Job description
Role overview
This is a senior sales position spearheading the sales of cloud services in Kenya. It combines consultancy expertise, technical knowledge and industry experience to solve customer’s business challenges with cloud services.
The role holder will be required to identify, qualify, propose, and close deals in an effective and efficient manner, with supporting proposals and business cases. The applicant must therefore be able to understand business needs, develop relationships with executives, and map Liquid Telecom technology or partner solutions to those requirements in a compelling proposition.
The applicant will lead the transformation programme to move from commodity connectivity products to differentiated cloud solutions that maximise revenue, market share and customer satisfaction. This will involve an element of upskilling the account management community.
Accountabilities
Key Deliverable
Sales
Own and drive new revenue growth for cloud solutions by achieving set monthly/quarterly/annual cloud solutions target
Assist Global & National Account Managers in Liquid business units to identify, scope, present and sell complex voice and data solutions.
Own the opportunity through to closure.
Run customer-facing presentations on Liquid Telecom’s products, services and propositions.
Perform ‘Day in the Life’ studies to identify new opportunities.
Provide thought-leadership to customers through regular engagement and workshops.
Coordinate with all areas of the business necessary to bring a project to successful fruition such as Project Managers, Technical, Delivery & Commercial resources.
Lead customer discussions on the technical solution design.
Assessing cost requirements to compile the commercial proposition.
Define proof of concept or trial/pilot programs with key success criteria in agreement with the Account Manager and Customer.
Win enterprise customer confidence in personal abilities and the professionalism of Liquid Telecom.
Be the interface to the customer and orchestrate a team of resources to solve customer problems. Foster and expand Liquid Telecom’s relationships with Customer Business Decision Makers and lead team through evaluation, contracting, deployment, and usage of cloud solutions.
Solutions Development
Idea Screening & Actualization. Prepare solutions concept document that captures relevant market research report as well as both IT and Network analysis
Development & Implementation: Working with the business, develop business processes capturing all aspects/processes that will be involved in the expected life cycle of the solutions.
Prepare Solutions description document and Business case
Build and transform new markets and lead transformational shifts for customers. Develop, communicate and provide high business impact solutions that enable digital transformation.
Solutions Launch: Compile solutions training manual and procedures
Conduct process awareness training
Prepare Go-To-Market (GTM) Plan
Conduct Solutions Training
Identify new strategic and ecosystem partners to enable provision of additional services/solutions.
Documentation & Reporting
Produce compelling professional proposals that are tailored to each project, inputting to Bid Management as necessary.
Document customer requirements in standardised format.
Evaluate the customer’s technical infrastructure with which cloud solutions will be integrated.
Define solution training requirements, build and lead customer ‘train the trainer’ programmes.
Establish an appropriate review and reporting governance structure designed to track project success.
Communicate solution benefits with a business case and return on investment.
Produce presentations as required for customer engagements.
Maintain an up to date pipeline of opportunities on Salesforce.com
Track progress towards KPIs.
Report monthly on the status, blockers and next steps of top projects.
Collaboration
Continuously nurture and expand sales, business, technology, and competitive readiness through participating in vendor sales communities and in the broader industry through events, community gatherings and more.
Coordinate with internal Product Development team
Coordinate with external solution suppliers
Engage with Liquid’s internal departments to confirm that the proposed solution can be delivered and supported.
Assess the customer satisfaction of the solution, capturing lessons learned and sharing these with the appropriate teams to drive improvements.
Training
Learn and maintain in-depth knowledge of Liquid Telecom’s products, services, solutions, propositions and capability.
Develop and maintain competitive knowledge on industries and products to leverage in the sales cycle to the executive suite.
Collaborate with the Sales team on sales strategy and optimization.
Upskill the Sales community through tight integration customer and team meetings.
Role Dimension
Financial
Responsible for discovering, supporting, developing and managing a pipeline of opportunities with a specified Total Contract Value.
Successfully win new business against a specified target.
Non-Financial
Engaging all Liquid Telecom business units
Typical Outputs
Proposal & RFP documentation
High-level solution design
Customer presentations
Statement of Works/Work Package design
Customer demonstrations
Trials & Proof of Concept
Business cases and financial illustrations
Personal Specification
Behaviour
Customer obsessed, displaying exemplary customer relationship management, negotiation, and focus on customer needs.
Interested in and inquisitive about innovation and technological trends.
Ambitious and courageous – focus on helping to win large bids and growing Liquid’s lead in the market.
Singular focus on designing solutions which can be delivered quickly/effectively to the customer, shortening the bid lifecycle.
Ability to re-use standard solutions/technologies to reduce costs and improve customer experience.
Be easy for customers to deal with, displaying flexibility and pragmatism. Excellence in communicating progress, pro-active in addressing issues, trusting in a virtual team.
Professional
At least 5 years sales experience
Experience in a telecoms business environment.
In-depth knowledge of data communication technologies for fixed, mobile, voice and data, and cloud services.
Base skills in consultative selling and influencing; unlocking the opportunity based on customers’ business requirements.
Financial Acumen (e.g. ROI model generation, understanding of CAPEX/OPEX trade-offs).
Team player, strong influence and relationship management.
A self-starter with a determination to succeed, balanced with appropriate tact and diplomacy.
Strong communication and presentation skills.
Decision making skills – ability to balance conflicting interests.
Fluent in English.
Education
A minimum of University degree in any Field with Microsoft competence certification in both Azure and office 365.
