Consulting Account Executive

Contributes to the thinking of the Account Team and the Consulting account team. Determines planning prioritization for multiple assigned accounts. Prioritizes appropriately for multiple assigned accounts. Proactively seeks customer feedback and insights on business priorities and objectives. Understands how to plan stakeholder connections, in alignment with the core account team. Proactively builds and maintains up-to-date knowledge of customer. Leverages Microsoft Consulting go-to-market scenarios to drive intentional customer conversations about Microsoft Cloud adoption. Identifies, qualifies, leads, manages, and closes strategic industry cloud opportunities on prioritized accounts. Orchestrates the consulting-sales relationship with the core account team, working closely with Enterprise colleagues. Leverages account team's insights. Builds quality, close plans for all qualified opportunities. Ensures all applicable leads and qualified opportunities are linked to customer priorities in the account plan. Drives discussions of terms and conditions. Maintains relationship with the customer to secure formal signing of contract.

Accelerate Cloud Growth

• Proactively builds and maintains up-to-date knowledge of customer's business priorities, risks and challenges, internal landscape (e.g., organization structure, stakeholders, business performance), industry/sector challenges, regulations, trends, and futures (e.g., impact of artificial intelligence [AI], sustainability) to meet customer needs and drive customer satisfaction.
• Identifies, qualifies, leads, manages, and closes strategic industry cloud opportunities on prioritized accounts aligned to documented customer business value and outcomes. Accelerate Microsoft Cloud differentiation (e.g., security, AI) against competitors and win more market share. Increase customer business value with advanced technology (e.g., AI) and drive consumption.
• Leverages Microsoft Consulting go-to-market scenarios to drive intentional customer conversations about Microsoft Cloud adoption. Educates decision makers of assigned account(s) (e.g., business-functional area leads) on Microsoft's value proposition, aligned to the customer's priorities and maturity, appropriately differentiating competitor solutions.

  Account Team Orchestration Orchestrates the consulting-sales relationship with the core account team, working closely with Enterprise colleagues to ensure successful creation, maintenance, and execution of the Industry Solutions account plan components, and a positive One Microsoft customer experience. Orchestrates and coordinates across the account team, customer success team, service team, and the Consulting account team, effectively influencing and collaborating with account-aligned and solutions-aligned, pursuit and delivery colleagues including Partners to bring the best resources to ensure customer success and satisfaction, successfully closing deals. Follows and champions the One Microsoft methodology (e.g., the common sales and delivery methodology for Microsoft).   Deal Excellence

• Builds quality, close plans for all qualified opportunities, initially (at qualified stage) comprising the core Budget, Authority, Need and Timeline (BANT) information and commercial strategy for the deal, and progressing to include detailed customer procurement process, risks, and issues. Updates the close plan as deal progresses through each sales stage, securing Microsoft virtual Consulting account team and customer stakeholder buy in to schedule of activities for successful closure of the deal. Leads the consulting of the entire account team to execute the close plan, effectively influencing and collaborating with account-aligned and solutions-aligned, pursuit and delivery colleagues to perform agreed activities to successfully close the deal. Works with internal key stakeholder and approvers to ensure margin targets, consumption plans, and other key metrics are considered/met.
• Leverages customer connections and the account team's insights to confirm Budget, Authority, Need and Timeline (BANT) information to determine progression or lack thereof of a lead to become a consulting opportunity. Secures pre-sales investment to secure appropriate consulting resources needed to shape and scope the opportunity into a compelling customer proposition. Focuses on opportunities that are in alignment with organizational strategy, prioritizing opportunities based on highest potential for impact/consumption. Consistently drives deal velocity as a result of executing high-quality lead qualification and close planning.
• Maintains relationship with the customer to secure formal signing of contract and oversees the processing of that, including financial purchased orders. Drives smooth transition of sales-led accountabilities to delivery-led accountabilities. Supports win/loss reviews with sales and pursuit management, owns lessons learned activities to support improvements and efficiency for customers and peers. Identifies repeatable intellectual property that could be replicated and sold to other customers, increasing the sales team's ability to scale the solution and grow market share.
• Ensures all applicable leads and qualified opportunities are linked to customer priorities in the account plan. Maintains accurate Sales Stage, Forecast Recommendation, and Due Dates in required systems of record (e.g., Microsoft Sales Experience [MSX]) in alignment with close plan. Uses required tooling to report out the state of the business.
• Drives discussions of terms and conditions (e.g., scope, milestones, price) in collaboration with the entire account team and customer through multiple iterations to ensure agreement. Maintains productive working relationships with those involved in negotiation, persuading others without using manipulation, and driving a positive atmosphere during difficult objections and discussions.

  Relationship Management

• Proactively seeks customer feedback and insights on business priorities and/or experience. Anticipates issues/risks on customer satisfaction, determines the root cause of problems, removes blockers, and establishes recovery action plan to improve customer's overall experience. Understands how and when to escalate issues to ensure resolution.
• Understands how to plan stakeholder connections, in alignment with the core account team, building and strengthening relationships with the Microsoft overall account teams, solution teams, and other partner groups, through regular rhythm of connections where appropriate. Brings experience, insights, and perspectives from customer engagement to Microsoft business to drive deeper customer engagement. Supports the Microsoft overall account teams, solution teams, and other partner groups
• Owns and maintains in agreement with the core account team customer and partner relationships, influences key decision makers, and leads effective rhythms of connection with customer and partner stakeholders. Prioritizes appropriately for multiple assigned accounts. Contributes to creating and managing connections and driving agreement between necessary stakeholders within Microsoft and customers.

  Strategy and Planning

• Determines planning prioritization for multiple assigned accounts based on customer needs, revenue importance, growth opportunities, and account risks. Proactively looks ahead and identifies actions required to develop Consulting catalog opportunities that are aligned with the account strategy, Microsoft's strategy, and Consulting catalog go-to-market solution plays. Leverages business outcomes specific to their industries across 3 horizons as a point of view/roadmap for digital transformation. Leads the virtual Consulting account team input to account team planning sessions, follows the common sales and delivery methodology for Microsoft, and provides updates per required account team governance and rhythms. Engages with internal and external stakeholders on business planning to review and plan for accounts, structures and leads account planning rhythm to set priorities, and aligns Solution Plays and opportunities, partners, focus, and resources to regularly update the plan, ensuring that the extended virtual team (inclusive of partners) and other stakeholders are working toward common goals.
• Contributes to the thinking of the Account Team and the Consulting account team to address immediate and longer-term priorities for meeting customer needs and Microsoft objectives.
• Leverages appropriate tools, frameworks, and methodologies to develop a deliberate approach to position potential modernization and digital transformation outcomes specific to their industries across 3 horizons which are aligned with customer's priorities.
• Understands the weaknesses and strengths of competitor solutions and footprints and leverage this knowledge in strategy and planning.

Bachelor's Degree AND 7+ years industry sales experience in the commercial or public sector (e.g. Finance, Local Government) or related work OR 7+ years industry sales experience in the commercial or public sector (e.g. Finance, Local Government) OR equivalent experience. 2+ years consulting solution sales experience.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.

 

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