Account Executive

PRIMARY PURPOSE: Drives the full sales cycle to win and grow strategic accounts for Rackspace. Utilizes industry and strategic knowledge to execute large, complex, strategic, business changing deals. Penetrates and wins customer while also making them a net promoter. Leverages an established network of references to win credibility

Sales cycle: 6 - 24 Months.
- Medium to large Commercial - Enterprise segment customers.
- Customer centric mindset, with the ability to interface with support team on a daily basis.
- Moderate to highly complex configurations.
- Sells to high-level, up to C-suite management.
- Technology sales experience ideally selling managed/professional services
- Hyperscaler experience

**KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES**:

- Builds and owns the account plans, including pursuit plan, timeline, deliverables, and goals, for named prospects and accounts assigned to them.
- Builds and owns integrated portfolio plan to prioritize activities targeted at named acquisition prospects and strategic accounts.
- In partnership with regional sales manager, finalizes named prospect and account lists, providing input into additional strategic pursuits within territory that align with overall Rackspace competitive strategy (additions will be limited).
- Coordinates with Marketing to select targeted marketing plays to run for named prospects; assists Business Development Reps in executing market/prospect plays.
- Leads sales process for all Rackspace solutions, particularly large, complex, multi-cloud pursuits requiring cross functional collaboration.
- Collaborates with Service Delivery Managers to proactively identify and invest in higher service levels for a customer with low MRR but high wallet and to identify and pursue opportunities for upgrades, cross-selling, and upselling.
- Builds deep knowledge of customer business goals and industry to position Rackspace’s technology solutions for future growth.
- Conducts targeted prospecting within assigned and named accounts.
- Engages potential client to understand high-level needs and verifies right fit for Rackspace solution and to qualify leads based on set framework.
- Leads efforts to create proposal for solution to prove value add.
- Leads the negotiation, closure, and documentation of customer contracts and renewals (for customers with growth potential).
- Collaborates with prospective customers to select the best solution to meet their needs out of the full product portfolio.
- Recognized as an expert within Rackspace.
- Proactively identifies and participates in the resolution of complex problems that impact the direction of the business.
- Develops and delivers innovative strategies that benefit customers and/or clients.
- Leads major business projects which impact a region or entire function.
- Contributes to the development of annual organizational objectives/priorities.

**KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS**:

- Meets or exceeds sales targets.
- Meets or exceeds pipeline targets.
- Ensures documentation necessary for the deal is properly maintained and updated and provides leadership updates on status, resources, and financial information.
- Creates advocates out of clients by delivering fanatical customer experience and leverages client advocates to drive additional sales.

**PERSON SPECIFICATIONS: Knowledge/skills/abilities**:

- Must have the experience and business savvy necessary to interact directly with CTO, CIO, VP and other senior roles within the customer organization.
- Must have the business connections to gain access to new customers through self-directed referrals and customer penetration activities.
- May be regarded as the expert in their particular job family.
- Requires in-depth expertise and/or breadth of knowledge of own job family and of other job families within the job function.
- Able to anticipate business and industry issues and recommend new and innovative approaches to respond.
- Able to communicate the same message in a different way to both technical and business oriented people. Superior ability to adapt messages to stakeholders at all levels of the company, from CTO level to front-line technical support.
- Strong presentation, written and verbal communication skills. Goal oriented with superior work ethic.
- Able to influence others in decision-making.
- Superior negotiation skills and the ability to negotiate with many personality types.
- Effective time management skills and the ability to work numerous projects at the same time.
- Strong problem solving skills and a high level of patience and the ability to nurture.
- Able to develop and manage internal and external business relationships of various temperaments, talents and convictions.

**EXPERIENCE**:

- Requires B2B sales experience in Managed or Cloud Hosting industry.
- 6 + years of experience selling technical products, software, or SaaS in a B2B environment.
- Proven track record of exceeding sales and revenue targets, getting immediate results while building repeatab