Let’s start by defining who is a sales account executive. This is one of the key roles for enterprises that want to create profit-building long-term customer relationships. Their chief responsibility is to nurture client relationships and offer a stunning end-to-end customer experience. A sales account executive supports and supervises current client accounts. In addition, they are also expected to sort out the administration and creative staff, contribute to endorsement campaigns and ascertain campaigns are completed within due budget and time.
What are the responsibilities of a sales account executive?
The job of sales account executive entails the following roles and responsibilities:
- Handling client accounts.
- Playing the role of the point of contact for clients.
- Recognizing potential new clients.
- Recognizing and executing best practices.
- Arranging meetings with clients regarding their needs.
- Backtracking and reporting on sales performance.
- Handling client invoices and budgets.
- Suggesting innovative and fresh ways to enhance sales and provide exceptional customer experience.
Do you want to be a sales account executive? Here’s what can help:
- Experience as a sales account executive in some domain.
- Degree in marketing, business administration, or related.
- Substantial customer service experience.
- Deep knowledge of MS Office and customer relations management software.
- Excellent negotiation and communication skills.
- Ability to enhance customer engagement.
- Time management and analytical skills.
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Must-have tools for account executives
The most successful AEs (Account Executives) are driven and smart. They also are aware of how they should effectively use their resources and time and simultaneously stay on top of customer relations. Using the right tools renders the job a lot easier. Here are some of the best and productive tools every sales account executive should try out:
1. Quote and proposal creation tools
One way to automate the process of creating proposals and quotes for prospective clients is using quote and proposal creation software such as Qwilr, Salesforce CPQ, Proposify, PandaDoc and more. The best thing about these tools is that they save you from the boring and overwhelming task of calculating a quote. Instead, you may free up your valuable time to concentrate on relationship-building.
2. E-signature and contracting tools
Seasoned sales professionals know that the superficially simple process of signing a contract can often defer the deal for weeks or even longer. E-signature solution emerges as a solution here by enabling one to send contracts without needing to deal with paper contracts. In the long run, it is worthwhile to have access to virtual contracts. If there is any confusion, you may easily trace the relevant clauses. There are hardly any chances of losing important contacts because of human errors or natural disasters. Some good e-signature tools are eSignLive, Fluix, Docusign, and Eversign.
3. Project management platform
As a sales account executive, it is highly unlikely that you are operating alone. An ideal project management space enables you to communicate closely with colleagues without the need to deal with cumbersome email chains. These platforms also allow you to send automated reminders and assign tasks to team members. Furthermore, project management platforms are beneficial for connecting with clients. Several project management applications are available without any charges. Some platforms charge fees for the latest features. You can consider common project management platforms: Asana, Microsoft Project, Basecamp, and Atlassian.
4. Sales forecasting software
Several sales account executives spend much of their time on sales forecasting; however, they may still face a deficit in generating accurate forecasts. Such software renders the processes more precise and faster. Good software can even provide tips using data from current and past deals or how to improve sales. Robust sales forecasting programs entail features for generating visualizations, creating reports, comparing data against previous industry averages and performance, and so on. Some commonly used sales forecasting software include Accelo, Pipedrive, Insightly, and Adaptive Insights.
5. Social media management tools
Social media management tools facilitate sales professionals to manage their social media posts. Several tools entail features for monitoring and measuring the engagement of other folks with your content, which is worthwhile for recognizing accounts you need to be concentrating on. A sales Account Executive’s success largely depends on your ability to effectively communicate with prospective customers and clients. With so much cutting-edge tech available for communication, nurturing a strong presence is essential. Tools you can try for this purpose are MeetEdgar, TweetDeck, Raven, and HootSuite.
So, in a nutshell,
Sales account executives are a crucial part of any enterprise. To ascertain that the business is enjoying most of the folks you brought into your company, you must prepare them up for success. Sales account executives work hard on creating revenue, thus, enabling your business to grow down the road.
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