Account Executive, Kansas City, MO

The Account Executive - College sells to Higher Education faculty within a designated geographical territory. With a hunter mentality, their objective is to grow market share by successfully establishing new business with Sage Vantage and other digital or print content that meets course needs. Ideal candidate is an independent, self-starter whose responsibilities include conducting well-structured consultative sales calls, persuasively demonstrating technology product capabilities, establishing relationships with faculty members and other customers to gain new business and grow revenue. With a strong drive, ample product knowledge, and active listening skills, this person is confident and persuasive when interacting with customers. The ability to systematically run a large geographic territory through employing in person and virtual sales techniques is a daily requirement. Sage Account Executives maintain our sales database (MSCRM), which allows them to juxtapose account growth outreach with maintenance activities, resulting in successful adoption of new materials, and retention and/or expansion of the current base of Sage products. This position is based out of Kansas City, MO, with overnight travel of 40% during the prime selling season (fall and spring semesters).

Job Functions and Responsibilities

Sales

Following a strategic territory selling plan, built with the help and direction of Sales Management, the ideal candidate will work to grow Sage's presence and establish new products in all of our subject areas by:

• Being highly visible to customers, persuasively conducting quality sales calls, and gaining Vantage demonstrations through employing professional selling techniques.
• Successfully positioning self and Sage as a strategic business partner within social science departments across campus by actively listening to customer needs.
• Traveling to assigned campuses during selling seasons is required with geographic travel and overnights outlined in advance; often requiring an excess of 40+ hours per week.
• Conducting effective sales calls to grow new revenue via well-planned campus appointments and/or schedules, video calls, telephone, and email exchanges with the goal of progressing the territory pipeline and taking new market share.
• Identifying and dynamically qualifying new sales leads in assigned territory; assertively selling to those identified targets while growing existing business by placing it into recurring revenue models to meet set sales goals.
• Effectively deploying key sales tools within the course of daily selling and nimbly using the insights that the tools provide to accelerate pipeline movement.
• Growing market share at the territory and key title level each selling season through strong internal partnerships, as well as through personal drive and resilience to achieve success.
• Confidently and successfully demonstrating Sage technology and employing sales enablement tools in sales calls.
• Ensuring data within the CRM system is accurate by maintaining and updating the sales pipeline daily.
• Overall, a Sage Account Executive is innovative, persuasive, and resilient in meeting the needs of prospects and customers. They are well established in their market, persistent and purposeful in growing their Sage business.

Product and Market Knowledge

• With a well-established presence in their territory, the Sage rep collects and communicates market feedback and product information to Product, Technology, and Sales Management Teams.
• Develops deep product knowledge through learning programs to be able to persuasively articulate value proposition of products in a competitive landscape.
• Successfully addresses objections and misconceptions while answering questions of prospective customers effectively either independently or through collaboration with internal team members and specialists.
• Provides Product Teams with market development leads, faculty advocates, and potential textbook authors.

Planning, Reporting, and Database Maintenance

• Strategically performs and completes Lead Generation (identifying courses, decision makers, enrollments, and product-in-use information) for targeted course markets at accounts identified within assigned territory.
• Strategically works sales opportunities in CRM to prioritize pipeline and optimize revenue.
• Strategically plans campus outreach via campus trips/video calls/phone calls.
• Completes expense reports on a timely basis, handles annual travel and expense budget effectively.

Conference Attendance/Business Travel

• Daily full day and overnight travel to customers 2+ hours away is required to key accounts during active selling times.
• Required to attend bi-annual sales meeting and other company-wide meetings.

Customer/Author Relations

• Provides excellent customer service when working with potential or existing customers by providing information, resources, and troubleshooting in a timely manner.
• While engaging with customers and authors, takes appropriate actions to ensure they have a positive experience and image of the company.
• Effectively works with current customers to cross-sell and referral sell when working with installed base of business.

Any combination equivalent to, but not limited to, the following:

Required:

• College coursework completed towards a bachelor's degree or in the process of completion.
• Demonstrated record of success in academic and professional background.
• 2 years sales experience required, along with a creative, persuasive, strategic, and persistent sales demeanor.
• Hunter mentality, self-reliant and success oriented.
• Strong technology demonstration skills.
• Dedicated work ethic (workload regularly exceeds 40 hours/week during peak selling seasons and must be willing to work hours needed and to travel based upon assigned geography).
• Must be equally adept at working independently and within a team.
• Proficient in PC environment and experienced with Microsoft Word, Excel, database applications and PowerPoint.
• Excellent written, oral, and presentation skills.
• Outstanding time management and organization, with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to be flexible and adapt quickly and creatively to changing business needs.

Preferred:

• Field-based sales experience strongly preferred for remote based sales positions.
• Sales experience in the publishing industry or related SAAS/technology industries is a plus.
• Familiarity and ability to work with CRM systems.
• Familiarity with other sales technology programs and video conferencing experience.

If you have a disability and you need any support during the application process, please contact hr.resume@sagepub.com. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.

Pay Transparency & Benefits Package:

Sage Publishing is committed to being an inclusive employer where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect. Sage is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.

Compensation at Sage is influenced by several factors, including but not limited to skill set, nature and level of experience, qualifications, and other relevant considerations. Please note that the compensation details listed in U.S. role postings reflect the base salary only and do not include bonuses or benefits. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range and additional aspects of the compensation/benefits package for this position during the hiring process. If your desired salary falls outside of this range, we hope you'll still apply as there may be other positions that better align.

In addition to compensation, Sage offers a highly competitive and comprehensive PPO medical, dental, and vision care benefits package with SAGE covering most of the premium costs. Unique program benefits that support a healthy life, a company-sponsored anniversary trip every 5 years, a 401(k)-matching program of 100% up to 5% of pay, and other significant meaningful benefits. In alignment with our value for education, Sage offers financial support for bachelor's and graduate-level degree programs as well as learning for personal interest.

Sage offers freedom and autonomy in your day-to-day with hybrid or remote work, depending on the role. Join the nearly 2,000 Sage employees worldwide who deliver products and services that serve to fulfill our noble goal of education and dissemination of knowledge globally. We'd love to meet you!

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Sage Publishing is committed to being an inclusive employer where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marriage and partnership status, pregnancy and parental responsibilities, race, religion and belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

We believe that diversity is a cornerstone of a vibrant culture. We want Sage to be an organization where the most talented staff and high-potential staff are recruited, have the opportunity to grow, and want to work. We strive to achieve a better representation of diverse talent at all levels, including leadership, across our workforce.