Sales Retention Manager- Apac

Job Summary

This role manages the retention function of Wolters Kluwer Tax and Accounting APAC portfolio within a complex, global or high-profile territory/account, products/services, sales or account management processes. Primary focus is the retention of existing customers and re-engaging of lapsed customers with higher customer volume than traditional account management/inside/outside sales and provides strong customer and product support. Improves short
- and long-term business relationships and generates sales leads with frequent contact. Maintains an ongoing business relationship with current industry clients to facilitate future sales. Has broad authority/opportunity to set and negotiate product/service terms with discretion. Manages own and provides leadership for the retention team. Customers depend on Wolters Kluwer information, software and services to successfully move through the complex layers of data and regulation that define modern business and government.

Purpose of role

This is a leadership role in the Retention team within Wolters Kluwer Tax and Accounting business unit supporting and overseeing the software subscription retention function and ensuring the delivery of extraordinary customer experiences throughout the customer lifecycle. The position plays a lead role in managing and driving our customers’ product utilization across the APAC product portfolio and is responsible for the preparation of the retention budget in APAC and subsequent forecast accuracy. Managing the Retention business in line with forecast is integral to this role, including driving and measuring key performance metrics such as volume trends, pipeline management and the overall health of the Retention business. Setting a strategic business development plan for ‘at risk’ accounts, as well as developing strong cross functional stakeholder relationships will drive success in the role.

Key Responsibilities:

- Drive a successful renewals process for subscription life cycle and account management.
- Execute change management & customer migration strategies to new products as needed, in strong collaboration with product and marketing.
- Drive a shift to proactive digital customer engagement channels to enabling high value exchanges with clients.
- Influence key stakeholders, sales, marketing, product management, software development and finance leaders, to ensure operational plan synergies.
- Drive continual improvement in people capability and testing new strategies to achieve increased performance.
- Develop and maintain a culture with an agile mindset that fosters high colleague engagement, trust, collaboration within and between teams, empower people and developing skills and knowledge.
- Ensuring a continuous focus on driving improved productivity and efficiency without compromising agreed KPIs.
- Responsible for the preparation of the renewals and retention budget in APAC and subsequent forecast accuracy. Manage the renewals business and deliver service in line with budget / forecast.

About You:

- 5+ years of experience as a Retention /Customer Success/Sales Manager or similar role;
- Previous sales/business retention-leadership experience; as well as experience working within a global matrix organisation;
- Skilled at identifying and forging relationships with decision makers and influential stakeholders;
- Able to effectively balance competing priorities and make decisions that best support the team, and the customer;
- Previous experience managing a book of high-value customer relationships in post-sales or deployment services, ability to drive customer success and align within complex customer environments at executive and department levels;
- Self-motivated, proactive team player; you take action and work effectively in a highly ambiguous, ever-changing environment;
- Exceptional organisational and operational skills and a proven track record of delivering retention outcomes through effective process rigour and streamlining;
- Strong organisational skills, with the ability to oversee and manage complex projects and reporting requirements to completion;
- Experience using Salesforce and analytics like PowerBI.

Personal Attributes
- An excellent people leader, with a strong ‘team player’ mindset and collaborative approach;
- A willingness to work flexibly outside of standard APAC hours to meet with global teams when required;
- A love for helping customers to optimise their use of technology and information, so that their businesses succeed. You are customer-centric to your core;
- You’re devoted to ensuring our customers’ success and adoption of our product;
- Strong analytical skills, geared at identifying opportunities and risks;
- Polished communication skills as well as the confidence to deal with difficult customers;
- Resilience and problem-solving skills, as this is a fast-paced role with multiple conflicting priorities;
- An appetite to work within a growing software business as p