Sales Manager - Partnership Sales

Sportfive is a leading Global Sports Marketing Organisation. We operate in over 15 countries worldwide with more than 1,000 colleagues across Football, Golf, Esports, Tennis, Basketball & Major Events – Multi Sport and Olympics
Sportfive is looking for an outstanding candidate to play a key role as part of the UK Partnership Sales team, responsible for the successful delivery of the sponsorship sales programmes across our premium rights-holder clients.
Sportfive’s Partnership Sales Team combines industry leading expertise in the sales and negotiation of major commercial sports sponsorships. The primary responsibility is to generate revenue by leading an end-to-end sales process from category and prospect identification, to negotiation and deal closing – bringing brands and rights-holder clients together through creative and innovative partnership programmes.

The successful candidate should understand the sponsorship sales process and how to use brand stories as well as complex data and insights to create robust business cases capable of justifying marketing investment decisions. They should understand partnership activation, and how rights and assets can be utilized by sponsors to create engaging marketing campaigns. Crucially, they should be a best-in-class sales operator, comfortable at pitching, presenting and negotiating with senior marketing decision-makers at UK and International brands.

WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE?

• The ultimate achievement of the Partnership Team revenue target for our rights-holder clients who are part of our portfolio of assets.
• Build and maintain outstanding relationships with brands, colleagues and rights-holder clients.
• Maximize sponsorship revenue opportunities, including brokerage deals, perimeter advertising sales, sponsorship strategy and activation services, talent endorsement deals,

OUR PREFERED CANDIDATE:

• Highly motivated sales professional with a track record in generating sponsorship revenues with preferably 2-5 years’ experience
• A strategic and consultative sales capability, including the ability to create customised partnerships in response to individual corporate needs and objectives
• Genuine Team player who is willing and able to lead by example
• Outstanding sales communication, presentation and negotiation skills, including high degree of comfort preparing and delivering high quality pitches and presentations to senior corporate decision makers
• The ability to priority manage multiple work streams in a demanding, time sensitive environment

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop strong relationships with prospective new clients via all possible customer touchpoints including phone, email, linked-in, networking events and meetings etc
• Displaying a thorough understanding of SPORTFIVE’s products and services, and work to a coordinated sales plan to achieve divisional budget targets and strategic objectives
• Lead sales pitches with international and domestic clients to understand objectives, build relationships and secure revenue for the business (small amount of international travel required)
• Continually develop prospect lists by using macro and micro market trends, sound product knowledge and deep understanding of brand marketing to identify relevant clients, industries and geographies
• Briefing SPORTFIVE’s Sales Enablement teams to prepare sales presentations using consumer insights, media value reporting, and additional proprietary methodologies to help build compelling business cases
• Provide weekly and regular updates at team sales meetings showcasing activity and pipeline development, business closed and share any insight for potential collaboration with other Sales Team members
• Liaise with key sports Rights Holders where required to secure property, product or price information, as well as ensuring SPORTFIVE’s interests are represent and protected appropriately
• To be competent with sales management systems (CRM) and follow any other relevant internal reporting procedures
• Liaise with SPORTFIVE’s international territories and subsidiary agencies to understand rights portfolio, availability, pricing, and other relevant data to support sales process
• Support the Sales Directors, Leadership Team and other employees from time to time on various projects
• Work with internal corporate functions such as legal and finance to create robust commercial agreements to support a sales process
• Ensure strong after-sales relationship management where necessary to enhance renewal probability, and identify cross-sales/upselling potential
• Represent SPORTFIVE to the broader market in a way that is consistent with the high standards and professional approach expected of employees

Job Conditions

• This role is located on site at our Wilmslow office.