Partnerships Sales Executive

The Partnership Sales Executive will be responsible for identifying, contacting, and securing new Partners for the Club. With a strong focus on our Global and Principal Partnership assets, the Partnership Sales Executive will be responsible for building a comprehensive and robust sales pipeline and managing the full sales process from initial cold contact, through to the negotiation of rights, and ultimately securing sales.

The Partnership Sales Executive will also be required to proactively build relationships with existing commercial customers with a view to increasing revenue across the Club’s Partnership Programme.

We are Wolves. Progressive, determined, bright, unified and humble. A pack that is hungry for success. Wolves is one of the fastest growing professional football clubs in the UK, and also boasts one of the richest histories in the beautiful game.

Formed in 1877, Wolves was a founder member of the Football League, and was one of the country’s most successful sides in the fifties and sixties. During a two decade spell the Black Country’s most decorated side won three First Division titles and one of its four FA Cups.

Fast forward 70 years and Wolves are back among football’s European elite, but this time we will compete as a sports and entertainment business across multiple brand verticals. As a challenger club, Wolves dare to be different, which is why creating world class propositions in esports, fashion and music are all part of our ambitious plans.

At Wolves, we don’t simply look to the future, we seize it.

We take seriously our commitment to the safeguarding of children and adults at risk and to ensuring that Wolves is free from discrimination and harassment.

Job purpose

The Partnership Sales Executive will be responsible for identifying, contacting, and securing new Partners for the Club. With a strong focus on our Global and Principal Partnership assets, the Partnership Sales Executive will be responsible for building a comprehensive and robust sales pipeline and managing the full sales process from initial cold contact, through to the negotiation of rights, and ultimately securing sales.

The Partnership Sales Executive will also be required to proactively build relationships with existing commercial customers with a view to increasing revenue across the Club’s Partnership Programme.

The role will require the ability to work autonomously, identifying and developing new business via independent research as well as contacting prospects.

Securing meetings, building compelling business proposals, and presenting these to senior decision makers will be a crucial part of this role.

There will also be a requirement to host and network with potential partners at home matches.

Whilst ultimate budget responsibility remains with the Head of Partnerships, the Partnership Sales Executive will be responsible for meeting and exceeding targets and objectives as set by the Head of Partnerships and the Partnership Sales Manager.

The role will include the need to deliver sales and incremental revenues across the Club’s Partnership Programme, as well as meeting and exceeding business development targets as set by the Head of Partnerships.

Key responsibilities

• Developing prospects by identifying potential partners, contacting relevant decision makers, securing initial meetings, delivering Club presentations, and shaping partnership proposals with a view to negotiating partnership rights securing sales
• Identifying, targeting and generating new partnership opportunities through lead sourcing, cold calling, email outreach, and networking
• Delivering a strong sales pipeline and commercial income across the Club’s Partnership programme, focusing on Principal and Global Partnerships
• Working closely with the Partnerships Activation Manager and other members of the Partnerships Team to ensure professional delivery & activation of Partnership rights, thereby maximising retention and renewals
• Negotiating terms in order to secure profitable and deliverable Partnership contracts
• Weekly reporting of pipeline and sales performance to the Partnership Sales Manager

General responsibilities

• Compliance with Club policies
• Compliance with the Club’s health and safety procedures
• Compliance with the Club’s safeguarding policies
• To promote the Club’s values
• To work consistently to embed equality & diversity into the Club
• To undertake such other duties as may be reasonably expected
• To maintain professional conduct at all times

Key relationships

Partnership Sales Manager – Reporting directly to the Partnership Sales Manager, the Partnership Sales Executive will be responsible for reporting accurate forecasts, pipeline progression and weekly sales activity

Partnerships Activation Manager – Work closely to ensure Partner’s commercial rights are delivered in line with contracts

Co-ordinating possible partnership rights and inventory with members of the Partnerships Team as well as the Head of Partnerships

Person Specification

Knowledge: Knowledge of sports sponsorship, commercial rights and negotiation

Essential

-          An understanding of complex B2B sales cycles

-          Knowledge of Commercial Sponsorship Rights within Football

-          Knowledge and experience of negotiating terms of sale and securing agreements

Desirable

-             Knowledge of commercial values, rights and inventory for Premier League Club Partnerships

Technical/work-based skills: Excellent telephone manner and the ability to make outbound calls and the ability to deliver a high attention to detail 

Essential

-          Excellent telephone manner and the ability to articulate complex marketing proposals clearly and concisely

-          Ability to deliver sales pipelines, and sales activity with a high level of accuracy

-          Strong written and oral communication skills

-          Proven experience in developing relationships with customers

General skills and attributes: Excellent communication skills, structured approach 

Essential

-          Resilience and the ability to cope with rejection

-          Dynamic thinker, confident, determined, pro-active, organised and methodical working approach

-          Understanding of how to work safely with children and/or adults at risk and uphold generally accepted practice when working with those participants

-          Promote, adhere to and implement the Club’s Equality Policy and to work consistently to embed equality and diversity within Club

-          Role model of the Wolves Spirit values of: Progressive, determined, bright, unified and humble

-          Flexible to travel and be away from home, long and short haul, sometimes at short notice

-          Ability to flex style to meet the needs of the customer

Experience: Proven business-to-business sales experience with a track record in delivering results

Essential

-          Delivering results with assigned levels of accountability

-          Proven successful business-to-business experience on an international scale

-          Resilience and the ability to cope with rejection

Desirable

-           Experience selling complex advertising/marketing solutions

Qualifications: the level of educational, professional and/or occupational training required.

Essential

-          Minimum of C in English / Maths at GCSE level or equivalent

-          Computer literature (Microsoft packages – Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint)