Senior Sales Executive

Yokogawa, award winner for ‘Best Asset Monitoring Technology’ and ‘Best Digital Twin Technology’ at the HP Awards, is a leading provider of industrial automation, test and measurement, information systems and industrial services in several industries. Our aim is to shape a better future for our planet through supporting the energy transition, (bio)technology, artificial intelligence, industrial cybersecurity, etc. We are committed to the United Nations sustainable development goals by utilizing our ability to measure and connect.

Our 18,000 employees work in over 60 countries with one corporate mission, to "co-innovate tomorrow". We are looking for dynamic colleagues who share our passion for technology and care for our planet. In return, we offer you great career opportunities to grow yourself in a truly global culture where respect, value creation, collaboration, integrity, and gratitude are highly valued and exhibited in everything we do.

Job Purposes

The postholder will actively influence the Physical & Digital Transformation, and Decarbonization of the Process Industries by enabling implementation of KBC’s cutting edge consulting and technology solutions. The Senior Sales Executive is the client expert within the geo-market and acts in conjunction with regional leadership and the internal teams to set the strategy, identify opportunities and close the sales for each target client.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Meet / Exceed annual personal sales targets (Order Intake) as set by the Regional Head of Business Development.
• Support and Build/Maintain a Sales Pipeline greater than or equal to three times sales award target by continually seeking new sources of business.
• Source, architect and structure large, multi-discipline project opportunities with target clients by applying a diagnostic sales approach.
• Ensure the incorporation of Software/Technology sales into Consulting sales is in line with overall targets set.
• Collaborate with other members of the KBC consulting and Yokogawa Total solutions and delivery teams, as required, to deliver integrated sales successes.
• Drive a culture of integrated collaboration and focus on delivering a quality, value-based solution.

Responsibilities

• Business Development: Participate in formulating the strategy and identifying (i.e. generating sales pipeline greater than or equal to three times sales award target for given period), evaluating, and structuring key deals to ensure continued financial health and maximum value creation, for KBC, through the entire product life cycle (both Consulting and associated Technology Sales).
• Customer Relationship Development / Prospecting: Develop and implement a relationship management plan for strategic, complex potential accounts to build key relationships at local and national levels. Coordinate the engagement of own organization with the customer organization to ensure effective two-way flow of information and resolution of issues.
• Customer Needs Clarification: Consult with a range of customer representatives, at different levels, to identify the outcomes they require, introduce relevant KBC specialists and utilize their expertise to gather and analyze complex customer data, clarify medium- to long-term customer needs, and develop and agree a specification of customer requirements.
• Sales Opportunities Creation: Develop a personal network of senior managers within KBC’s target sectors and represent KBC at business sector events. Obtain market intelligence, promote the organization, and enhance its reputation.
• Sell Customer Propositions: Lead a cross-functional internal team (e.g., technical, commercial, and legal) to configure complex, tailored and/or bespoke product-and-services solution, and associated contractual terms, that meet the customer's short, mid and long term needs. Negotiate agreement with the customer, and internally with commercial colleagues, to ensure that customer requirements are met at an acceptable level of profitability and cash flow, escalating issues to regional management where appropriate.
• Promoting Customer Focus: Develop internal marketing plans and work collaboratively with other departments to improve internal relationships and build strong external customer relationships.
• Customer Relationship Management / Account Management: Develop and implement relationship management plans for target customer accounts, to identify and build relationships with relevant decision-makers and influencers within the customer organization and to enable effective two-way flow of information and resolution of issues. Manage ongoing relationships with identified customer segments to ensure their needs are met, providing themes, summary analyses, and recommendations for changes based on customer input.
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Data: Maintain relevant data and records within KBC’s corporate CRM system.
• Operational Compliance: Comply with all KBC policies and procedures, acting as a role model to other members of the team.
• Personal Capability Building: Act as subject matter expert in an area of operational management, policy, regulation and/or technology, for the team. Maintain external accreditations and in-depth understanding of current and emerging external regulation and industry best practices through continuing professional development, attending conferences, and reading specialist media.

Position Requirements

Behavioral Competencies:

• Customer Focus: Builds strong customer relationships and delivers customer-centric solutions.
• Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Business Insight: Applies knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the Company's goals.
• Instills Trust: Gains the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Drives Results: Consistently achieves results, even under tough circumstances.
• Collaborates: Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.

