Account Executive - Reading, United Kingdom - Red Whale

Description

Account Executive

Red Whale is the home of award-winning medical education. We were born out of the desire to improve the lives of Primary Health Care professionals (GPs, Nurses and Pharmacists) by providing them with evidence-based Courses and resources that contribute to their CPD (Continuous Professional Development), improve their practice, and save them time.

We use practising GPs and Primary Care professionals to develop and deliver all our content, so attendees can be sure that we understand their challenges and needs. Whilst the subjects we teach are very serious, we deliver them in a varied and entertaining way, to keep our delegates attention up and aid learning.

We are looking for an experienced Account Executive to join our In-House courses team. You will be responsible for selling our clinical education courses and content to private and NHS organisations. As well as identifying and approaching potential customers with the aim of winning new business, you will maintain good relationships with existing clients, gaining repeat business and growing accounts wherever possible.

• Build good working relationships with new and existing customers, understanding their needs and producing proposals and education packages that respond to their requirements.
• Support the New Business Sales Manager in identifying, creating and maintaining new leads.
• Collaborate with the rest of the commercial and digital operations team to ensure that we deliver what the customer expects... or more

This will be a 1-year fixed term contract hours/week),reporting to the New Business Sales Manager, working flexibly and remotely. Salary will be 35K pa for Full Time (28K pro rata for 30 hours a week).

Contract type: One-year fixed term contract Hrs pw) with flexibility and remote working.

Reporting to: New Business Sales Manager

Salary range: 35K pa for Full Time (28K pro rata for 30 hours a week).

We are looking for an experienced Account Executive to help us manage our pipeline of B2B customers, support the New Business Sales Manager in generating leads and closing sales of online and face-to-face courses to new and existing customers.

Sales and account management experience in a B2B environment is expected for this role. Experience and contacts in sales to NHS organisations (Training hubs, ICSs, NHS England etc) and tendering experience are highly desirable.

Red Whale is the home of award-winning medical education for primary care clinicians.

We are shamelessly proud of never ever EVER taking pharmaceutical company sponsorship of any kind, no exhibitors, no pharma sponsored mail shots, not even a biscuit, a pen, or a sticky note

Traditionally a face-to-face training organisation, since March 2020, we have successfully transitioned to delivering all our content online, from our award-winning TV studio in Reading.

Clinicians are now able to access our flagship one day update courses, webinars, and written resources 24/7 or attend in person events, if they prefer.

We sell our courses both directly to clinicians and on a commissioned basis via our In-House courses team (where this role would sit).

In October 2023, we were acquired by the Medical Defence Union (MDU) and we are extremely excited by the opportunities that being part of a larger group will bring.

We are a small, close-knit team of dedicated colleagues. We see ourselves as a trusted partner for our corporate customers. We are known for our flexibility, and this is reflected in the number of bespoke courses we provide. We don't seek to sell one course but to understand the challenges our customers face and work with them to address these through education-based interventions.

We are dedicated to helping and supporting our commissioners and their clinicians.

We have longstanding relationships with many NHS regions, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), Primary Care Networks (PCNs), VTS schemes and Training Hubs. We aim to create solid, value driven and mutually beneficial relationships with our customers and are thrilled that many of them choose to come back to us year after year and that our reputation in the sector generates a spontaneous stream of new leads.

We are hard-working and have high standards, the quality of our education is our guiding principle.

The Red Whale In-House Courses work and collaborate remotely. There are also opportunities to gather together: we have quarterly in person team meetings and hold an annual whole company conference in January. Our TV studio is in Reading and, if you are local, you will be welcome to visit and meet with colleagues in one of the meeting rooms in the building. Our parent company, The MDU, have their offices at 1 Canada Square (London) and you might be invited to attend cross-company meetings from time to time.

About this role

This is a customer facing role, which is broadly split into the following areas.

Sales

• Account management - Account management of key accounts, development of account plans, excellent customer relationship management and exploring new contacts within an organisation to find new training opportunities to grow the In-House Courses business. As a substantial proportion of our business is from returning customers, maintaining regular contact with them will be an essential part of the role.
• Outbound sales - Proactively generating new leads either personally, using your network, or by creating sales campaigns in collaboration with the marketing team.These may include email and social media campaigns
• Monitor the portals for new bids opportunities.
• Inbound sales - Respond to spontaneous inbound sales enquiries, including brand new leads and returning customers.
• Networking – Seeking opportunities to establish new connections with prospects and encouraging introductions from current customers.
• In all cases explore the customer's organisation, the decision-making unit, discuss course specifics with customer, provide relevant course information and quotes. Keep regular contact, providing information and support until the customer is happy to proceed.

Sales operations

For all In House courses sales closed by you or any other team member (including Management team)

• Process management - Discuss and finalise course dates with customer considering Studio availability (if digital course).
• Discuss booking options with the customer and advise on the best solution for their situation.
• Provide feedback to the customer post course, organise debrief meetings and explore opportunities for future bookings.
• Contracts - Once a new course is confirmed, ensure a contract is signed, returned and uploaded to our CRM systems. Instruct finance to raise invoices as per contract.
• Update systems - Keep CRM systems up to date with new customers and events and note relevant interactions with customers. Use data available from CRM systems to prioritise tasks and opportunities. Maintaining the sales pipeline using the systems available.
• Update Digital, Marketing and IHC teams - Brief digital, marketing and IHC teams with customer requirements in terms of platform, marketing collaterals and course logistics and ensure these are executed correctly.

About you

Technical skills

• Minimum 4-5 years' experience in B2B sales including outbound sales and closing deals.
• Medical and /or educational sales background desirable.
• Proficient in MS office (in particular Excel)
• Experience with CRM systems desirable (e.g. HubSpot)
• Communication
• Excellent written and verbal communication with a range of clinicians and support staff
• Good online meeting manners
• Quick at establishing a rapport with people
• Excellent listening skills
• Able to be firm and have direct (but courteous) discussions when needed
• An understanding of the NHS and Primary Care desirable
• Initiative
• Able to work independently, taking the initiative and managing own priorities

• Prioritises workload throughout the year
• Employs effective methods to track progress and keep on track with customer activities
• Confident to use sales and marketing tools
• Monitors own progress

Relationship building

• Strong and warm interpersonal skills, ability to build and maintain relationships with potential and established customers and the team
• Working capacity
• Tenacious – does not give up when faced with obstacles
• Efficient, organised, disciplined
• Flexible, adaptable & a fast learner
• Stays cool under pressure
• Able to manage competing priorities simultaneously

Problem solving

• Capable of exploring various avenues when faced with simple and complex problems
• Willingness to try new methods and solutions, seeking support when needed
• Creatively explores ways of delighting customers

Fun factor

• Able to demonstrate a sense of humour (often)

In addition to a competitive salary, we offer 22 days of basic holiday, Group Income Protection, Life Insurance, and a Contributory pension scheme. We are committed to promote the well-being and quality of life of all our team members and provide flexibility, remote working and a family friendly environment to all our colleagues.