Apply: Retail Week - Account Director (maternity contract) - London

Retail Week is the leading authority on retailing in the UK, providing industry news, insightful analysis, comment and key data covering the entire UK retail sector, including, food, fashion, home and DIY, entertainment and general merchandise as well as e-tail, multi-channel, store interiors, technology and property. We run a number of high profile award ceremonies, conferences and retail festivals in the B2B space and are the only publication to cover all the issues facing multiple retailers in one place. You can find out more about our brand on https://retail-week-connect.com/, https://tech.retail-week.com/ and https://live.retail-week.com/. 

We have an exciting opportunity for a highly ambitious Account Director to join our fantastic Marketing Solutions team for a maternity cover contract. There is every opporutnity of creating a permanent role within Retail Week or the wider business for a candidate who is successful throughout this contract.  

Key Purpose 
The primary function of this role is to generate revenue for the Retail Week portfolio of conferences, awards as well as bespoke solutions through our award-winning content marketing agency, Connect.
To develop, grow and retain existing sponsors and advertisers and to identify and introduce new customers in accordance with established strategic goals. You will predominantly focus on the Technology sector.

Key Accountabilities 

• To ensure maximum delivery against sales targets across entire brand through the management and growth of key accounts & generation of new business
• To raise and maintain brand profile in the market, in order to be the sponsorship and advertising media of choice
• To deliver / exceed monthly, quarterly and annual target revenues.
• To identify new revenue streams to generate sustainable growth, year on year
• Prepare sales plans for key accounts as appropriate
• To make the agreed number of visits and ensure regular contact with key clients in order to grow revenue and market share
• To be the recognisedrecognised face of Retail Week across the customer types in specified territory.
• Relationship Management - Maintain regular contact (through both face-to-face visits and telephone contact) with your client list and build excellent working relationships in order to increase Retail Week’s share of their clients’ spend & YOYYOY growth of all key account spend.
• Sales Performance - To support the Group Commercial Director to implement the operational sales plan, to deliver / exceed against monthly, quarterly and annual sales targets. To identify and assess new product development to ensure sustainable growth
• Team Working - Work in partnership with the sales team to ensure that revenue targets are reached and exceeded where possible
• General Tasks - Produce regular performance and market reports for the Commercial Director

Qualifications and Experience

• Consistent top sales performer
• DIPADA trained
• Face to Face sales experience to senior manager level (Ideally within the Techology sector)
• Experience of selling multi-platform solutions preferred – print, digital, bespoke,  awards, conferences

Skills & Competencies

• Planning & Organisation- Sales plans / Manage and plan client visits so as to maximise time availability and sales opportunities / Maintain accurate and appropriate records of sales activities / Use of market research tools to track market performance
• Commercial Awareness - Understand the commercial strategy for Marketing Solutions. The ability to identify appropriate proposals for volume discounts, while maintaining appropriate yields
• Communicating and Influencing - Strong influencing skills, with an strong ability to overcome objectives / Strong negotiation skills, with the ability to close deals
• Relationship Building - To build strong relationships with external and internal customers maximising opportunities for collaboration across the team