Due to continued growth, introduction and adoption of our industry leading data and analytics products and services, Black Book, one of the most recognized brands in the automotive and automotive finance industries, is adding a new role to our management team to help spearhead future growth as we continue to add significant investment to drive future business.
Position Summary
Based in our suburban Atlanta corporate office and reporting to the Senior Vice President, Sales, the Vice President, Sales Operations will be responsible for leading a team of industry sales professionals focused on driving incremental revenue for the Automotive Licensing, Lender Solutions and OEM/Captive divisions of Black Book. In this role, the Vice President will support the expansion and utilization of our suite of industry leading data and analytics-oriented products and services to customers within the automotive, automotive finance, insurance and other verticals. The Vice President will be measured on successful attainment of objectives as well as the ability to instill a culture of disciplined pipeline management, training, best practices and accountability to our sales divisions. Our candidate will be an assertive, proven sales leader that exhibits confident leadership, clear communication, positive results, and the ability to lead by example. We are looking for the very best.
Responsibilities
What You’ll Be Doing
- Utilize your knowledge of the automotive and automotive finance industries to support the development of new customer relationships, while growing and solidifying existing Black Book partnerships to increase our customer base and market share
- Develop an intimate knowledge of the sales pipeline and mentor our sales teams by driving accountability, disciplined sales pipeline processes, ongoing training and coaching on best practices related to data licensing, customer retention and product utilization
- Participate in budget meetings and produce sales roadmaps that will outline how each team will achieve or exceed budgeted forecasts
- Develop and implement new sales initiatives, and provide input to the Senior Leadership Team regarding sales strategies and future planning
- Direct sales forecasting activities and set performance goals that are aligned with company annual revenue targets
- In conjunction with the SVP, Sales, direct staffing, training, and performance evaluations to develop and promote sales effort and performance
- Conduct weekly pipeline/forecast meetings with sales team to ensure opportunities are advancing by stage within the sales pipeline, ensuring accountability, goal achievement, and tracking to annual sales budgets through sales gap analysis
- Prepare weekly/monthly sales reports showing sales volume, opportunity pipeline, activities, and areas of proposed client base expansion
- Emphasis on active pipeline management, including proper vetting of opportunities, accuracy in forecasting, probability to close, etc.
- Alongside the SVP, Sales, conduct Quarterly Business Reviews
Qualifications
REQUIRED SKILLS/EXPERIENCE:
- 15+ years or greater experience in a senior sales leadership role within the automotive or automotive finance industry, with a preference for a strong automotive data background
- Advanced knowledge of Salesforce with the ability to manage and maintain pipeline strategies and ensure pipeline and forecast accuracy
- Structured/rigorous approach to pipeline management and accuracy in forecasting 30-60-90-day opportunities
- Ability to mentor and train sales representatives on effective prospecting, presenting Black Book’s value proposition, opportunity closing and account management
- Proven, extensive knowledge of the automotive and/or finance industry
- Experience with software sales, database licensing and/or related technology sales
- Demonstrated/documented track record of meeting/ exceeding sales and financial objectives both within individual and team settings
- Commission and/or variable based compensation experience
- Highly developed collaborative sales and leadership skills
- Exceptional critical and analytical thinking skills
- High degree of comfort with technology
- Up to date on current sales and marketing trends, including social media, whitepapers, blogs, etc.
- Assertive and motivated
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Excellent presentation and demonstration skills
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills
- Ability to travel, with frequency as much as 2-3 nights per week when needed
Education
- BS/BA required
Company Background:
A wholly owned subsidiary of HEARST (one of the nations’ largest diversified media companies), and part of the HEARST Transportation Division, Black Book is one of the most recognizable brands in the industry and is a leading provider of vehicle pricing and automotive data and analytics to the automotive and finance industries. With a focus on innovative solutions, world class data and analytics and a goal of delivering our customers the most precise data to help them reduce risk and increase profitability, we publish and deliver our data on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis in various electronic formats which include, but are not limited to: data feeds; web-services; Internet-based applications; smart phone resident applications; online trade appraisal service software; traditionally printed guidebooks.
We are guided by our core values of Own It, Continuously Improve, Be Agile and Celebrate Success, while focusing on our unique offerings that include our Data, our Approach, and our Flexibility.
To learn more about our products and company history, please visit our website at www.BlackBook.com
About HEARST:
Hearst is a leading global, diversified information, services and media company with operations in 40 countries. Its major interests include Fitch; Hearst Health, Hearst Transportation, ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; 33 television stations; 24 daily and 52 weekly newspapers; digital services businesses; and nearly 260 magazines around the world.
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