Account Manager Featured

Link Africa is in search of an Account Manager in the Sales Department at the Midrand office within the Gauteng Region.

The purpose of the role is to achieve and exceed the sales order intake target for the account portfolio by managing the customer relationship at all levels especially ensuring customer satisfaction and identifying, creating, and pursuing new opportunities and revenue growth for the Company.

Qualification and Experience

Education

• Grade 12
• National Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in Sales and Marketing or a related tertiary qualification

Experience and knowledge

Essential 

• 3 – 5 years of practical Sales, Project Management and/or Account Management experience in the telecommunications or related industry
• Proven track record in exploring new business opportunities
• Valid driver’s licence and own vehicle

Competencies and Skills Required

Skills 

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills: Interact with internal and external stakeholders, build relationships with professionals of all organizational levels
• Strong conflict management skills
• Strong selling, networking, and negotiation skills
• Multitask: Work on several projects simultaneously and coordinate meetings between different disciplines
• Good presentation skills (to prospective and existing clients)
• Report writing
• Ability to identify and execute client needs/requirements.
• Ability to work accurately and maintain service standards under pressure

Competencies

• Good decision-making skills
• Creative thinking and problem-solving skills
• Adapting and respond to changes, meeting set targets and client expectations
• Entrepreneurial and commercial thinking: Keeps up to date with competitor information and market trends

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Sales Management

• Sell products and services to assigned client portfolio
• Identify and cross sell new products and services through diligent, robust, and thorough account management principles
• Develop high level relationships with the intention of expanding the Company’s market share and make the company the preferred partner of assigned portfolio to ensure incremental business for our products and services
• Engage Management and Executive Leadership in creative solutions to influence future order intake
• Prepare account strategy outlining sales account plans, forecasts and pipeline management for new and existing clients
• Understand customer strategic, tactical, and operational strategy.
• Effectively solve problems and manage risk to ensure that set targets are met (always mitigate risk)
• Optimal retention of existing business and or clients by maintaining at least 95% renewal of business and prepare proposals and tenders in accordance with sales and pricing business rules.
• Develop an understanding of prospective client’s business and product /service requirements, its needs and industry trends.
• Ability to understand and articulate the company’s value proposition
• Assist with the preparation of contractual agreements.
• Drive and supports new products, services, and solutions into the account.
• Manages pre-and post-sales support areas to ensure seamless introduction of new product services and propositions to accounts.
• Represent client interest within Link Africa to ensure that service adjustments are done where necessary
• Promote the brand by being a true Link Africa ambassador in the industry (exemplary and professional)
• Where required assist in expediting payment by the client.

Customer Relations Ownership

• Oversee and coordinate the relationship between team members in own organization with their counterparts in allocated accounts.
• Prioritise communication and develop a positive relationship with relevant stakeholders in the account.
• Set up strategic product / service meetings on quarterly and or half yearly to facilitate Link Africa client top management engagement.

Reporting 

• Provide monthly sales forecast reports as and when required.
• Present monthly / weekly qualified sales pipeline/forecast to ensure that red flags are raised on time.
• Secure reliable business intelligence relevant to new business opportunities and provide feedback at weekly sales meetings.

Account Management  

• Drive growth in allocated accounts through the introduction of new products and services.
• Increase market growth as per the company strategy.
• Take ownership of new business opportunities, identify strategic fit, prioritise opportunities, pursue and implement identified opportunities.
• Lead sales opportunity and customer interface for the proposal to ensure that information is provided to the Bid team to improve the bid and thereafter to close the sale.
• Lead the process to convert new sales opportunity into an order.
• Regularly visit customers and expedite issuing of orders.
• Facilitate all customer-related contact sessions (e.g., meetings, quarterly review, strategic planning sessions).
• Provide constant feedback regarding the link maintenance performed by Link Africa maintenance department to ensure that Link Africa delivers on its promise.
• Pre-empt complaints as first point of contact for clients.
• Influence future tender publications by ensuring that they are aligned with Link Africa solutions.
• Liaise with Technical and planning stakeholders to obtain their (technical) inputs in designing customer solutions
• Receive order request/mandate from customer and coordinate both technical and commercial process
• Compile the commercial offering based on the link planning information
• Influence customer strategy to enhance competitive advantage as most customers are resellers of Link Africa services (fibre) – Align client needs to Link Africa product offering
• Ensure that ATPs are send to client on time and signed and are returned by clients timeously.
• Train and organise training for clients on new products and services to ensure that clients understand Link Africa product suite.
• Add value to the Link Africa entrepreneurial climate in line with corporate values.
• Ongoing assessment of Link Africa delivery to ensure that client loyalty and future business is guaranteed.
• Understand competitor services in the market to enhance your product knowledge.
• Communicate effective customer engagement solution approaches.
• Ensure that information that is send to client, is recorded on the system and is always correct through constant liaison with relevant administration.

After-sales services 

• Arrange monthly or quarterly meetings with clients to ensure that the client is kept up to date with all new and changes to client service.
• Work according to standard operating procedures to manage customer expectations by maintaining close relationship with portfolio management
• Advise customers / partners on being competitive in the market, for example on amount and type of fibre and how to save costs
• Continuously stay abreast and be involved with client business plans to keep them informed of how Link Africa plans to improve / enhance their product offering.

Sales Targets 

• Increase sales volumes, especially on existing Link Africa network to ensure return on investment.
• Compile and present comprehensive sales plans to Sales Executive (Sales Forecast which becomes target).
• Ensure sales target variance is regularly tracked against account pipeline

Budget Management 

• Develop and control annual budget and forecasts / pipeline on monthly basis
• Prepare and control both sales and expense budgets

Administration 

• Attend to customer enquiries for services and ensure that quotations are done timeously.
• Receiving and processing orders.
• Manage CRM system (e.g., generating of reports).

This vacancy is open to all Internal Candidates. Interested candidates must email their detailed CV’s to anniea@linkafrica.co.za by no later than 28 february 2023. Please note that only short-listed candidates will be responded to.