Contributes to the overall One Microsoft strategy and leads the Consulting sales account strategy. Leads the virtual Consulting account team account-planning preparation, defining Consulting sales priorities and collaborating with Consulting delivery/account-aligned leads to leverage insight and provide input to overall account plan. Drives for agreement with the account team on customer and partner stakeholder ownership, including Consulting-led stakeholder relationships. Demonstrates a deep understanding of a customer’s business and differentiates themselves in complex selling environments by sharing insights, reframing the status quo, and quantifying business impact that motivates customers to take action. Orchestrates the Consulting-sales relationship with the core account team, driving for a positive One Microsoft customer experience by collaborating closely with colleagues to ensure successful creation, maintenance, and execution of the account plan. Drives the sales cycle from lead qualification through to deal closure, effectively executing per sales process requirements. Drives discussions of deal terms and conditions with executive-level customer stakeholders, in collaboration with the virtual Consulting account team and customer, to ensure agreement and successful deal closure.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities

Strategy and Planning

• Contributes to the virtual Consulting account team's thinking to address immediate and longer-term priorities for meeting customer needs and Microsoft objectives. Leverages appropriate tools, frameworks, and methodologies (e.g., 3 Horizons model, customer and industry knowledge) to develop a deliberate approach to position potential modernization and digital transformation outcomes which are aligned with customer's priorities.
• Determines planning prioritization for multiple assigned accounts based on customer needs, revenue importance, growth opportunities, and account risks. Proactively looks ahead and identifies actions required to develop Consulting opportunities that are aligned with the account strategy, Microsoft's strategy, Consulting go-to-market scenarios, and sales motions. Leverages 3-Horizon outcomes as a point of view/roadmap for digital transformation. Leads the virtual Consulting account team input to account team planning sessions, uses the appropriate tools (e.g., account-planning tool), and provides updates per required account team governance and rhythms.

Customer Realtionship Management

• Understands how to plan stakeholder connections, in alignment with the account plan, and develops regular rhythms of connection where appropriate. Prioritizes appropriately for multiple assigned accounts. Contributes to creating and managing connections and driving agreement between necessary stakeholders within Microsoft and customers.
• Proactively seeks customer feedback and insights. Anticipates issues/risks on customer satisfaction, determines the root cause of problems, removes blockers, and establishes recovery action plan to improve customer's overall experience. Understands how and when to escalate issues to ensure resolution.

Business Value Selling

• Proactively builds and maintains up-to-date knowledge of customer's business priorities, risks and challenges, internal landscape (e.g., organization structure, stakeholders, business performance), industry/sector challenges, regulations, trends and futures (e.g., impact of artificial intelligence [AI]).
• Leverages Microsoft Consulting go-to-market scenarios to drive intentional customer conversations. Educates decision makers of assigned account(s) (e.g., business-functional area leads) on Microsoft's value proposition, aligned to the customer’s priorities and maturity; appropriately differentiating competitor solutions.
• Shares insights and ideas that illustrate the need for change, leveraging the ""Challenger Selling"" approach for creating constructive tension, delivering commercial insight, and tailoring sales messages. Develops medium-complexity consulting propositions (e.g., single workload, modernization and digital- transformation scenarios) with customers.

Account Team Orchestration

• Orchestrates the consulting-sales relationship with the core account team, working closely with Enterprise colleagues to ensure successful creation, maintenance, and execution of the account plan, and a positive One Microsoft customer experience. Orchestrates the virtual Consulting account team, effectively influencing and collaborating with account-aligned, pursuit and delivery colleagues to bring the best resources to ensure customer success. Coordinates activities across the virtual Consulting account team and with the customer to successfully close deals. Follows the Microsoft prescribed sales process. Leverages peers for support and help.

Deal Excellence

• Drives the sales cycle from lead qualification through to deal closure, effectively executing per-sales process requirements (e.g., Microsoft Selling Process [MSP], Consulting Lead to Order [L2O] process). Consistently drives deal velocity as a result of executing high-quality lead qualification and close planning.
• Leverages customer connections and the virtual Consulting account team's insights to confirm Budget, Authority, Need and Timeline (BANT) information to determine progression or lack thereof of a lead to become a consulting opportunity. Secures pre-sales investment to secure appropriate consulting resources needed to shape and scope the opportunity into a compelling customer proposition. Focuses on opportunities that are in alignment with organizational strategy, prioritizing opportunities based on highest potential for impact/consumption.
• Builds quality, close plans for all qualified opportunities, initially (at qualified stage) comprising the core Budget, Authority, Need and Timeline (BANT) information and commercial strategy for the deal, and progressing to include detailed customer procurement process, risks, issues, etc. Updates the close plan as deal progresses through each sales stage, securing Microsoft virtual Consulting account team and customer stakeholder buy in to schedule of activities for successful closure of the deal. Leads the virtual Consulting account team to execute the close plan, effectively influencing and collaborating with account-aligned, pursuit and delivery colleagues to perform agreed activities to successfully close the deal.
• Ensures all applicable leads and qualified opportunities are linked to customer priorities in the account plan. Maintains accurate Sales Stage, Forecast Recommendation, and Due Dates in required systems of record (e.g., Microsoft Sales Experience [MSX]) in alignment with close plan. Uses required tooling to report out the state of the business.
• Drives discussions of terms and conditions (e.g., scope, milestones, price) in collaboration with the virtual Consulting account team and customer through multiple iterations to ensure agreement. Maintains productive working relationships with those involved in negotiation, persuading others without using manipulation, and driving a positive atmosphere during difficult objections and discussions.

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications

• 6+ years industry sales experience in the commercial or public sector (e.g. Finance, Local Government, etc.)
• OR Bachelor's Degree AND 4+ years industry sales experience in the commercial or public sector (e.g. Finance, Local Government, etc.) or related work
• OR equivalent experience.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.