Client Manager

NTT is a leading global IT solutions and services organisation that brings together people, data and things to create a better and more sustainable future.

In today’s ‘iNTTerconnected’ world, connections matter more now than ever. By bringing together talented people, world-class technology partners and emerging innovators, we help our clients solve some of the world’s most significant technological, business and societal challenges.

With people at the heart of our success, NTT is committed to attracting and growing the best talent and providing an environment where everyone feels they can belong and their contribution matters.

Want to be a part of our team?

The primary responsibility of the Client Manager is to take full ownership of his/her assigned accounts. Their key focus is to manage and grow relationships to drive land, expansion and renewals across all solutions within assigned accounts. They are required to pursue leads identified by aligned lead generation representatives.

Working at NTT

Primary Segment Focus

• Existing clients
• New clients

Secondary Segment Focus

• New

Sales Process Involvement

• Land, Expand & Renew

Solution Focus

• Networking, Data Centres, CX & WP, Security, Digital

Sales time allocation

• Pre-sales: 30%
• Engaged selling time: 25%
• Sales completion: 30%
• Sales facilitation: 15%

Client Load

• Existing clients: 5-10
• Prospect clients: 10-20

Sales strategy

• Existing buyers: Retention (current products) and Penetration (new/different products)
• New buyers: Conversion (current and new/different products)

Stakeholder Engagement

• Internal : Pre-sales, Sales Specialists, Renewals Reps and other internal resources
• External : Clients, Vendors

Value Chain Linkage

• TBC

Skills and Attributes

Sales Pursuit

Effectively identifies and qualifies prospects with little support. Proactively searches for new prospects by conducting market research. Will call on all types of prospects and has established service strong relationships with stakeholders. Identifies clients and buyers with problem the majority of DD solutions can solve. Understands the conditions where client are open or ready to solve the problem with you and actively creates needs into DD opportunities to meet pipeline targets in SFDC. Proactively orders opportunities and balances reactive issues as necessary. Regularly updates and prioritises opportunities for all accounts throughout the year and appropriately allocates sales time between clients and opportunities. Highlights sales process plan risk areas throughout the entire sales process for ongoing monitoring during execution. Works with DD resources to help execute and advance the sales process. Understands the concept of a solution and crafts an ROI-impactful solution with help; Able to co-create solutions with IT buyers. Creates solutions across multiple (2 to 3) solutions where appropriate to design complete solutions that solve stated client problems. Prepares and runs negotiating meetings to achieve an objective. Maintains a neutral distance from conflicts that arise during negotiations. Independently negotiates opportunities and creates proposals that exceed client’s expectations. Can present solutions and close deals with little internal DD help. Understands right time to close by identifying buying signals. Identifies areas for improvement in closing deals. Proactively pursues training and development. Understands and states expectations of all the roles involved in the opportunity and how they work together in the sales process. Holds internal planning sessions before each client visit.

Client management

Creates near term (<3 months) plan and executes against strategy. Adapts to challenges and anticipates issues in order to achieve and exceed plans. Understands relevant stakeholders’ relationships to other potential buyers within the client’s organization. Regularly creates and updates client influence maps for all IT and LoB buyers and plans for potential future opportunities for each individual buyer. Regularly updates and prioritises clients throughout the year and appropriately allocates sales time between them. Prioritise client efforts using data analysis based on multiple criteria. Segments clients into sales strategies defined by land, adopt, expand and renew potential. Proactively identifies client and internal issues. Collects information and suggests potential solutions for LoB buyers. Builds strong business relationships with clients to understand business needs, business environment and challenges. Can show strong relationships with 1-2 LoB buyers at each stage. Proactively follows up on majority of client list to ensure satisfaction. Monitors customer problem resolution with the extended team and other appropriate DD personnel to remove revenue risks and ensure customer satisfaction. Highlights plan risk areas for ongoing monitoring during execution. Works with team members who have low performance to create a documented plan with action items and timelines to successfully turn around performance.

Solution knowledge

Identifies needs and shows basic DD technology/solution value propositions meeting those needs in later meetings or after research. Immediately brings in relevant specialists to help communicate more complex solution-specific value propositions to clients. Demonstrates basic understanding of DD technology/solution products and can say how they compare to generic competitive advantage. Shows intermediate understanding of changes in the technology industry through conversations with clients and DD teams. Understands sources of information on technology trends and can identify which information to bring back to a client. Can discuss technical and support services offerings across a single solution and brings in relevant services specialists whenever the client meets threshold for manages services help. Matches a solution to a DD story / use case for the majority (3-4) of solutions. Brings in other DD internal resources for expertise in other solutions.

Resource optimization

Increases internal network to include strong relationships with other DD teams and some other internal business functions (accounting, marketing, sales leadership, etc). Can differentiate between the characteristics of effective and dysfunctional teams. Identifies when team is not working well and creates a documented plan with clear items to steer the team back in the right direction. Has strong working relationships with partners to provide support of clients. Understands how to identify the correct partners and how to use partner resources to increase DD sales volume through vendors.

