounts and develop strategies to expand Zones’ share of wallet.
Prospect for and acquire new SLED customers within the assigned territory.
Maintain a healthy pipeline of qualified opportunities sufficient to achieve and exceed assigned sales quotas.
Conduct regular customer meetings, business reviews, technology discussions, and executive engagements.
Develop multi-year relationships that position Zones as a strategic technology partner rather than simply a product supplier.
Develop a strong understanding of State, Local Government, K-12, and higher-education purchasing processes.
Navigate government procurement requirements, competitive bids, RFPs/RFQs, cooperative contracts, master agreements, and other purchasing vehicles.
Identify upcoming solicitations and influence opportunities before they reach the formal procurement stage.
Leverage available state, local, education, cooperative, and national contract vehicles to accelerate customer purchases.
Coordinate with Zones’ contracts and proposal teams on RFP/RFQ responses and other public-sector opportunities.
Maintain awareness of public-sector technology spending priorities, budget cycles, fiscal-year deadlines, and procurement timelines.
Position Zones’ portfolio of hardware, software, cloud, cybersecurity, networking, data center, collaboration, managed services, professional services, and lifecycle solutions.
Engage customers in consultative discussions to understand business and technology challenges.
Partner with technical resources to develop solutions aligned with customer requirements and budgets.
Identify opportunities to transition transactional product purchases into higher-value solution and services engagements.
Develop executive-level presentations and business cases demonstrating the value of proposed solutions.
Develop productive relationships with key technology manufacturers and channel partners.
Collaborate with OEM representatives on account strategies, joint customer engagements, demonstrations, events, and opportunity development.
Leverage partner resources, funding, incentives, technical expertise, and solution capabilities to increase win rates.
Coordinate joint go-to-market strategies with strategic technology partners.
Consistently achieve or exceed assigned revenue and gross-margin objectives.
Maintain accurate forecasts and opportunity information within Zones’ CE system.
Manage opportunities through the complete sales cycle—from prospecting and discovery through proposal, negotiation, award, and close.
Develop accurate close plans for strategic opportunities.
Monitor competitive activity and develop strategies to differentiate Zones.
Identify risks, obstacles, and stalled opportunities and develop appropriate recovery plans.
Maintain disciplined sales activity and pipeline-generation practices.