Vanson Bourne is a specialist B2B market research agency with over 25 years of experience working with leading technology companies worldwide. We deliver high-quality research and actionable insights that help businesses better understand their markets, customers and industry trends, enabling them to make informed strategic decisions.
Role Overview
The Commercial Account Manager is responsible for driving revenue growth through the development of existing client relationships and the acquisition of new business opportunities.
Working closely with the Commercial, Research and Operations teams, this role is responsible for generating demand, managing strategic client accounts and owning opportunities throughout the complete sales lifecycle, from prospecting and qualification through proposal development, commercial negotiation and successful handover to project delivery.
Alongside achieving individual sales targets, the Commercial Account Manager plays a key role in identifying opportunities for account growth, strengthening long-term client relationships and contributing to Vanson Bourne's continued commercial success. This role combines strategic account management with proactive business development and requires strong commercial judgement, consultative selling skills and an understanding of market research solutions.
Position Summary
This role is ideal for an experienced commercial professional who enjoys developing client relationships, winning new business and delivering commercial growth.
Acting as a trusted advisor to clients, the Commercial Account Manager takes ownership of revenue generation across a portfolio of existing and prospective clients. The role requires the ability to identify opportunities, understand client challenges, develop commercially robust research solutions and manage opportunities from initial engagement through to successful close.
Key Responsibilities
Business Development & Demand Generation
- Generate new business opportunities through outbound prospecting, networking, referrals and account-based activity.
- Identify and research target organisations and key decision-makers.
- Build and maintain a healthy sales pipeline aligned to revenue targets.
- Qualify opportunities through effective discovery and consultative conversations.
- Monitor market trends, competitor activity and client priorities to identify commercial opportunities.
- Develop a strong understanding of Vanson Bourne's services, methodologies and priority sectors.
Account Management
- Manage and develop a portfolio of existing client accounts.
- Build long-term relationships with key client stakeholders.
- Identify opportunities for account retention, upselling and cross-selling.
- Develop account growth plans to maximise client lifetime value.
- Act as the primary commercial contact throughout the client relationship.
Sales & Opportunity Management
- Own opportunities from qualification through discovery, proposal development, negotiation and close.
- Prepare high-quality proposals that align client objectives with Vanson Bourne's research solutions.
- Lead commercial negotiations while protecting profitability.
- Maintain accurate CRM records and opportunity tracking.
- Provide reliable sales forecasting and pipeline reporting.
- Achieve agreed revenue, margin and new business targets.
- Collaborate closely with Research, Operations and other internal teams to develop compelling, commercially viable sales proposals that address client objectives and maximise the opportunity for a successful outcome.
- Ensure opportunities are effectively transitioned into project delivery.
- Share market intelligence and client feedback across the business.
- Collaborate with colleagues to continually improve commercial processes and client experience.
Key Relationships
Internal
oCommercial Director
oResearch Team
oOperations Team
oMarketing Team
oFinance Team
External
oExisting Clients
oProspective Clients
oIndustry Partners
oStrategic Contacts
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
The role will be measured against objectives including:
Business Development
- Qualified opportunities created
- New business revenue
- Meetings and client engagements
Account Management
- Cross-sell and upsell revenue
- Client satisfaction
- Revenue target achievement
- Gross margin
- Proposal conversion rate
- Win rate
- CRM accuracy
- Forecast accuracy
- Opportunity progression
Skills & Experience
- Experience working within market research, with a good understanding of research methodologies and how research solutions address client objectives.
- Experience in an Account Management, Sales or commercially focused client-facing role.
- Demonstrable experience developing and growing client relationships.
- Ability to generate new business opportunities and build a healthy sales pipeline.
- Experience managing opportunities through the sales cycle, from qualification and discovery through to proposal, negotiation and close.
- Strong consultative selling and relationship-building skills.
- Strong proposal-writing skills, with the ability to translate client needs into compelling research solutions.
- Good commercial awareness and confidence discussing budgets, scope and pricing.
- Strong communication, organisational and time-management skills.
- Experience using CRM systems and maintaining accurate opportunity and pipeline information.
- Experience within B2B market research.
- MRS membership.
- Degree or equivalent professional experience.
Personal Attributes
- Ambitious and motivated to develop their commercial career
- Positive, proactive and solutions-focused with a can-do attitude
- Enjoys a challenge and is motivated by achieving commercial goals
- Commercially minded with a growth mindset
- Client-focused and relationship driven
- Curious and confident when engaging with clients and prospects
- Self-motivated and accountable
- Resilient and adaptable
- Collaborative and team-oriented.
- Organised with excellent attention to detail.
The Successful Candidate Will
- Consistently achieve individual revenue and profitability targets.
- Build trusted, long-term client relationships.
- Generate sustainable new business opportunities.
- Deliver accurate sales forecasting and pipeline management.
- Become a recognised expert in Vanson Bourne's research solutions and target sectors.
- Work collaboratively across Commercial, Research and Operations to deliver outstanding client outcomes.
You must already have the right to work in the UK.
We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.
This is a hybrid role requiring 3 days per week in our Newbury office.
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