Commercial Account Manager

The role involves selling outcome driven Infrastructure, Data and Application Modernisation solutions to customers. This is achieved by building strong relationships with customer’s key stakeholders to understand their business drivers and selling Hitachi Vantara solutions. The Commercial Account Manager (CAM) must understand Hitachi Vantara's portfolio of products, services and solutions to uniquely solve a customer’s needs and become a long-term trusted solutions partner by either engaging directly with them or leveraging indirect sales engagement via a set of sales representatives of Hitachi Channel Partners & SI’s.

We are seeking an experienced, high-energy sales professional with a proven track record of over-achieving quota, driving revenue, closing deals, and creating a significant pipeline of business within a short period of time. This is achieved by managing existing accounts/clients by up-sell & cross-sell , developing & acquiring new customers and at the same time functioning as Virtual Sales Manager, in his/her sales territory beyond the existing accounts, to a set of Sales Representatives from a set of Hitachi Focused partners & SI’s by driving a broader set of customer engagements, in collaboration and partnership with the respective Inside Sales Team member.  

Responsibilities

1. Accountable to execute sales strategies/activities including developing new opportunities through to the entire sales cycle till opportunity closure in mid to large sized commercial accounts.
2. Understand customer business needs and develop and sell Hitachi Vantara products, services & solutions through strong account management activities in Focus accounts & via Inside Sales & Partner Sales teams within the territory in collaboration with technical presales, professional service and support resources.
3. Coordinate with Field Marketing to develop and execute regional events to generate demand, new leads, deal qualification and selling to new customers via partner and inside sales.
4. Weekly sales forecast & cadence.
5. Develop & execute territory sales plan, focus account plans and opportunity close plans
6. Build and strengthen the business relationship with current accounts and new customers.
7. Responsible for achieving sales goals for assigned Commercial Territory.
8. Owns the relationship with key stakeholders and decision makers in Focus Accounts in the territory & is responsible for understanding customer’s key stakeholders and decision makers. Works collaboratively with Hitachi Vantara's sales support teams (presales, professional services and technical experts) to develop & execute account strategies to increase share of wallet in focus accounts by cross-sell & up-sell while work with Inside Sales, Partner Sales to drive sales in territory accounts.
9. Develop & execute sales strategy for the territory to meet and exceed sales quota. Successful sales strategies may include:
• CAM own Focus Accounts/Customers for deeper high touch engagement by understanding the customer’s key business drivers, current micro and macro-economic trends, industry trends and strategy. Understanding how the customer competes in their marketplace and industry. Provides unique and sophisticated perspectives for the customers for trusted relationships. Identifies new perspectives and ideas on how Hitachi Vantara can help a customer maintain or grow their business or competitive advantage. Creates customer insights that Hitachi Vantara's capabilities and solutions can provide to the customers and its key stakeholders. Here, key relationships and engagement with customers are owned by the Account Manager, while he/she can leverage partner/SI relations to develop his/her own engagement. He/she provides a moderately high touch customer engagement in the focus accounts.
• Remaining Accounts are Partner/SI owned for medium sales touch by CAM: Align and map the remaining focus accounts in his/her territory to select partner/SI sales reps in partnership with Channel Partner Account Manager for medium to low medium touch engagement while supporting partner/SI sales rep provide high touch deeper customer engagement to develop opportunities and selling Hitachi solutions to customers.
• Territory Accounts are a larger set of customers beyond focus accounts in his/her territory. The CAM provides extremely low touch or occasional tactical engagement with customer while allowing his/her Inside Sales Account Manager to work with larger Partner eco-system in partnership with Hitachi Channel Partner Account Manager. Together between ISAM & Partner Account Manager, a CAM develops a Territory Coverage Plan to retire his/her sales quota, while empowering ISAM/Partner Sales reps to execute the sales strategies in broader territory customer accounts.

10. Provides Hitachi Vantara tailored solution(s) that resonates with a customer and solves their unique business opportunity. Maintains the relationship through the entire selling and delivery cycle to ensure that all objectives are met, manages a positive customer experience and develops future opportunities within these customers.
11. Balancing between short term and long-term growth for all opportunities to achieve and exceed targets and expand market share. Proactively identifies and pursues new accounts and/or new opportunities within existing accounts to drive Hitachi Vantara's business growth.
12. Creates strong internal and external partner and alliance relationships to be recognized as a leading partner in local market or territory. Remains current with Hitachi Vantara's product, service and solution portfolio by attending internal trainings, seminars, websites to effectively provide the entire solution.
13. Keeps current with competitive advantage and industry trends to effectively support customers’ requirements.
14. Accurately and regularly forecasts sales pipeline for effective support of the business strategy. Ensures that any gaps between current position and goal are proactively and regularly assessed and strategies and tactics are developed to address gaps.
15. Regularly updates and maintains all account information and activity in CRM tool. Ensures all territory, account and opportunity plans and strategies are documented and up to date in the relevant account planning tool.
16. Supports the broader Hitachi team where required, including providing relevant information for customer success stories and supporting channel and marketing initiatives and events as required.

Performance Measures
• Achieves sales quota and profitability targets
• Forecast accuracy, predictability and linearity
• Achieves strategic customer objectives defined by Hitachi Vantara's management.
• Completes required and assigned training and development objectives within the assigned time frames.

Profile
• B Tech or Business Management or similar degree qualification preferred.
• Minimum 8 to 12 years of strategic sales experience in an IT company selling Data Life Cycle Management Solutions that involves IT Infrastructure, Storage & Software/Services solutions to the customer’s data centre in complex business environments.
• Proven track record in achieving annual quotas exceeding US$3M.
• Assertive self-starter with the ability to manage work in a dynamic and competitive environment to drive demand for Hitachi Vantara systems.
• Has strong technical and business acumen to understand the customer’s business objectives and sell to a broad set of customer stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience in providing valuable perspective or insights to customers by staying relevant and current with micro and macro-economic and industry trends.
• Experience selling through or with partners and alliances to win in the marketplace.
• Strong executive presence including strong relationship building and interpersonal communications.
• Demonstrates strong decision-making skills to coordinate activities with partnerships and networks for successful sales.
• Demonstrated influencing and negotiation skills in complex and multi-level sales environment.
• Demonstrated ability to positively collaborate and engage with a broader team to achieve successful results.
• A strong and confident communicator and presenter, comfortable operating and presenting at all levels within the customer including senior management or CXO level.
• Experience to work and coordinate with a virtual team of experts on products, services, solutions and management to build account strategies and plans.
• Operates with the highest integrity and effectively role models and upholds our Company Values, the Hitachi Spirit.

Competencies
• Must be able to function independently with minimal supervision and with strong collaboration skills (inside and outside Hitachi Vantara
• Effective communication and presentation skills
• Strong time management and negotiations skills, being always tactful and diplomatic
• Effective (new) relationship building skills (proven ability to build relationships at executive level)
• Strong collaborative, leadership and sales skills
• Always ‘hungry’ for knowledge, knowing all about your business, Partners, solutions and services
• Ability to translate technology into operational and business impact
• Ability to influence
• We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

Great careers start with innovation and here at Hitachi Vantara, our promise is to deliver insights that power smarter businesses and inspire social innovation solutions for a healthier, safer future. The key to our innovation is our people -- our culture values respect, diversity, and collaboration. Join our Hitachi family and together, let us lead the way to extraordinary!