Manager, National Sales Desk
About The Position
The Manager, National Sales Desk partners closely with the VP, Brokerage Distribution and Regional Vice Presidents to shape and drive business development and wholesale strategy across assigned distribution partners and territories. The role provides strategic guidance and operational oversight to Internal Account Managers (IAMs) and Internal Account Coordinators (IACs), aligning their work with national distribution priorities. Serving as the primary internal relationship leader for designated Brokerage General Agencies and Financial Institutions, the Manager is the central strategic point of contact for agency principals and sales leadership. The role strengthens partner engagement, advances distribution objectives, and ensures partner experiences reflect Banner Life’s service standards. The position also leads talent development, performance management, and operational coordination for the Brokerage Distribution wholesaling team. It collaborates with RVPs on brokerage agency wholesaling strategy and coordinates internal distribution activity. The role requires organizational leadership, strategic foresight, and the ability to align stakeholders to deliver measurable business outcomes. It manages a team of 8–10 Internal Account Managers and Internal Account Coordinators, as assigned, and reports to the VP, Brokerage Distribution & Strategy. Limited travel is required, typically a few days per quarter.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or commensurate experience.
- Seven or more years of industry experience preferred, including at least two years in a customer-contact sales role.
- Proven track record of success.
- Exceptional relationship-building and executive communication skills.
- Strong strategic planning, organizational, and prioritization capabilities.
- Ability to resolve high-stakes problems with professionalism and diplomacy.
- Ability to work autonomously while influencing cross-functional teams.
- Ownership mindset, initiative, and commitment to operational excellence.
Nice To Haves
- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Sales, or Business Administration.
- Life and Health Insurance license.
- Actively pursuing industry designations such as CLU, ChFC, or LOMA.
Responsibilities
- Create proactive outreach campaigns to increase awareness of Banner’s products and services, underwriting and technology innovations, and company strength.
- Build executive-level relationships with agency principals and leaders across sales, underwriting, and operations.
- Develop an understanding of each partner’s business model, segmentation, and growth levers, and document relevant information in the CRM.
- Lead staff and broker training initiatives to increase adoption of Banner products and platforms.
- Represent Banner at agency, IMO, and company-hosted events, communicating distribution strategy and partnership value.
- Serve as the primary internal account executive, coordinating with the RVP to drive territory performance and partner engagement.
- Identify, prioritize, and operationalize strategic growth initiatives within assigned agencies.
- Lead cross-functional strategic projects assigned by the VP, Brokerage Distribution & Strategy, and ensure timely execution and measurable outcomes.
- Partner with RVPs to develop and deliver strategic project plans for brokerage agencies with complex distribution needs.
- Oversee broker activation campaigns to expand writing broker counts and increase productivity among existing producers.
- Drive onboarding and commercialization of newly appointed agencies to accelerate early-stage production.
- Set strategic direction, performance standards, and success metrics for the wholesaling team in alignment with distribution priorities.
- Build a high-performance culture through accountability, proactive problem-solving, disciplined execution, regular reviews, and coaching.
- Develop team talent through mentoring, skill development, and role expansion opportunities.
- Foster collaboration and cross-functional connectivity to remove barriers, improve service delivery, and strengthen team cohesion.
- Keep CRM records, including key agency contacts, current and accurate for decision-making.
- Collaborate with Relationship Managers to monitor pending and issued policy inventory and drive placement improvements.
- Coordinate agency connections across Licensing, New Business, Underwriting, and other internal teams as the enterprise liaison.
- Maintain expert knowledge of Banner’s product suite, digital tools, competitive landscape, and industry positioning.
- Contribute to the design and execution of marketing materials, strategic initiatives, and national programs.
- Support RVPs with Partner Sales Support, including Horizon training, product illustration strategy, placement analysis, and complex case coordination.
Benefits
- Annual Incentive Plan eligibility; target payment of 17.5–20% of base salary, modified for corporate and individual performance.
- Potential sign-on bonus and long-term incentives.
- 20 vacation days and 10 sick days, accrued bi-weekly.
- Nine paid holidays.
- Health, life, and dental insurance.
- 401(k) with company match up to 6%.
- Pension package.
- Wellbeing initiatives.
- Professional development, support, and mentoring.
- Paid time off to volunteer.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
