Geopolitical Regional Sales Director

Dow Jones & Company•New York City, NY

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

This is a player/coach role, reporting to the VP, North America B2B Sales Lead. The role of the Regional Sales Director is to manage a book of business and prospect for new business, while coaching and leading a small team of account managers. Government account managers are responsible for all aspects of the relationship with a defined set of customers. The number of agencies managed by an account manager will typically be between 30 and 40, depending on complexity and size of agencies. This role is responsible for retaining and growing the existing contract revenue (in existing buying centers) within their set of customers. They will also uncover and nurture sales opportunities with new buying centers (either independently or working with Sales Specialists). Client relationships are built and maintained via telephone, email, and in-person meetings. An ability to develop strong business relationships in a phone-based and in person-based environment is crucial to the success of this role. The successful Regional Sales Director will retain business within the established customer base, work to develop opportunities and display a strong level of business understanding for the agency focus in their set of customers.

Requirements

Strong time management skills, with an ability to develop and implement effective systems for managing administrative tasks and tracking progress against appropriate activity goals
12+ years sales experience and a proven track record of success in selling information solutions to complex organizations, such as government agencies
2 years of mentoring a sales team.
Deep understanding of the complexities of government procurement.
A collaborative mindset with experience working across matrixed teams including marketing, product, and customer success.
Ability to prioritize tasks and customers, to ensure time is maximized for revenue-retaining activities and the most important customers receive an excellent level of account management
Excellent communication skills (listening, questioning, written and verbal) to ensure the Dow Jones value position is clearly articulated to prospects, a persuasive business case is presented and a professional image always conveyed.
Exceptional negotiation and closing skills to manage renewals from the AM's set of customers to a successful conclusion

Responsibilities

Generate new streams of Dow Jones revenue through sales of products and services which address prospects business needs
Lead and mentor 1-2 government account managers. Provide guidance on pipeline management, advancement and building high trust partnerships.
Complete territory analysis to identify potential buying centers, plus the specific roles and individuals to be prospected. Develop and execute a plan to grow your territory by understanding the complete suite of Dow Jones products and successfully take them to market.
Retain Dow Jones contract revenue in the assigned set of customers and ensure the Dow Jones products and services address customers' business needs
Maintain good levels of customer satisfaction through regular communication with all customers, and build solid working relationships with each customer
Develop and execute a plan to manage all account renewals, initiating communication with the client at the right time and fulfilling contractual obligations for providing account information to the client
Responsible for all areas of account management, including the development of good account understanding, understanding clients' businesses and resolving issues in a timely manner; understand competitor solutions the client is using and the client's current and developing needs
Identify opportunities for increased revenue within the set of accounts (up-selling and possibly cross-selling), and where appropriate, engage with Sales Specialists to bring to close.
Work on retention initiatives for selected customers with the extended sales team available
Clearly express the value proposition and benefits of the Dow Jones products and solutions, and use this knowledge to help increase the value and adoption of our solutions by the client
Manage Sales Forecast and Pipeline to ensure clear reporting of forthcoming renewals, additional sales opportunities, plus the associated revenue and timescales
Maintain accurate and appropriate client records within the global CRM system to provide timely management information.