Skills:

• Customer-Focused Approach: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to orient the seller's organization around delivering to the key needs of their customers.
• Initiates Compelling Sales Conversations: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to propose a mutually agreed-upon agenda to start sales conversations that offer value to the client.
• Knows the Buying Influences: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to accurately identify and understand the key buying influences pertaining to an opportunity.
• Manages Buyer Indifference: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to acknowledge and ask questions to understand the circumstances surrounding client indifference.
• Understands Buying Influencer Needs: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to quickly and accurately define the needs of the key buying influencers.
• Verbal Communication: Applies comprehensive knowledge to act independently while providing guidance and training to others on using clear and effective verbal communications skills to express ideas, request actions and formulate plans or policies.
• Builds Rapport: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to quickly and effectively establish trust within the buying centers in the client’s organization.
• Commercial Acumen: Acts independently to apply comprehensive understanding of the business environment and objectives developing solutions while providing guidance and training to others.
• In-Depth Questioning: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to explore the depth and breadth of a problem, draw out the implications of not changing, and help clients self-discover and articulate the value of a solution.
• Manages Resistance: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to acknowledge a client's indifference and gain agreement from the client to discover the root causes of resistance.
• Navigates Customer Challenges: Works at an advanced level to navigate conversations in which the customer is frustrated or unhappy with the organization.
• Questions Strategically: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to uncover clients’ explicit needs and/or unforeseen opportunities and challenges.
• Strengthens Customer Connections: Works at an advanced level to connect with customers to strengthen the relationship, meeting personal needs through positive customer experiences.
• Understands Customer Needs: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to articulate the customer needs in the customer's business language and business context.
• Understands Issues/Motivations: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to quickly identify and accurately articulate why a client does or does not want a change based on their business objectives and challenges.
• Closes Effectively: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to arrive at mutually beneficial commitments that help move the sales/client relationship forward.
• Customer and Market Analysis: Acts independently using comprehensive knowledge and/or skills to conduct research and analyze data while guiding and training others on how to develop a comprehensive understanding of customer and market conditions that enables maximum return on investments.
• Diagnoses Needs with Questions: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to ask questions that encourage the client to talk openly about their key objectives and challenges.
• Effectively Presents Solutions: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to clearly present solutions that link directly to the key objectives and challenges important to the client.
• Managing Change: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to work independently while providing guidance and training to others on maintaining high performance while applying a change mindset to the planning, execution and monitoring of business activities during times of change.
• Negotiates Strategically/Tactically: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to facilitate the commercial details of an opportunity such that both parties are satisfied with the value gained.
• Policy and Procedures: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to work independently while providing guidance and training to others on developing, monitoring, interpreting and understanding policies and procedures.
• Pre-Call Preparation: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to carefully prepare for client interactions using established frameworks.
• Prospecting: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to identify ideal potential clients.
• Qualifying: Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to spend the appropriate time for the size and potential of each opportunity.

Education: Technical experience is essential with Chemical Engineering qualification preferred.

Experience: Chemical Engineering Degree preferable. EFA regional cultural awareness required. Knowledge of and demonstrable sales experience in EFA markets is essential. Strong sales/commercial and delivery background, and a good understanding of the hydrocarbon industries. A deep understanding of sales processes, and opportunity management, is essential. You will have a proven, successful track record of selling high value, complex, integrated solutions into the European Refining, Petrochemical or Chemicals sectors. Experience selling into analogous sectors would also be an advantage. Experience in working in a client-facing role and proactively managing client relationships is essential. Proven ability to develop new and grow relationships within an existing client base at a senior/executive level is essential. Proven track record of engaging with and presenting to senior stakeholders is essential. You will have a proven ability to work with internal teams, to craft compelling solutions to customer needs, both technical and commercial. Natural self-starter with extensive business contacts. Understands company vision and is able to translate it into a journey for themselves and team colleagues.

Yokogawa is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Yokogawa wants a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. We will actively recruit, develop, and promote people from a variety of backgrounds who differ in terms of experience, knowledge, thinking styles, perspective, cultural background, and socioeconomic status. We will not discriminate based on race, skin color, age, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, belief, political opinion, nationality, ethnicity, place of origin, disability, family relations or any other circumstances. Yokogawa values differences and enables everyone to belong, contribute, succeed, and demonstrate their full potential.