This position is responsible for promoting autoTRADER’s full portfolio of media solutions to clients and identifying and developing high revenue accounts by using consultative sales techniques.  This position will serve as the primary business contact for assigned clients and is responsible for consistently providing excellent customer service to accounts. Will ensure that customers' needs are exceeded and customer satisfaction is achieved. The Account Manager will work with high revenue customers where superior sales, marketing and presentation skills are required to achieve results.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

Sales/Customer Service:

• Develops customer accounts by proactively gathering and reviewing information to identify high-level sales opportunities.
• Focuses on the achievement of customer satisfaction, revenue generation within existing assignments, and long-term account goals in line with autoTRADER's vision.
• Prepares business presentations and completes corporate profiles; designs and implements sales strategies.
• Effectively prepares prior to calling on customers; conducts effective needs assessment and designs proposals to address the customer's specific needs and maximize business potential.
• Discusses advertising needs with the customer; understands and promotes autoTRADER products and services relevant to each customer’s business objectives.
• Understands customer's wants so they can create need and sell on value instead of just product based; demonstrates a continued personal concern for the customer outlining the value autoTRADER brings.
• Responsible for all client communications & conflict resolution.
• Ensures that client issues are dealt with in an efficient manner while maintaining excellent customer relations.
• Responds to client's needs with a sense of urgency.
• Maintains strong knowledge of new and existing autoTRADER product offerings as well as new products in the market, industry trends and new developments; understands current competitive conditions within the marketplace.
• Administration:


• Maintains sufficient customer records to ensure proper territory organization and account administration.
• Prepares a variety of status reports, including activity, closings, follow-up, KPI's and adherence to goals/targets.
• Presents and negotiates rates with clients; prepares and signs client contracts.
• Ensures all documentation and reports are complete, accurate and submitted to other departments within assigned timelines.
• Territory/Account Management:
• Completes Weekly Sales planner to ensure penetration of assigned territory and maintenance of existing client revenue base; proactively calls on existing accounts; identifies correct priorities and schedules sales calls accordingly.
• Initiates post-sales activities to ensure advertising solutions continue to satisfy the customer's needs.
• Contributes to autoTRADER's market strategy by monitoring competitive products and reactions from clients; recommends new solutions and services by evaluating current state and identifying needs.
• Spends most of his/her time out of the office, with clients, and works at penetrating, controlling and retaining accounts.
• Meets sales targets and objectives for specific client base.

Required Skills

• Ability to maximize results by systematically managing an account plan.
• Driven to produce by increasing sales to existing accounts.
• Ability to work the system for the customer by using internal resources to find solutions for clients.
• Ability to educate customers through structured training.
• Promotes customer relations by soliciting feedback and responding to inquiries at any hour; ability to solve problems before they get escalated.
• Capable of developing relevant product knowledge specific to customer needs.
• Ability to tailor image to fit customer expectations by adapting to different situations with sincerity and realism.
• Strong closing techniques; using logical, incremental steps.
• Strong level computer skills in Microsoft Office and computer tools.
• People skills; effective team player with strong communication (verbal & written) and listening skills.
• Drive for results; ability to turn a customer from good to great.
• Strong time and resource management skills along with organizational skills; ability to prioritize and quickly respond to customer requests.
• Self-Development skills.
• Problem solving and analytical skills.

Required Experience

• Bachelor degree in Liberal Arts/Marketing/Business discipline.
• Minimum 5-8 years direct sales experience working with national/large revenue accounts.
• Proven results and consistency in achieving/exceeding sales targets.
• Experience in intangible, media and internet product sales.