Company

Our client is a premier provider of automotive information and marketing solutions to the automotive world and its related industries: automotive and commercial vehicle manufacturers and dealers, automotive aftermarket companies, insurance companies, finance companies, media companies, advertising agencies, consulting organizations, government agencies and market research firms. Through collecting and interpreting global data and providing extensive automotive business expertise, they assist their customers with their most important market issues.

The Position

The Customer Development Executive will function as a key strategist and portfolio manager for clients' business. This position will drive contract portfolio growth, business entrenchment and customer satisfaction. Overall, the executive will be responsible for driving process improvement resulting in greater efficiency and profitability for the company.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Focused CRM (Specific Client/Accounts/AOR)
• Builds relationships within account and expands/develops connection points in other areas of the OEM business to identify new business leads and up sell contract business.
• Develops and maintains positive customer relations in assigned area of responsibility
• Leads effort to maximize satisfaction, retention and reference ability of customers
• Resolves conflicts involving scheduling, resources, or technical issues
• Works with other sales personnel and production teams to provide excellent customer support, relationship management and product delivery
• Creates a strategic vision and assesses method for client to achieve future state; recognizing patterns within customer issues and recommending solutions.

2. Client Focused Strategy Growth

• Achieves direct sales revenue goal of total contract revenue, including negotiating contracts with key accounts and responsible to grow revenue stream
• Leads sales meetings for contract business with current clients using company sales process and co-facilitates for complex new business opportunities with BDM/Account Director
• Forms appropriate pricing strategies based upon current portfolio and growth opportunities/sales objectives to drive negotiations with clients
• Recommends pricing and negotiation strategies for the sale of products to the Vice President/Account Director/BDM; Client facing at least 50% of the time

3. Team Development

• Coaches, mentors and leads in all aspects of client services including: account management, product knowledge, and consultative selling techniques
• Monitors team members on selling and consultative techniques.

4. Contract Renewal/Negotiation/Ownership

• Brings in the information and updates of setting-up accounts into website and maintains history of transactions, notes and documentation for complete client profiles
• Maintains history of contracts for client(s)
• Listens to the voice of customer and provides input to Product Managers regarding new product ideas and ideas for enhancements.

5. Project Management for Service Fulfillment

• Resolves conflicts involving scheduling, resources, or technical issues
• Works with other sales personnel and production teams to provide excellent project specifications, customer support, relationship management and product delivery
• Takes leadership role on projects and provides updates and recommendations for senior executives on team
• Steps in to assist Client Services Executive team members as needed with customer fulfillment.

6. Industry/Business Knowledge/Public Relations/Thought Leadership

• Subject matter expertise to act as a resource within team
• Hosts internal and external meetings (ex. "lunch and learn" to educate the remainder of the team or clients on a particular subject)
• Attends industry conferences and symposiums to grow training

7. Production Team / Consultant Team Communications for Service Delivery

• Handles Weekly/Monthly production team status meetings
• Meets weekly with BDM/Account Directors to clarify sales support requirements

8. Build & Deliver Client Communication Plans

• Leads and delivers monthly, quarterly and annual meetings for business review, knowledge sessions and executive reviews
• Builds communication plans for accounts on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis
• Communicates pricing, proposals, negotiates the terms and conditions of the sale, closes the final sale