Sales Specialist

Sales Specialists & Consultants are product, services, software or solution specialists that are responsible for leading pursuit in their assigned focus areas. Collaborates with and supports Account Managers and provides specialist expertise within the sales team. Drives proactive campaigns to build the pipeline, uses specialized knowledge and skills to prospect, qualify, negotiate and close opportunities. May have named accounts allocated, cover a designated geography, or may be allocated to one high-potential, competitive attack account.**_ Responsibilities: _**- Responsible for creating and driving their sales pipeline. Capture leads outside of specialization and use closed-loop lead management to ensure assignment and follow- up by others.- Maintains knowledge of competitors in account to strategically position the company's products and services better.- Use specialty expertise to seek out new opportunities and expand and enhance existing opportunities to build the pipeline in and drive pursuit.- Provide support to Account managers and provide input regarding business development and solution expertise.- Development of quota objectives and future direction for defined product category.- Some specialists also responsible for selling outsourcing deals.- Establish a professional, working, and consultative, relationship with the client, up to and including the C-level for mid-to-large accounts, by developing a core understanding of the unique business needs of the client within their industry.- May invest time working with and leveraging external partners to deliver sale.- For Services Consultants: Focus on growing contractual renewals for mid-to-large accounts with more complexity, to higher- total contract-value renewals.- Directs or coordinates supporting sales activities.**_ Education and Experience Required: _**- University or Bachelor's degreeDirectly related previous work experience.- Demonstrated achievement of progressively higher quota, diversity of business customer, and higher level customer interface.- Extensive selling experience within industry and on similar products.- Typically 8-12 years of advanced sales experience.- Project management skills required.- 2-3 years of product sales in the desired specialty.**_ Knowledge and Skills: _**- Is considered an expert in knowledge of products, solution or service offerings as well as competitor's offerings to be able to sell large solutions.- Understands the industry and market segment in which key accounts are situated, and integrates this knowledge into consultative selling.- Understands and applies program/project management methods and processes to define, plan, cost, resource, track and ensure successful pursuit.- Understands the role of IT within area of specialization and how the company's solutions differentially address specific vertical industry challenges as well as their cross-segment capabilitie.- Account planning and accurate account revenue forecasting skills.- Collaborates with management and sales teams in shared accounts to ensure seamless integration of specialist sales with other sales activities.- Cultivates & maintains positive relationships with customers to ensure account retention & growth, and positions the company as the preferred vendor for meeting all business needs.- Establishes a professional working relationship, up to the executive level, with the client.- Demonstrates leadership and initiative in successfully driving specialty sales in accounts - prospecting, negotiating and closing deals.- Demonstrates high service or product knowledge and professionalism in researching and sharing service-related information with account teams and customers.- Deep knowledge of products, solution or service offerings as well as competitor's offerings.- Understands how to leverage the company's portfolio and change the playing field on our competitors.- Utilizes Siebel as an expert and accurately forecasts business.- Understands and sells high value software solutions.- Understands selling of services sales.- Leverages services as part of strategic product sales.- Maintain expertise of industry trends, associated solutions, and key partner/ISV solutions.**Job**:Sales**Micro Focus is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Prospective employees will receive consideration without discrimination because of race, colour, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, citizenship or any other legally protected status