DESCRIPTION

The SSA Business Development Manager (BDM) will play a key role in building and nurturing strong customer relationships. By actively engaging with customers and understanding their needs, the BDM will enhance satisfaction and loyalty while maximising the lifetime value of each customer. This position focuses on optimising the purchase and use of SANS Security Awareness training programmes. The BDM will find and support new customers during onboarding, identify upsell opportunities for additional courses, and encourage regular use of SANS offerings to enhance employee cybersecurity knowledge.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS

• Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, education, technology, or other related field or comparable work experience.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in Sales role, preferably within renewals.
• 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.

Customer Relationship Management

• Build effective relationships with new customers, including management and executive stakeholders, to understand their objectives and enhance customer lifetime value.
• Establish productive, professional relationships with key personnel in assigned partner accounts.
• Engage with current and prospective clients to convert opportunities into increased business and conduct periodic business reviews to confirm satisfaction, address technical issues, and promote successful product adoption of SANS training and resources.

• Create trusted relationships with key personnel in client organisations to uncover opportunities for growth and improvement.

  Sales and Business Development

• Actively pursue leads generated from marketing initiatives and develop new client prospects through networking, cold calling, and social media.

• Present SANS services and solutions to strengthen existing relationships and cultivate new ones.
• Meet assigned targets for profitable sales volume and strategic objectives in assigned accounts.
• Identify and leverage social media and campaign opportunities to establish and maintain client relationships.

Onboarding and Customer Success

• Manage the contracting and information for deployment phase and then the efficient handover to the Customer Success team.
• Develop and implement consultative strategies to help customers achieve their goals using SANS SSA and broader resources.
• Drive initiatives that improve the overall customer experience and foster satisfaction and loyalty among SANS clients.

• Collaborate with support and customer success teams to monitor customer usage, adoption, and health metrics to ensure satisfaction and engagement with SANS offerings.

  Collaboration and Coordination

• Collaborate with marketing, sales, legal, customer support, content and technical teams to facilitate efficient management of activities and resources.

• Coordinate the involvement of company personnel, including support, service, and management resources, to meet partner performance objectives and expectations.
• Assist the Renewal Specialist with customer renewals and coordinate with Account Managers on upsell opportunities and new SANS product referrals.
• Work effectively with internal colleagues to advocate for prospect needs and ensure coordinated involvement across departments.
• Lead solution development efforts that best address end-user needs.

Market and Competitive Awareness

• Maintain a strong understanding of SANS products, industry competition, and market positioning within the cybersecurity Awareness training landscape.
• Develop and manage a pipeline of new business, demonstrating thorough knowledge of market dynamics, SANS offerings, and competitor activities.
• Proactively lead a joint partner planning process that develops mutual performance objectives, financial targets, and critical milestones for productive partner relationships.
• Strategically map accounts to deploy growth initiatives within the market.
• Meet and exceed bookings targets while maintaining accurate account administration in the company’s CRM.

Other Responsibilities

• Manage, deliver, and exceed agreed targets, KPIs, and other set objectives.
• Build and maintain the SANS brand and mission within the wider cybersecurity community.
• Carry out additional tasks as requested by the SANS Management Team.