District Manager – Field Sales (Charlotte, NC)

At Cengage, we are harnessing the power of tech to build a future where all learners have the tools and confidence to achieve their goals.

As a Cengage employee, you will blaze a new trail to transform the way people learn. Collaborating with the best of the best, you will feel challenged and inspired to do breakthrough work. With the support of our united team, there is no limit to what you can imagine, create and set in motion.

We set the bar higher by bringing our unique talents and point of view to the table every day.  We are curious and comfortable with change and are willing to take risks to transform education. Most importantly, with everything we do, we put learning first.

The District Manager is responsible for achieving total and product mix sales objectives for an assigned field sales district. The District Manager will achieve these objectives by developing & retaining sales talent and directing appropriate account planning, communication, collaboration, among Account Executives and other specialists in the assigned district.  The District Manager will have direct management responsibility for Account Executives and Customer Success Manager. The District Manager will also be responsible for efficiently fulfilling various reporting and administrative tasks.

Develop, manage, and retain top sales talent

• Recruit and hire “best in class”, field-based Account Executives and Customer Success Managers to fill open positions
• Provide initial and on-going training to ensure every Account Executive and Customer Success Manager’s success
• Provide accurate and meaningful performance feedback to all Account Executives and Customer Success Managers in a timely manner
• Identify performance issues and work to address them with a high degree of urgency
• Mange each Account Executive’s professional development and sales success through field-based coaching, formal and informal mentoring, and / or additional training as needed
• Coordinating with Sales Program Directors to ensure effective deployment and development of Customer Success Managers
• Ensure the retention of top-quality talent through career development / coaching
• Develop and coach Account Executives and Customer Success Managers on consultative selling skills
• Provide feedback as appropriate on assigned Engagement Managers to their respective managers

Create and execute district- and territory-level sales plans

• Develop and carry out a strategic District sales plan that drives the Region’s sales success and digital growth
• Appropriately deploy Customer Success Manager to provide pre-sales support for digital product sales, with a focus on driving large digital adoptions
• Analyze District sales reports, Account Executives’ pipelines, and competitive activity to forecast and drive territory growth
• Develop appropriate strategies to take advantage of opportunities and minimize impact of competitive threats
• Ensure Account Executives develop and implement effective territory plans through the strategic use of territory planning tools (e.g. the sales force automation / CRM systems)

Ensure effective collaboration and communication with internal stakeholders outside the Sales organization

• Ensure communication and collaboration between Account Executives and other sales specialists, such as the Inside sales teams
• Work with internal teams (Marketing, HR, Finance, Digital Implementation, Institutional Sales, etc) as needed to achieve District and Company sales objectives
• Communicate regularly with internal constituents and stakeholders to ensure complete information flow concerning opportunities, threats, etc.
• Gather market and competitive intelligence in the assigned District and share with appropriate internal personnel
• Assign Customer Success Managers to support digital product training for field sales team through virtual and in-person trainings

Provide leadership and direction to District sales team

• Communicate Company and Sales vision to team ensuring understanding and commitment
• Communicate District and individual sales goals
• Drive to exceed assigned sales target for the District by working with Account Executives to help them exceed their individuals’ sales and product mix objectives
• Provide enterprise-wide account leadership within assigned District (e.g. bookstores, multi-department sales and strategies that affect an entire account)

Administer District budget and ensure reporting requirements are met

• Manage District expense budgets including sampling and overall cost center, monitor expenditures by team members and work with them to ensure budgetary compliance
• Complete all required reports in a timely manner

• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint), Adobe Acrobat, and social media web platforms
• Superior organization skills and strong attention to detail and diligent follow up is essential.
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate needs and situations before they are fully developed.
• Superior time management skills and proven ability to manage multiple tasks and competing and shifting priorities are essential
• High energy and good communication (people want to be around you)
• Ability to work in a collaborative environment
• Very strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, customers and other members of the executive team
• Expert verbal and written communication skills
• Demonstrated proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability
• Emotional maturity
• Highly resourceful team-player, with the ability to also be extremely effective independently
• Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion
• Ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Forward looking thinker who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions
• Avid learner who seeks feedback and consistently expands skills

Basic (Required):

• BA or BS degree
• Minimum 4-5 years of progressive experience in Sales, Marketing, or Management
• Driven to succeed
• Proven track record in sales, sales management and leadership
• Strong business acumen and excellent team-building skills
• Excellent leadership and people skills, problem-solving skills, time management skills
• Desire for continuous learning and improvement
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills
• Proficiency in PC and Microsoft Office applications
• Demonstrated ability and quantifiable success in managing corporate initiatives
• Located within the assigned sales district
• Ability to travel 40-50% overnight; must be able to travel by both auto and air

Preferred:

• Managerial experience
• Experience mentoring and developing others
• Sales experience in academic publishing, services, or other higher education sales
• Experience working with digital sales products/applications