*This post was created on behalf of one of Bravado’s clients.
Our client is an innovative company that’s transforming the landscape of professional learning. By offering cinematic, industry-specific courses, our client provides an engaging and enjoyable way for professionals to gain deep knowledge that helps them succeed in their roles. The company focuses on delivering fast, easy-to-digest learning experiences, which makes it easier for individuals to stay ahead in fast-moving industries.
What sets our client apart is its focus on industry-specific learning. Their courses are trusted by leading tech and consulting firms, positioning the company as a leader in an underserved market. The platform is designed to help professionals, particularly salespeople, gain deep industry knowledge, which in turn allows them to build trust with clients, tailor solutions more effectively, and close deals with greater confidence.
The emphasis on cinematic experiences makes the learning process more interactive and enjoyable, ensuring that users are not just passively consuming information but actively engaging with content that resonates with their day-to-day work. Our client is addressing a critical need in professional development by making learning not only relevant but also appealing, ensuring that professionals can thrive in today’s rapidly changing world.
Location: United States of America (Remote)
Key Responsibilities
- Create Sales Playbooks: As a founding member, you may be involved in developing the sales strategy, playbooks, and processes that will guide future team members. This includes defining target customers, outreach methods, and closing strategies.
- Identify Target Markets and Segments: Work closely with the leadership team to identify key target markets, verticals, and ideal customer profiles (ICPs) based on the product offering.
- Contribute to Sales Roadmap: Help shape the overall sales strategy and roadmap by providing insights on market demand, competition, and customer pain points.
- Hunt for New Business: As an early-stage AE, you’ll likely spend a significant amount of time prospecting, generating leads, and identifying potential clients. Cold Outreach: Engage in proactive outreach through cold calling, emailing, social selling, and networking at industry events to build a pipeline of qualified leads.
- Conduct Tailored Product Demos: You’ll be responsible for presenting the product to potential customers in a way that highlights how it meets their specific needs, solving their pain points. Develop Solutions for Clients: Tailor the product offering to client needs, often crafting unique solutions that can help close the deal or create opportunities for upselling or cross-selling.
- Build Long-Term Relationships: Focus on creating and maintaining strong relationships with customers, even in the early stages of a company. A Founding AE should help establish the foundation of customer trust and loyalty. Account Management: Once a deal is closed, you may also handle initial account management or act as the key contact for customer success during onboarding to ensure smooth implementation.
- Collaborate with Founders: As a founding team member, you’ll work closely with the founders to align sales efforts with the company’s overall mission, vision, and objectives. Work Cross-Functionally: Work with marketing, product, and customer success teams to ensure alignment on messaging, product feedback, and customer needs.
- Conduct Competitive Analysis: Stay informed about competitors, market trends, and the competitive landscape to better position the company’s product or service. Client Feedback: Gather feedback from prospects and clients to understand market needs and ensure the company is offering the most competitive solution.
- Track Sales Performance: Maintain up-to-date records in CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) to track leads, sales activities, and outcomes. Provide regular reports to the leadership team on pipeline health and forecasts.
- Establish Sales Culture: As a founding member of the sales team, you will help establish the sales culture and set the tone for future hires, ensuring a collaborative, growth-focused mindset.
- Innovate the Sales Process: Help optimize and improve the sales process by trying new techniques, tools, and strategies that increase efficiency and improve the overall sales experience. Drive Company Vision: As a key early team member, your efforts as an AE will play a direct role in shaping the company’s growth trajectory. You’ll be part of building the company’s brand and reputation in the market.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree (Preferred): A degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, or a related field is typically preferred, although some companies may consider equivalent work experience as a substitute.
- 2-5 Years of Sales Experience: A minimum of 2 years in a sales role, ideally with experience in a B2B or enterprise sales environment. Experience in closing deals, managing client relationships, and building sales pipelines is crucial.
- Experience with Full Sales Cycle: Founding AEs should have experience in handling all stages of the sales process, from prospecting and lead generation to closing deals and managing accounts.
- Experience in Startup Environment (Preferred): While not always required, experience working in a startup or fast-growing company can be an asset, as it prepares candidates for the flexibility and adaptability needed in such an environment.
- Familiarity with the Industry: Some experience in the specific industry the company operates in (e.g., SaaS, technology, finance, etc.) can be beneficial, but this may not be a strict requirement. Product Knowledge: A strong understanding of the company’s product or service offerings, and the ability to tailor solutions to client needs, is essential.
- Proven Ability to Close Deals: Demonstrated success in closing sales and meeting or exceeding sales targets or quotas.
- Lead Generation and Prospecting: Ability to identify and pursue new business opportunities, utilizing various methods like cold calling, emailing, networking, and social selling.
- CRM Proficiency: Experience using CRM software (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho) to track leads, manage sales activities, and maintain accurate records. Comfort with Sales Tools: Familiarity with sales and marketing tools that help streamline prospecting and outreach (e.g., email automation, sales enablement tools).
- Excellent Verbal and Written Communication: Strong ability to communicate clearly and persuasively with potential clients, both in meetings and through email or phone. Presentation Skills: Experience delivering compelling product presentations and demos, with the ability to tailor messaging to specific client needs.
- Self-Motivation and Initiative: As a founding team member, the AE must be highly self-driven, proactive, and comfortable working independently in a fast-paced environment. Adaptability and Flexibility: The ability to adapt to changing business needs, market conditions, and product development in an early-stage company.
- Resilience: Sales in startups can be challenging, so a high level of perseverance, resilience, and ability to handle rejection is critical. Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking: Ability to understand client pain points, address objections, and create customized solutions to close sales.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to work closely with founders, marketing, product, and customer success teams to align on strategy and share insights that help improve the sales process.
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