Commercial Sales

Overview

Our team of passionate, fun and tech-inspired humans are looking for Commercial Executive to drive commercial outcomes in partnership with customers, to achieve business outcomes.

The Commercial Executive is a trusted advisor who leads the design and execution of the customer's commercial strategy and negotiation, selling the right commercial solution at the right time and ensuring every deal is compliant and profitable for Microsoft.

Responsibilities

Deep Proactive Engagement

• Partners with various sellers in order to achieve revenue targets with general guidance. Collaborates with business stakeholders (e.g., Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs [CELA], operations, finance) and across teams. Applies knowledge of critical resources (e.g., deal desk, sales support, partners) and leverages them to drive business outcomes. Provides advice to peers and manager on how to adjust commercial licensing approach to meet customer needs. Ensures others are aware of their roles in orchestration. Contributes to overall success by driving strong team collaboration, cross segment and cross group collaboration. Educates peers and teams by sharing knowledge, supporting the onboarding of others in the same role, and proactively seeking help.

• Understands best practices and strategies and requires minimal support from more experienced team members. Develops an understanding of product strategy per solution area. Contributes to analyses competitive positioning and use cases. Actively develops their knowledge of industry, competition, and Microsoft offerings. Seeks out and applies feedback to align pricing and offer strategy to meet customer needs. Identifies potential commercial strategies to meet customer needs. Provides input to inform alternatives and recommendations internally and externally. Seeks out learning opportunities and understanding of local subsidiary strategy. Understands the importance of Microsoft/customer business strategies to accomplishing goals. Ensures that their work provides clear direction/suggestions and that they follow through on plans.

• Understands and anticipates business opportunities which vary based on deal lifecycle and artificial intelligence (AI) (e.g., upsell/cross-sell, expanding footprint, transformational). Uses knowledge of both customer and Microsoft commercial strategies to influence the likelihood of winning new opportunities that grow the Microsoft annuity footprint. Proactively consults sales support to maximize pipeline conversion. Engages in account planning. Proactively identifies target opportunities and develops execution plan. Measures results against plans. Prioritizes execution appropriately. Leverages knowledge to secure upsells that aligns to proven value. Works with account teams to identify growth opportunities and solutions. Provides offers. Demonstrates knowledge of monetization of products and solutions. Develops working knowledge of industry and industry trends. Develops customer-centric offers with minimal guidance. Engages and aligns with the account team around the deal(s) that they are casting. Partners with account team members to determine how opportunities in the account plan may be most effectively monetized. Identifies and recommends the best contract structure to enable capitalization on opportunities.

• Demonstrates fundamental understanding of customer business needs and desired outcomes to achieve revenue goals using an ethical selling perspective. Utilizes knowledge of customer needs and desired outcomes to develop commercial proposals. Develops industry knowledge and understanding of competitive analysis to contribute to crafting commercial solutions. Participates in early engagement, planning and ideation process with limited supervision. Prepares account territory planning and actively seeks feedback on plan. Crafts close plan strategies. Understands the correct commercial channel and how to leverage it. Leverages Microsoft financing knowledge if applicable to advance commercial outcomes. Incorporates principles of ethical selling into tasks. Renews agreement and knows/adjusts language of renewal or negotiation.

• Works with customer/partner support/account teams during lifecycle management planning to ensure that value is delivered and that customer/partner priorities, strategies, and budget are clear so that they can structure deals that drive annuity and cloud growth. Structures deals that drive value and contribute to Microsoft growth through attainment of revenue-based, share-based, and/or consumption-based quota. Demonstrates empathy with customers and partners. Grows share and adoption while simultaneously driving business value for customers. Balances customer and Microsoft needs when crafting value-based solutions. Seeks and uses knowledge about customer/partner priorities and industry challenges. Simplifies commercial strategies for customers and partners with general guidance. Engages with partners (e.g., licensing solution partner [LSP], cloud solution provider [CSP]) in effective ways to establish customer solutions for the benefit of all parties with general guidance.

• Optimizes for the right level of investment and customization. Contributes to orchestration across stakeholders with appropriate breadth and depth with little support from others. Crafts deals that will process (book). Reviews and includes any standard or custom amendments and documentation. Articulates Microsoft contractual documentation. Ensures needs of territory are well met with compelling proposals. Drives upsell and cross-sell. Handles objections and may negotiate contractual amendments within empowerment and escalates issues as appropriate. Participates in presentation of offers to clients. Understands which deals to prioritize. Aligns internal stakeholders on closing and monitors that the appropriate value has been sold and that the deployment plan has been considered. Develops comprehensive understanding of sales science and operational acumen (e.g., pipeline metrics, closed rates, competitive selling) to help establish a strategic sales execution cadence. Works with others to analyze multiple data inputs quickly and develops strategic decision making to ensure the best sales and revenue production and velocity through management team where appropriate. Leverages an understanding of upcoming business opportunities for their territory.

Mastering Key Skills

• Assists in analyzing deals for risks related to contract growth, partner channel risk, profitability (supported by deal desk as needed), legal issues, and contracting. Identifies and escalates risk as needed. Leverages both corporate and local resources. Keeps up to date with current tools. Learns when to take risks (e.g., market making deal).

• Works in collaboration with the account team when negotiating commercial terms. Develops an understands stakeholders. Supports negotiation strategy (e.g., solution development, raises potential vulnerabilities, helps define walk-away positions). Identifies and raises potential vulnerabilities. Leverages knowledge of negotiation skills, strategies, and tactics daily. Takes the risk to customers and Microsoft of no agreement into account when making decisions. Supports development of the negotiation approach by engaging with senior stakeholders internally and externally. Works to ensure that stakeholders are accountable for negotiation outcome(s).

• Ensures adherence to volume licensing, commercial solutions policy for commercial deal execution, inclusive of regulatory laws and principles in local markets, company policies, and guidance for consistent deal making. Ensures sales and negotiation strategies adhere to established guidelines, policies, and legal standards. Partners with high-risk deal desk (HRDD) where applicable and audit teams. Leverages relevant tools including business conduct and integrity, appropriately and confidentially. Actively raises compliance issues as needed to legal personnel, likely through manager. Ensures that their own work reflects a culture of compliance through the sales deal execution related parts of Microsoft policy (e.g., anti-corruption policy). Helps to ensure that win/win-compliant deal making occurs while creating commercial solutions.

• Creates commercial plan for the assigned sales accounts by mapping out how to maximize qualified medium in size/scope or low complexity commercial opportunity for the account with some support from more experienced colleagues. Develops and leverages an understanding of customer commercial history, inclusive of discounts, concessions, and consumptions for account. Identifies and anticipates upcoming renewals as appropriate.

Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, Information Technology, Law, Marketing, Finance, Communication, Education (or equivalent) or related field AND 3+ years sales and negotiation experience or related work or internship experience OR 5+ years sales and negotiation experience OR equivalent experience.

Additional or preferred qualifications

Master's Degree in Business Management, Information Technology, Law, Marketing (or equivalent) AND 4+ years sales and negotiation experience or related work OR Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, Information Technology, Law, Marketing, Finance, Communication, Education (or equivalent) or related field AND 5+ years sales and negotiation experience or related work or internship experience OR 7+ years sales and negotiation experience OR equivalent experience.

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.