Principal Sales & Account Manager, South Africa

General Description

• Responsible for the overall satisfaction, acquisition, retention & development of the assigned Accounts.
• Act as the link for all client needs, liaising/coordinating various departments to ensure customer support and satisfaction.
• Prepares and coordinates the major deals and maintains key customer contacts at senior levels.
• Focus on deploying a superior account planning and a consultative sales methodology approach in order to maintain a high level of service and increased sales penetration to existing accounts.
• Under general direction, responsible for managing existing customer relationship/contact and customer retention through renewals.
• Build, develop and maintain relationships with Account decision-makers to develop opportunities, maintain, and expand business within the accounts, visiting clients and performing product demos as required.
• Assume full responsibility for clients in portfolio.
• Assist the Commercial Director in Request for Proposal Response presentations to potential customers in order to acquire new Accounts.
• Gathers the market intelligence covering competitors' products and sales strategies.
• Maintain a high level of current knowledge of the product portfolio and the benefits of specific products for Accounts as well as of other account-specific information (trends, strategy, competitors, pricing, etc.).

Professional Background

• University degree, MBA an asset.
• Proven experience in account management.
• Experience in managing business relationships and driving growth with customers.
• Commercial expertise - Ability to build and implement an integrated Account Development Plan. Track record of Account management including complex negotiations within very competitive environments.
• Extensive experience in selling services/products in service industries with intensive use of technology.
• Proven ability to quickly understand and analyze complex technical requirements and business needs.
• Excellent presentation skills. Experience of designing and delivering training programs an advantage.
• Pro-active team player who understands collaboration and sharing.
• Ability to work in a dynamic, entrepreneurial organization, both in a team and in an independent environment.
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills with the courage and willingness to challenge the status quo to drive business objectives.
• Extensive experience and network in the tourism/travel/leisure & business travel industries.
• Open to change with experience of change management, innovation and transformation initiatives in a technology driven environment.
• Fluency in English.