Business Development Executive, Renewals

SANS Institute; Swansea; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job description

Business Development Executive, Renewals

Application Deadline: 20 April 2025

Department: Sales

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: Swansea, UK

Reporting To: SSA Manager, EMPAC

Description

To be responsible for nurturing renewals of an existing portfolio SSA customers, growing accounts as well as identifying, qualifying and driving new business opportunities across a dedicated region, in accordance with the SANS brand, values and mission statement.

Key Responsibilities

Account Management

• Conduct effective, regular Customer Account Reviews.
• Through effective communication: establish, strengthen, and maintain positive relationships with former, current, and new customers.
• Generate customer contracts annually, and on time, whilst introducing additional products to the customer.
• Work with the SSA, SANS and marketing teams to map accounts, distribute leads, qualify opportunities and provide sales support to the channel as they work opportunities.

Business Development

• Qualify incoming leads for Tier 2 – 4 accounts.
• Regularly contact Tier 2-4 customers, ensuring renewals are implemented in a timely manner.
• Proactively qualify the business solution required to address customer requirements, assess customers' met and unmet needs, and recommend solutions that optimize value for both the customer and the firm.
• Maintain accurate account, license, and contract records within CRM system (Salesforce) and ongoing customer interaction through available data systems such as Tableau and internal dashboards.
• Monitor upcoming renewals, proactively identifying difficulties that may occur which could delay or impact the renewal and escalate when needed.
• Prepare demand generation campaigns for existing Tier 2 to 4 accounts.
• Follow up on demand generation for Tier 2 to Tier 4 accounts.
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to align solution design with customers’ business requirements.
• Identify expansion opportunities to generate additional revenue (upsell/cross-sell), propelling those opportunities to closure and/or ensuring that the appropriate account management resources are engaged to maximize the opportunity.
• Follow, understand, and translate the latest Cyber Security developments and trends into customer-driven solutions.

Event Success Check List Activity (Tier 2 - 4 Existing Accounts)

• Promote SANS’ products and events through appropriate social media channels.
• Contact Tier 2-4 customers in relation to specific events.
• Regularly check event-specific pipeline.
• Conduct invite calls to Tier 2-4 VIPs for specific events.
• Facilitate tactical promotion communications where appropriate.
• Promote and use escalation tactics for struggling events when necessary.

Delegate Calls/Meetings

• Respond to all delegate feedback for Tier 2 to 4 customers.
• Conduct calls to all previous year delegates.
• Attend SANS meetings, events and trade events as required.
• Support the SANS’ Operations Team at SANS events as required.

Other

• Manage, deliver & exceed agreed targets, KPIs and other set objectives.
• Effectively manage the invoicing and aged debt process for assigned accounts, ensuring customer invoices are paid in a timely manner.
• Effectively manage and maintain Salesforce and other data systems.
• Provide excellent customer service to Tier 2, 3 & 4 accounts.
• Carry out ad-hoc administrative tasks as required.
• Build and maintain the SANS brand and mission within the wider Cyber Security community.
• Carry out additional tasks as requested by the SANS Management Team.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, education, technology, or other related field or comparable work experience.
• Minimum of 2+ years’ experience in Sales role, preferably within renewals.
• Minimum of 3+ years working in a customer-facing role.
• Ability to work autonomously and as part of a team.
• Ability to maintain a positive, customer-focused attitude, even in challenging situations.
• Experience in account management.
• Able to deliver against agreed KPIs and targets.
• Strong influencing and negotiation skills in a business environment.
• Able to work well under pressure.
• Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Able to manage change, whilst aligning and prioritising multiple tasks.
• Strong IT skills, including experience of working with all Microsoft Office products.
• Able to use social media platforms such as LinkedIn.
• Proficient with web-based collaborative tools such as Dropbox, Smartsheet.
• Able to align and prioritise multiple client accounts whilst delivering a world-class service.
• Ability to use initiative and creativity to overcome customer objections.
• Decisive and forward-thinking, with strong vision and strategic capability.
• The ability to plan and prioritise own workload and work to strict deadlines.
• Ability to network and communicate at all levels both internally and externally.
• Demonstrated ability to work across cultural boundaries and harmoniously.
• Ability and desire to travel to SANS events.
• Ability to plan, forecast and report against sales plan and targets.
• High attention to detail in SF and contract maintenance.
• Ability to network and communicate at all levels, both internally and externally, across geographic functions like content, legal and marketing.

Desirable Skills

• Proficient with SaaS and/or LMS platforms for complex troubleshooting and issue resolution.
• Knowledge of the Cyber Security sector, Cyber Security Awareness and Training.
• Cyber Security background/qualification.
• Competent in using Salesforce.
• Experience with SaaS and Renewals.
• Experience with Sales Processes like MEDPIC.
• Process-driven, with attention to detail and the inquiring approach to look at improving processes and efficiencies. Experience using AI.