Business acumen

Understands the financial statements and can show the impact of sales results to IT buyers. Brings in help from managers and peers to communicate insights. Understands and works toward most critical success factors for a healthy pipeline (e.g. win rate, client buying process). Holds at least bi-weekly opportunity pipeline review meetings with his/her manager. Proactively builds and executes gap plans if pipeline predicts low sales target achievement. Can successfully identify commercial architecture opportunities. Can independently create high-level commercial architecture models. Relies on help from other internal DD roles only for very complex solutions. Has a basic understanding of the legal aspects of contracting and can create a basic contract for non-complex managed services solutions. Relies heavily on legal help and advice.

Work Outputs

Take ownership of clients

The Client Manager takes ownership of a range of accounts within the assigned segments. This is done by passionately advocating the client requirement, whilst keeping sight of the need to increase revenue and improve margins for Dimension Data. Ideally, Client Managers are vertically structured and their portfolio of accounts are in one or adjacent verticals. The Client Manager is able to determine the best solution requirements for each client that can be deployed by other departments,

Develop account strategy

These employees use their engagement skills to establish their account strategy with key stakeholders (focus of power, focus of receptivity, focus of dissatisfaction) in the specific account. They build enduring relationships and display an understanding of the client industry, business environment and strategy to identify current and future opportunities for Dimension Data.

Ensure client satisfaction

They drive passionately for client satisfaction throughout the entire lifecycle of the clients’ buying process, by taking ownership for the commercial agreement for each client. They aim to achieve revenue and margin targets and exploit opportunities, whilst displaying notable client service orientation. The Client Manager is required to establish a strong business relationship by becoming a reliable point of contact.

Generate demand from clients

They are able to generate demand by assisting clients to identify current needs (turning clients’ implied needs into explicit needs), and then effectively articulate how Dimension Data can add value through the available services and solutions. They leverage their relationship skills and knowledge of the client environment to assist and influence the client at every stage of the buying cycle, and to position Dimension Data favourably compared to competitors. They have the ability to influence and work closely with vendors, partners and internal employees to achieve the required results.

Develop and grow profitability

The Client Manager approaches the management of his/her account in a systematic way by identifying and defining the strategy they will use to develop and grow the account profitably.

Effective use of sales tools and methodologies

They use Dimension Data’s sales tools (e.g. Salesforce.com) and methodology to effectively manage their accounts, opportunities, pipelines and forecast. As a result, they are able to pursue and select specific deals that will have a profitable result for Dimension Data.

Ensure governance

Client Managers develop and/or align governance and compliance policies in own practice area to identify and manage risk exposure liability. They assess, surface and mitigate buyer centric risks that could prove detrimental to the buyer’s credibility or could derail an initiative altogether.

Ensure financial compliance

These individuals monitor and control financial governance and compliance throughout an area of specialisation in order to manage financial cost. Client Managers identify who in Dimension Data holds budget authority and actively pursue opportunities to obtain access to the budget. They aim to achieve revenue and margin targets by maximising sales opportunities through connecting client needs with Dimension Data offerings and solutions.

Next career steps

• Key Client Manager
• Senior Sales Specialist

Education Required

• General Qualification in Sales (Degree / Advance Diploma)

Certifications Required

• Relevant Vendor Certification

Work Experience Required

• 4-6 years’ work experience
• At least 4 years work experience in a Sales environment and or customer service role.
• Proven ability to use Saleforce.com contact platform
• Must demonstrate the ability to meet deadlines
• At least 1 years’ experience in a management position
• Experience in marketing or advertising (advantageous)

Skills Summary

Business Acumen, Resource Optimization, Sales Pursuits, Structuring Deals

What will make you a good fit for the role?

Remote Type:

Hybrid Working

Equal Opportunity Employer

NTT is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer with a global culture that embraces diversity. We are committed to providing an environment free of unfair discrimination and harassment. We do not discriminate based on age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, veteran status, or other protected category

Join our growing global team and accelerate your career with us. Apply today.

A career at NTT means:

• Being part of a global pioneer – where you gain exposure to our Fortune 500 clients and world-leading global technology partners and work with a network of over 40,000 smart and diverse colleagues across 57 countries, delivering services in over 200 countries.

• Being at the forefront of cutting-edge technology – backed with a 150-year heritage of using technology for good. With 40% of the world’s internet traffic running on our network and where Emoji were first invented, you can be proud of the group’s many new ‘firsts’.

• Making a difference – by doing meaningful work that helps to shape the future for our clients, and across industries and communities around the world.

• Being your best self – in a progressive ‘Connected Working’ environment that promotes flexibility, connection and wellbeing. Where diversity and different perspectives are embraced to ensure equal opportunities for all.

• Having ongoing opportunities to own and develop your career – with a personal and professional development plan and access to the broadest learning offerings in the industry.