Strategic sales is an initiative that brings the best of IBM and our ecosystem partners to our key clients to help them transform and deliver tangible business outcomes. These are long term and strategic engagements that require selling to the C-suite and the Board. Business Development Executives (BDEs) are responsible for the ongoing identification, development and qualification of large transformational outsourcing opportunities within assigned markets and industries. These opportunities need to be identified in the context of evolving situations constrained by costs pressures, competitions, digital native new entrants as well as change in customer behavior. Opportunities may be complex in nature as they may combine business processes, IT components and organizational transformations into a single, coherent solution and to succeed in the market, innovative state of the art solutions must be developed requiring multi-industry and multi-market knowledge and experience; out-of-the-box thinking.
Responsibilities
- Responsible for large deal origination and qualification
- Work with GBS leadership and IBM Industry leaders to initiate and conduct transformational conversations with C-suite, industry-shaping decision makers in our top accounts and select whitespace accounts with the aim of originating new transformational deals and build the GBS/IBM pipeline
- Prepare proactive (often unsolicited) and compelling CXO/Board level point of views and value propositions, including articulation of how these solutions drive value for our customers, leveraging our focus offerings and solutions
- Prepare compelling business cases to support the deal value proposition.
- Manage deal progression from origination to qualification. Work with GBS Sales teams to orchestrate the deal teams from across GBS and wider IBM organization and bring the best of the company together to maximize value to the customer.
- Qualify deals using a structured approach and IBM approved tools
- Prepare the deal stakeholder management plan and lead/coordinate stakeholder engagement actions with the account team
- Transition deal management to Deal Maker/CSE at deal qualification stage. Support the deal team during the post qualification phase and help negotiate and close the deal
- Contribute towards building a network of C-suite relationships which can be a basis for future commercial opportunities
- Conduct proactive industry and market research to develop large deal origination playbooks and other accelerators
Skills, Leadership Competencies & Experience
- Top-notch seller with strong consulting sales experience in a prestigious consulting/IT services.
- Proven ability to originate and close large and transformative deals (US$ 25M+)
- Proven ability to build and nurture client relationships at various levels, especially at the C-suite and Board level
- Seasoned executive with the gravitas to effectively engage senior client stakeholders.
- Strong influencing and leadership skills reflected by the ability to work effectively across a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
- Expert level understanding of a set of industry with strong business acumen.
- Demonstrated expertise in developing large scale technology-enabled business transformation program roadmaps with supporting business cases
- Expert level understanding of exponential technologies (such as Hybrid Cloud and AI) and associated practices, technology trends and their impacts to business and users
- Highly developed verbal and written communication skills, including capability to develop and deliver high quality presentations
- Operates as a true strategic business partner driving innovation and pioneering new business opportunities
- Demonstrates resilience, perseverance, learning mindset, tolerance to ambiguity and a drive to win despite challenges
- Experience in large deal sales in Asia Pacific with proven ability to successfully work across different countries and cultures
- Prior industry/strategy consulting experience will be an advantage
