IntroductionAs the research and analysis division of the Economist Group, The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) helps leaders prepare for opportunity, empowering them to act with confidence when making strategic decisions. The EIU is the global standard in providing quality, actionable intelligence to the public and private sector, assessing issues that impact the marketplace for over two hundred countries.The EIU currently has an opportunity for an Account Manager in our Dubai office. This is a client-facing role with frequent travel to meet clients, acting as the primary conduit between the client, EIU editorial analysts and EIU support teams.The Account Manager will strengthen existing client relationships by developing personal contacts, creating relationships between clients and others in the EIU, and broadening the number of people in the client organisation that are exposed to the EIU. The improved client engagement that you deliver will lead to better retention rates, higher client investment and improved levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.AccountabilitiesAs the Account Manager, you will be expected to:
Meet and connect with existing strategic accounts across the region, maintaining relationships to ensure services are relevant to their business needs
Be responsible for negotiating renewal terms, implementing annual price increases and selling additional subscription services to the client
Have the ability to demonstrate EIU services and connect our capabilities with client needs
Achieve business growth through up-sell and cross-sell opportunities with existing clients
Identify risk within assigned accounts and work with internal and external stakeholders to present solutions
Own overall relationship with assigned clients, manage customer success activities such as coordinating onboarding and training of existing clients across specified product portfolios
Provide accurate monthly renewal forecasts/reports to management
Prepare timely sales reports, sales invoiced, pipeline, monthly, quarterly, and end year forecasts
Engage and share best practices with colleagues on commercial/sales matters
Utilize standard Economist Group reporting systems to ensure management is fully informed on all KPIs
Maintain knowledge of the competitive landscape and an understanding of business trends and global affairs
Experience, skills and professional attributesThe ideal skills for success in this role are:
An undergraduate degree preferably in international affairs or economics or equivalent work experience
Experience with Salesforce.com, forecasting tools and balance sheet/billing management
Significant experience with new business development
Prior experience in selling information and intelligence solutions
The ability to thrive upon expectation and exposure
Proficiency in English with business-level fluency in other languages, such as Arabic, an advantage
Demonstrable relationship building and communication skills (written and verbal)
Self-motivated and driven with excellent organizational and follow-up skills
Successful track record of exceeding retention and sales quotas
Willingness to travel and ability to organise trips effectively