
Strategic Account Manager
- Oxford
- £38,000 per year
- Permanent
- Full-time
- Develop and grow International third-party suppliers in order to increase sales across all lists to achieve departmental budget. Standardise and ensure consistent, continuous improvement of distributor buying and processes including ordering, inventory management and support. Manage pricing and discount across the territories to maximise profitability. Build relationships and gain expertise in the local market. Develop and grow close strategic partnerships with key accounts working both tactically and strategically to set strategies for growth within given markets and developing relationships in line with plans to drive revenue and protect margin.
- Use effective delegation with Customer Services and Sales support to manage the large number of accounts within assigned territory. Prioritise where time is spent towards the most important accounts and accounts that show the most potential for growth.
- Acquire new strategic accounts and develop the business of existing ones. Awareness of non-traditional routes to market (including technology) and how this could apply to our suppliers to increase revenue.
- Key interface between strategic accounts and all relevant internal functions - cross departmental and cross divisional – Customer Services, Credit Management, ELT Business Operations, Inventory and Supply Planning, Commercial, Sales and Marketing. Ensure collaboration with sales colleagues across all divisions to identify market trends and emerging opportunities.
- Work collaboratively with marketing to create and implement a Distributor promotional strategy. Develop this strategy in response to feedback from the market.
- Key interface between the customer and the Education compliance team. As Business Partner Manager for the region ensuring all compliance requirements are up to date. Using market knowledge and territory-based colleagues to raise any red flags or other concerns.
- Develop and maintain an excellent level of product, market and competitor knowledge in order to create strategic and tactical plans, and match customer needs effectively to grow sales.
- Feed into future publishing plans where applicable across relevant international and UK lists ensuring key accounts are considered when discussing publishing proposals, list acquisitions, and bespoke products to ensure needs of our customers are met.
- Develop and maintain a strong working knowledge of our CRM database so that it is effectively customized for international bookseller requirements, ensuring that key data is accurately collected, loaded and used to maximize contact time with key accounts. Maintain a high level of working knowledge of SAP.
- Proven Key Account Management skills
- Experience of growing accounts
- Experience of sales & marketing techniques
- Excellent communication and presentation skills (both written and spoken)
- Proven networking skills
- Excellent organizational, interpersonal and team working skills
- Attention to detail
- Ability to think creatively and flexibly
- Experience in the Educational Sector and attending international trade shows/bookfairs
- Experience of working in an International marketplace
- Experience of selling business to business, and business to customer