An Industry Principal is an expert who understands industry-specific needs in order to provide business-driven consulting to prospects as well as existing customers. Provides specific vertical expertise that helps sales establish market and deal-level visibility that resonates, clearly differentiating our solutions from the competition. The Industry Principal is regarded as experienced operator/practitioner from the vertical they represent, highly knowledgeable about the unique nuances the vertical faces. Industry Principals must be able to move between many key facets of the sales cycle from pre-sales engineering support to solution qualification and execution, to solution architecture and post-sale upsell. The Industry Principal is recognized as a credible thought leader within the specified area of expertise, is confidently able to address C-level discussions and able to help the seller effectively expand the revenue opportunities.
Key Responsibilities:
Demonstrates real-world experience within given industry vertical to ensure relevance and impact
Maintains superior industry-specific knowledge of emerging trends via internal resources and by attending various external key conference and reviews of credible research
Maintains a thriving industry network of key contacts from the specific industry vertical
Produces thought leadership (i.e., blogs, social posts, white papers, webinars, etc.) that contributes to a strong brand image and Skillsoft social media property followership
Provides recommendations to the sales lead regarding solutions and services to license in order to meet the customers’ capability requirements and achievement of revenue goals
Possesses an excellent understanding of Skillsoft and SumTotal content, technology and messaging
Designs and conducts industry-specific demonstrations that are tailored to the prospect or customer
Provides strategic recommendations for Skillsoft’s content and services roadmap based on customer and prospect feedback that will help Skillsoft garner more market share
Offers counsel as a highly respected ‘go-to’ resource on various internal project teams to represent the leadership buyer preferences and priorities
Exploits Skillsoft’s industry-specific data and insights to tailor the customer experience
Collaborates with Product Marketing and Corporate Marketing to create industry specific go-to-market messaging/collateral and creates industry-specific presentations
Harvests competitive intelligence about the vertical to share with the Skillsoft/SumTotal competitive teams
Enters key customer activities into Salesforce on a regular basis in order to track Industry Principal engagements to sales outcomes
Collaborates regularly and shares best practices and successes with team; provides suggestions for continuous improvement
Qualifications:
Deeply understands the dynamics of the industry vertical and possesses a solid understanding of the human capital space (especially as it relates to learning and talent fields).
Demonstrates an exceptional level of internal and external customer responsiveness
Maintains highly adept understanding of how Skillsoft and SumTotal solutions address the vertical and is capable to articulate their relevance to various customer stakeholder levels
Possesses expertise of industry-specific regulations and where they vary geographically
Exhibits exceptional cross-team collaboration and internal customer support
Provides excellent consulting, listening and communication skills, evidenced by the ability to establish influential relationships with diverse customers/prospects, including executive-level business owners
Demonstrates positive attitude and professionalism, an ambassador for the Skillsoft & SumTotal brands
Exhibits expert facilitation skills for meetings and group activities, both virtual and live, demonstrating the ability to guide groups, listen and question effectively (includes corporate/executive briefings)
Possesses superior presentation skills, both virtual and live, in large and small group settings
Has excellent written communication skills, demonstrates the ability to write with purpose and accuracy
Maintains a high level of project management and organizational skills
Is adept at critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making skills that balance thoughtful analysis with timely responsiveness
Has self-directed work habits, exhibiting strong initiative, drive, creativity, maturity, self-assurance
Is adaptable to change as it relates to sales plan, Skillsoft and/or SumTotal product strategy, internal/external relationships and organizational direction
Shows scheduling flexibility to effectively adapt to geographies that Skillsoft and SumTotal supports
Exhibits teamwork skills and ability to act as a strategic partner to the client and account team
Meets weekly with direct manager in order to review pending priorities, reflect on recent accomplishments and how to overcome challenges
Travels to internal meetings and customer sites as warranted (travel estimate 20-50%)
Education
Bachelor’s Degree in technical field; or equivalent experience
Skillsoft is an Equal Opportunity-Affirmative Action Employer: It is the policy of Skillsoft Corporation to provide equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, national origin, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability (mental or physical), protected veteran status, genetic information or any other class protected by law