Position Overview

The Strategic Partner Sales Director is responsible for driving new revenue growth and customer opportunities by partnering with Encore Chain Partners in a new way, focusing on their top customers and assigned accounts.  This role will develop proactive relationships with multiple key contacts across the hotel partner senior sales team, driving awareness and adoption of Encore products and services to the end customer by articulating the value of a combined service offering they may not be currently aware is available to them through deeper collaboration with Encore. By establishing trust with the hotel partner sales team and those relevant hotel partner sales team members, the successful Strategic Partner Sales Director will earn direct engagement and interaction with large opportunity end-user event customers to sell Encore and create multi-year relationships.  Typically, the focus would be on senior customer titles and budget owners and this role would focus on the highest level of customer satisfaction as the relationship develops and the opportunity to do business becomes apparent.  This role will report to the Group Director, Global Sales who will assist in guiding the sales strategies according to each partner brand with the support of our VPs of Strategic Accounts offering insight on the current news within each chain partner as their direct relationship to manage (as part of our venue acquisition group). This role is to ensure proactive approach to business development through strategic Chain Partner alignment, allowing Encore to provide end-to-end service and to develop longer and future selling opportunities via the hotel partnership.

Key Job Responsibilities 

Sales Management & Partner Objectives & Opportunity Strategy

• Strategic consultative selling into multiple industries. Selling is often pre-RFP or at the point the end customer is securing a longer-term contract with the hotel partner brand for a series or single event.  The role will share the vision and business value of what an Encore partnership could bring to an event - regionally, nationally, and globally. 

• Build and maintain close relationships with prospects and clients to expand the revenue/business opportunity.

• Build strategies and customer pursuit plans that include contacting prospective clients to conduct an end-to-end event solution as well as plan strategic involvement and content for sales activations.

• Drive dedicated alignment with chain partner global sales organizations to create a combined proactive approach to winning business for both Chain and Encore.

• Ownership of assigned business portfolio, including proactively pursuing and following up on assigned account or event specific leads and building core objectives and strategy for assigned chain(s).

• Develop relationships with multiple key stakeholders to include SVPs and Corporate Directors of Events, Directors of Sales and Events, meeting planners, business unit directors and C-Level executives.

• Understand chain partner and customer needs and goals to create an account strategy that best aligns Encore resources and solutions, while driving customer awareness and adoption.

• Secure customer-facing appointments and conduct sales calls to identify and secure both short- and long-term revenue opportunities. 

• Coordinate and lead customer consultations and presentations using Encore resources and team members as needed to support the initiative.

• Leverage Encore thought leadership, content and physical support and presence for in person meetings, to offer trainings, showcases, and when relevant information sessions within Chain Partner hosted events (driven and managed by the VP Strategic Accounts team), such as FAMs, Roadshows, etc. 

• Own sales activations at Encore and Chain events: developing pre- and post-marketing campaigns and creating content and talking points specific to event objective and attendee customer base. 

• Maintain active membership in key industry organizations (MPI/PCMA/CEMA) while working with Encore’s Industry Relations team to best engage with key members and events.

Account Management

• Partner with sales leadership on strategically mapping out the assigned sector / sub sector

• Oversee execution of strategies throughout the organization to drive YOY revenue growth for chain and customers, increased profit, and new business growth – directly or indirectly.

• Participate as needed in semi-annual business reviews with key chain stakeholders led by VPs, Strategic Accounts.

• Function as liaison between VPs, Strategic Accounts, Global Sales Organization, Chain Partners, and Field Sales to create consistency and understanding between all to increase trust and reliance on Encore by its Partners and Customers.

• Proudly demonstrate Encore’s audience engagement impact and demonstrable ROI to position Encore as the partner of choice

• Prepare quarterly review and measurement for Group Director on account portfolio progress against objectives – to also be presented to chain. 

• Seek and manage Encore engagement in chain partner events to elevate Encore as a ‘mentor’ partner and provide opportunities to highlight Encore capabilities, industry insight and ongoing learning & development.

• Engage customers at key live events with Chain partners, understand Chain Partner’s and customer’s industry trends and associations, and build a network that continues to establish credibility, rapport, and opportunities to engage customers.

• Advocate for customers/Chain relationships and Encore service quality, to help achieve their business objectives.

• Successfully transition events and accounts seamlessly as ownership is identified and assigned.

Internal Communications

• Ensure and educate internal team members in the compliance and consistent execution of any Chain or customer agreements across Encore’s executing divisions through effective use of customer relationship management system in relation to this role’s objectives. 

• Bring market insights to the business to inform and influence our development roadmap

• Consult with internal resources to convey event requirements, budget expectations, and timelines.

• Maintain timely and consistent reporting, delivery, and internal/external communication of key requirements.

• Build and actively own updated schedule of events, meetings, and travel as appropriate for this role’s goals. 

• Work closely with Encore internal contacts to realize account objectives, create consistency, and act on resolving customer experience and internal issues.

• Monitor and maintain accurate and timely Compass (CRM) Account and Contact data entry, billing records, show evaluations, customer surveys, monthly or quarterly reporting, and any other information on assigned accounts requested by management in accordance with policies and procedures.

Revenue Management

• Meet and exceed quarterly and annual portfolio value as defined for each venue partner.  Progress will also be measure by progress made in end customer relationships through the direct contact and work of this role. 

• Actively manage account pipeline throughout the entire organization for all Encore services including core audio visual services, power, rigging, HSIA, digital, production, creative, and strategic services. 

• Identify and develop account plans and mutually beneficial terms designed to increase revenue for all accounts while managing compliance, profitability, and revenue channel development.

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

• 8+ years proven success in a sales-focused account management environment

• Experience of selling over the phone and face-to-face

• Strong commercial acumen with a hunger for deal making

• Natural communicator, and a born networker with an appetite for relationship building

• Experienced in the disciplined use of customer relationship management (CRM) software

• Articulate, with a confident telephone manner, as well as a focused listener

• Exceptional customer service standards

• Must be a self-starter and self-motivated, but with the ability and willingness to take direction and work in close collaboration with colleagues

• Some travel required when face to face meetings come back

Competencies

Deliver World Class Service

• Hospitality

Do The Right Thing

• Courage

Drive Results

• Optimizes & Aligns Work

See The Big Picture

• Strategic Mindset

Value People

• Organizational Savvy

• Values Diversity

• Develops Talent

For more information on our Competency Group, refer to the Competency Based Talent Management page on Encore Connect by searching for the title or copy & pasting this URL Link (https://psav.sharepoint.com/sites/HR/SitePages/Competency-Supported-Talent-Management.aspx). 

Work Environment

Office

Work is performed primarily in an office environment. Working times may include irregular hours and on-call status including days, evenings, weekends, and holidays. Team members must adhere to appearance guidelines as defined by Encore based in an office environment and when traveling, on an individual venue or a representation of venues in that city or area.

The above information on this description is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions associated with the job.  While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned.

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