Manager, Business Development (Pittsburgh, PA)

Job description

American Express is a leading global payments, network, and travel company, backed by one of the world's most recognized brands. American Express is unique in the payments industry as an issuer of cards as well as a worldwide network that processes millions of merchant transactions daily. We offer the broadest array of charge, credit, prepaid and co brand cards for consumers, small businesses, midsize companies and large corporations.

With 160 years of innovation behind us, our future could not look more promising. We're moving faster than ever and introducing new products, services, and strategies to bring greater value to our business customers. American Express OPEN supports small business owners with products and services to help them run and grow their businesses. OPEN is committed to delivering differentiated value to businesses through our wide range of products and services, giving American Express OPEN Card Members a competitive edge.

The Manager, Business Development is responsible for growing business by identifying new spend opportunities and driving spend onto American Express services and solutions. The Manager, Business Development is responsible for a territory of high potential customers within a geographic market. Success is measured on closed spend opportunities and expansion spend, new leads, teamwork, and the creation and retention of high spending clients.

Job responsibilities:
· Drive expansions from a pool of existing high-priority clients
· Achieve expansion targets
· Execute a transactional sales cycle
· Sell American Express services and solutions
· Spend significant time identifying opportunities and managing expansion signings through the first 13 months of booked charge volume
· Sell with integrity and appropriately track prospect data to ensure a coordinated and consistent client experience, in alignment with compliance and internal partner business requirements
· Pre-Call Research (15%):
· Prioritize efforts across a large portfolio of Clients
· Understand how Clients can optimize their relationship with American Express
· Schedule both phone and in person meetings with Clients in their assigned territory
· Selling Time (60%):
· A deep knowledge of customer's business, current macro and microeconomic trends, industry trends, and potential new business opportunities
· Articulate the American Express value proposition
· Engage the customer by deliberately linking their business priorities to our value proposition
· Gain commitment from a Client to move vendor expenses onto the Card
· Proactively advance the purchase decision without rushing the Client
· Post-Call Work (25%):
· Close each opportunity by monitoring and ensuring spend is captured
· Partner with internal business partners, including sales support resources, to optimize the Client's experience
· Understand and influence a wide range of customer stakeholders

Desired profile

·  At least 3 years of customer-facing sales or account management experience in the financial services industry (face-to-face sales is strongly preferred)
·  Demonstrating value
·  Proactively and consistently demonstrates the value of partnering with Amex , highlighting key pillars of the value proposition
·  Documents and communicates the ROI of growth opportunities, identifying benefits and synergies with current products
·  Proven consultative sales skills including negotiation, influencing ability, and executive presence
·  Experience with The Challenger Sale – Teach, Tailor, Take Control model a plus
·  Closing
·  Track record that demonstrates exceptional ability to obtain new business or grow existing business relationships
·  Gains a commitment from the client to move forward by asking for the business and successfully managing objections
·  Overcomes objections and resistance to proposed solutions with key client decision makers and mobilizes them to action
·  Results focus
·  Demonstrates a competitive, positive, “driven” attitude, quickly adapts to different situations, and recovers from setbacks
·  Proactively focuses on results, outcomes, and achievements, persistently overcoming obstacles as they arise
·  Influence & persuasion
·  Uses appropriate interpersonal styles and communication methods to gain acceptance for products and/ or services
·  Utilizes innovativeness and compelling rationale to overcome complex client barriers, enabling mutually-beneficial outcomes
·  Account management & pipeline management
·  Co-manages a pipeline of opportunities, leveraging client data/ analytics to plan and prioritize activities
·  Leverages lead sources to identify opportunities and proactively schedule appointments with clients
·  Consultative selling
·  Effectively identifies client needs to configure solutions that address client requirements and deliver value
·  Positions products and services to meet specific client needs and solicits feedback about the value of proposed solutions
·  Market, industry, & product knowledge
·  Understands at a tactical level market/ industry key competitors, challenges, terminology, technology, trends, and regulations
·  Possess expertise and consults on the full suite of American Express products and tools, including B2B solutions
·  Strong Financial and Business Acumen – Understanding of elemental finance, corporate expense management and treasury concepts including the interpretation of industry and financial statement information which link to and drive the value proposition of our OPEN/GCP products and solutions
·  Ability to partner with Clients across all markets/industries
Educational requirement:
·  Bachelor's degree required
·  Major in Business Management or Marketing Management preferred
Additional requirements:
·  Ability to work independently while also being a team player with a flexible, winning, positive attitude
·  Proficient to intermediate skills in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint), Outlook and SalesForce.com
·  Background of success in a virtual environment
·  Candidates should reside within 50 miles of the primary city indicated, work from their home office, and be willing to travel frequently for in-person Client visits (valid driver's license required)