Sales Manager / Solutions Consultant

Job Title

Job Description

Business Development:

• Create & nurture a strong industry network with customers, potential customers, and consultants.

• Identify & pursue new business opportunities in the warehouse automation sector.

• Develop & maintain a robust sales pipeline through prospecting, lead generation, and networking.

• Identify & target potential clients through various channels, including direct contact, networking, referrals, and online research.

Strategy & Planning:

• Develop & implement comprehensive strategies to identify & close new business deals.

• Develop & execute a comprehensive BD plan that aligns with the company's growth objectives and strategic fit.

• Stay informed about market trends, competitor activities, and industry developments to adjust sales approaches accordingly.

• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure customer satisfaction.

Client Relationship Management:

• Be the external face of the company with full customer ownership responsibilities.

• Build and nurture strong relationships with key decision-makers and stakeholders in target industries.

• Understand clients' operational challenges and goals to offer warehouse automation solutions.

• Conduct regular client meetings and presentations to showcase Vanderlande's capabilities and product offerings.

Proposal Development:

• Define win strategies to develop comprehensive, compelling, and competitive proposals.

• Manage all stages of the bid process to ensure a winning submission.

• Prepare and present compelling proposals, quotations, and presentations to potential clients.

• Understand client requirements and tailor solutions to meet their specific needs.

• Work closely with the teams to ensure proposed solutions align with client requirements.

Negotiation and Contract Closure:

• Lead negotiations to reach mutually beneficial agreements and close sales deals.

• Work with legal and finance teams to finalise contracts and ensure compliance with company policies.

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, marketing, management or another related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• 5+ years of combined experience in sales and/or sales engineering / solution consulting for warehouse automation, material handling or comparable technical solutions, with demonstrated results against personal sales targets.
• Proven ability to own the full sales cycle from start to finish: prospecting, qualification, solution development, proposal, negotiation and close.
• Strong technical acumen: able to understand customer processes and translate requirements into system concepts (e.g. process and material flow diagrams), supported by design tooling and internal experts.
• Strong commercial acumen: comfortable building budgets, business cases and ROI/labour/space models, and selling on value rather than price.
• Strong analytical thinker, able to solve abstract problems, maintain the big picture and zoom in on detail where needed.
• Energetic, entrepreneurial and proactive; able to run multiple pursuits in parallel, manage competing priorities and work independently with minimum supervision.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, presentation, listening and negotiation skills; able to build rapport and apply influence at all levels of seniority.
• Advanced English proficiency (speaking, reading and writing).
• Ability to travel up to 40%, mostly within ANZ, and to work within an international, multicultural environment.

Highly Desirable Requirements

• 7+ years of experience across sales and solution consulting in the warehouse automation industry.
• Postgraduate master's degree in business, marketing, management, engineering or another related field.
• An established network of warehouse, supply chain and logistics industry contacts in ANZ.
• Experience with Vanderlande's targeted market segments, products and platforms.
• Experience with simulation, layout and design tooling (e.g. Visio, AutoCAD, Navisworks) and CRM systems.

Diversity & inclusion

• Vanderlande is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status.