At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive sales and create new opportunities in a dynamic tech environment.
- Company: Join Platform9, a leader in simplifying enterprise Private Clouds.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, remote work options, and growth opportunities.
- Other info: Be part of an inclusive team with a focus on innovation and customer success.
- Why this job: Make an impact in the cloud industry while developing your sales skills.
- Qualifications: Strong communication skills and a passion for technology required.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 70000 £ per year.
LOCATION: UK or GERMANY
About Us:
Platform9 is the leader in simplifying enterprise Private Clouds. Founded by a team of VMware cloud pioneers, we are dedicated to transforming IT operations. Our flagship product, Private Cloud Director, turns your existing hardware into a full-featured, future-ready private cloud. We innovate across what we build and how we deliver it, staying focused on a next-generation, open private cloud while holding ourselves to one standard: exceptional customer outcomes.
Enterprises are selecting Platform9 to replace legacy virtualization because it eliminates operational risk and complexity. Private Cloud Director is designed for the experienced infrastructure team, offering a familiar GUI experience for managing VMs and containers, seamless integration with your existing hardware and third-party storage, and critical enterprise features (HA/DR, scale, reliability) built-in. This enables IT teams to gain robust API control and a user experience they trust—rooted in customer obsession and an owner’s mindset.
We share context quickly and candidly to keep decisions moving. With over 30,000 nodes in production at some of the world’s largest enterprises, including Cloudera, EBSCO, Juniper Networks, and Rackspace, Platform9 is the proven path to achieving true vendor independence and operational consistency. We are an inclusive, globally distributed company backed by prominent investors, supported by a partner ecosystem of resellers, systems integrators, MSPs, and technology vendors committed to driving private cloud innovation and efficiency. Our values—innovation, customer obsession, ownership, radical candor, and excellence—guide how we build and support every deployment.
Position Summary:
The primary responsibility is to create new opportunities, and to drive and capture opportunities to generate net new revenue in his/her defined territory. To achieve that, the AE must ensure appropriate levels of activity in each stage of the sales process and appropriate levels of effectiveness in each activity of the sales process. Working closely with PreSales Engineers and other teams, the AE will fully embrace a consultative selling approach, delivering value and insights to prospects. Taking ownership from lead to close, the AE will drive the sales strategy and all activities associated with each phase. The AE will be business minded and develop a sales/business plan outlining how to meet or exceed revenue target in given territory, for each fiscal year and quarter. The AE will take pride in timely and accurate reporting of the state of their business.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Create and capture opportunities: Create new opportunities to increase the size of the opportunity pipeline, through prospecting and lead follow through.
- Qualify leads and prospects to ensure the opportunity pipeline is of high quality.
- Engage with C-level, VP-level and Director-level.
- Differentiation by engaging in high value conversations, providing insights on why prospects are not achieving the results they desire, evidence-based proof points for available remedies, risks to be mitigated, approaches for achieving desired results.
- Qualify and report the reasons that the prospect should change, wants to change and their commitment to change.
- Drive opportunities through the sales pipeline to successful closure.
- Develop sales strategies, account plans, and win plans for opportunities in the pipeline.
- Understand and execute each phase of the sales process with excellence.
- Identify and qualify the prospect’s consensus team and their influencers.
- Map our executives to the appropriate consensus team and/or influencers.
- Exhibit high quality negotiation skills, ensuring business fundamentals are achieved for price and T&Cs.
- Exceed monthly, quarterly and annual quotas and KPIs.
Product Knowledge/Industry Expertise:
- Obtain and maintain a complete knowledge of our narrative, target market, problems we solve, results we deliver, product and service we offer.
- Obtain a good understanding of prospect’s business, products and services. Keep current with the latest industry trends and news.
Discipline/Admin/Pipeline Hygiene:
- Maintain and track all details of leads and opportunities in Hubspot and appropriate tools.
- Utilize Hubspot and appropriate tools to properly track and report sales progress.
- Forecast accurately.
- Attend sales meetings and training programs.
- Prepare appropriately to achieve excellence in meetings and deliverables.
Resourceful/Team Player:
- Effectively leverage internal resources such as Sales Engineers, Inside Sales, Consultants, selected partners and Executives to successfully generate leads, create opportunities and capture new revenue.
Preferred Qualifications and Skills:
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with strong presentation skills.
- Network on C-Level and VP-level.
- Demonstrable track record of success with $250K+ deal size.
- Exceptional prospecting skills.
- Industry experience selling virtualization and containerization platforms and/or cloud native modernization solutions and/or container management and orchestration solutions.
- Start-up sales experience or start-up attitude preferred.
- Sales 2.0 skill-set: use of Hubspot, LinkedIn SalesNavigator and similar tools.
- Must be prepared to travel.
- Must be self-motivated, able to handle high-pressure situations and able to work in a target-oriented environment.
- Bachelor degree is preferred.
Sales Account Executive employer: Platform9 Systems
Contact Detail:
Platform9 Systems Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Sales Account Executive
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company inside out! Research Platform9's products and values so you can speak their language during interviews. This shows you're genuinely interested and ready to contribute to their mission.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Connect with current employees on LinkedIn or attend industry events. Building relationships can give you insider info and even referrals, which can be a game-changer in landing that Sales Account Executive role.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for those tricky interview questions! Think about how your experience aligns with the consultative selling approach they value. Practice articulating your past successes and how you can drive revenue for Platform9.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up! After interviews, send a thank-you email expressing your enthusiasm for the role. It’s a simple way to stand out and show you’re keen on joining the team at Platform9.
We think you need these skills to ace Sales Account Executive
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Sales Savvy: When writing your application, make sure to highlight your sales experience and any successful strategies you've used in the past. We want to see how you can create and capture opportunities just like we do at StudySmarter!
Tailor Your Approach: Don’t just send a generic application! Tailor your cover letter and CV to reflect the specific skills and experiences that match the Sales Account Executive role. Show us why you're the perfect fit for our team.
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application clear and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to see your achievements and skills. We appreciate a well-structured application that gets straight to the good stuff!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, it shows us you’re keen on joining the StudySmarter family!
How to prepare for a job interview at Platform9 Systems
✨Know Your Product Inside Out
Before the interview, make sure you have a solid understanding of Platform9's Private Cloud Director and how it stands out in the market. Familiarise yourself with its features, benefits, and the problems it solves for customers. This will help you engage in meaningful conversations and demonstrate your genuine interest in the role.
✨Prepare for Consultative Selling
Since the role involves a consultative selling approach, practice how you would engage with C-level executives. Think about the insights you can provide regarding their challenges and how Platform9 can help them achieve their goals. Prepare examples from your past experiences where you've successfully navigated similar conversations.
✨Showcase Your Sales Strategy Skills
Be ready to discuss your sales strategies and how you plan to create and capture opportunities in your defined territory. Outline your approach to developing account plans and how you would ensure pipeline hygiene using tools like Hubspot. This shows that you’re not just a salesperson but a strategic thinker.
✨Demonstrate Your Industry Knowledge
Stay updated on the latest trends in virtualization and cloud technologies. During the interview, reference current industry news or challenges that prospects might face. This will not only highlight your expertise but also your commitment to staying informed, which is crucial for engaging high-level stakeholders.