Technology Advisor Rivonia - Sandton - Performer Recruitment

Description

Technology Advisor

We are seeking a motivated and dynamic individual who wants to further their career in the IT industry. The salesperson, known as the Technology Advisor, plays a crucial role in solving problems for our customers and potential clients by helping them choose and integrate the right information technology for a competitive advantage.

Duties & Responsibilities

Business Development & Customer Management (60%)

Create value by executing the business's sales engagement process to an exceptional standard with predefined c-level decision makers.

Business Acumen

• Understand basic business models and how businesses are positioned.
• Understand the importance of business processes in ensuring a business can execute on a particular business model and position itself in a market.
• Understand the importance of systematization in driving business efficiencies, productivity, and predictable outcomes for customers.
• Understand how different business models rely on intellectual property to create value for customers and shareholders.
• Understand concepts such as total cost of ownership, operating expenses, capital expenditure, income, and net profit.

Technical Acumen

• Become a product knowledge expert for all technical products and solutions provided by the Company.
• Understand how to align the appropriate technology to meet the needs of different business models.
• Understand and communicate how certain technology frameworks can be aligned to managing specific business risks.
• Understand how different technology solutions can be leveraged to ensure a business is able to execute on its positioning and realize its competitive advantage.

Consultative Selling

• Build Business Insights
  • Quickly build rapport and credibility with c-level decision makers by conducting a high-level business conversation while subtly probing for problems that the Company can solve.
  • Use spin selling techniques to uncover how the prospect's business is positioned and how they rely on technology to maintain their positioning.
  • Use spin questions to uncover problems the prospect is having with their technology.
  • Use spin questions to understand what business problems and consequences exist when the prospect's technology fails or what business problems exist in the absence of the appropriate technology.
  • Identify all stakeholders involved in the decision-making process.
• Diagnose Business Problems
  • Build a business case with the prospect by using diagnostic thinking and questions to uncover and understand what explicit business problems exist for the prospect in the absence of the appropriate technology.
  • Gain explicit confirmation and document business problems, technology causes, and financial consequences.
  • Identify and quantify the cost of the financial consequences.
  • Confirm key business efficiency objectives of the prospect and provide insights on how technology can support these objectives.
  • Always take a security-driven approach to diagnosing business problems and technology causes.
• Co-Create & Align the Appropriate Technology Solution
  • Effectively navigate the psychology of change by co-creating the appropriate solution with the customer.
  • Through the co-creation process, adopt the trusted advisor role by providing insights and details on the options available to solve the prospective business problems and the trade-offs in terms of risk and cost.
  • Discuss & share relevant customer success stories to build credibility and demonstrate a proven track record.
  • Finalize the prospect's technology strategy by guiding them through the 4-actions strategy framework.
• Agreement Meeting
  • Meet with the prospect to pitch how the final co-created solution will mitigate or appropriately manage the technology causes responsible for introducing business problems and financial consequences.
  • Discuss the return on investment the prospect will receive by mitigating the cost of their business problem with the appropriate investment and related technology.
  • Handle any objections & gain consensus from the customer.
  • Close the deal by managing contractual negotiations and obtaining signed paperwork.

Customer Management

• Account Management
  • Act as a strategic advisor to all appropriate stakeholders within a customer account by engaging in continued research and detailed analysis to understand and anticipate future customer needs as well as to provide new perspectives and insights.
  • Ensure key customer relationships are maintained by meeting with them regularly or as defined by the business.
  • Ensure the customer has the appropriate technology aligned to their business.
  • Build annual technology business cases for key customers and ensure maximum wallet spend with the Company.
  • Identify under-penetrated or cross-selling opportunities in existing customer accounts.
  • After each customer engagement, log all operational activities with the Company help desk.
  • Manage escalations by engaging with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Use the pipeline provided in CRM & a default diary to plan and prioritize revenue-generating tasks (money hours).
• Weekly, schedule big blocks of time to execute the required activity needed to move prospects/deals through the business's sales engagement process.
• Build pipeline opportunities from existing/past networks, existing client lists, referrals & the Company's LeadGen team.
• Attend weekly pipeline meetings to review the various stages of opportunities and tactics needed to move deals forward.
• Attend monthly Win/Loss review meetings with Sales Manager to inform performance improvement or to potentially win back a lost deal.
• Attend weekly sales team meetings.
• Attend weekly solutions architecture meetings.
• Consistently achieve the key leading & lagging indicators determined by the company.
• Attend annual meetings with Manager to determine and/or review the following: Budgets and targets, Key performance indicators, and Salary increases.

Revenue Generating Administrative Processes

• Update and maintain accurate records on CRM of all client interactions daily.
• Document research conducted in preparation for all meetings on CRM and in LDX Sales Way.
• Forecast and submit sales pipelines.
• After each prospect and customer engagement, send a follow-up email outlining commitments, action points, and next steps.
• After each prospect engagement, send a follow-up email with updated business cases, cost of the problem tabulator, and relevant case studies.
• Send all final proposals from CRM.
• Keep track of commission statements.

Research and Analysis

• Engage in consistent research to build a comprehensive understanding of current industry, market, and competitor trends and developments.
• Monitor and research development and changes in customer industries, competitors, and operations.

Product Knowledge

• Engage in continuous learning to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the Company product offerings through self-study.
• Attend bi-weekly technical product training sessions.

Individual Development & Mastery of Craft

• Dedicate time, thought, and effort to master the consultative selling craft.
• Dedicate time to building business and technical acumen.
• Attend weekly sales training sessions.
• Complete Individual Development Plan.
• Attend individual coaching and mentoring sessions with reporting Sales Manager.

Desired Experience & Qualification

Minimum Qualifications

• Matric Certificate.
• BCom Degree in any field.

Minimum Sales Knowledge & Experience

• One to two years of sales experience.
• Sales experience in the ICT field would be advantageous.
• Consultative selling experience would be advantageous.

Minimum Skill-Based Competencies

• Engage and network with clients and c-level decision makers.
• Analytical mindset with problem-solving skillset.
• Highly motivated and target-driven.
• Collaborative team player.
• Proactive self-manager.
• Self-confident.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Professional.
• Appetite for learning and continuous improvement.
• Resilient.
• Willingness to deal with rejection.
• Honest and accountable.
• Flexible and adaptable.