Commercial Executive at Microsoft

In our Small, Medium, Corporate (SMC) and Digital Sales organization, we have set out with the purpose to empower our customers through the unique value of the Microsoft cloud by building a globally led, digital-first scale organization aligned with partners
As part of local subsidiaries or Digital Sales centers around the world, you will support a dedicated set of customers in identifying and achieving their business objectives through best-in-class digital engagement and partner co-selling
You will also have an opportunity to work cross-collaboratively while living our shared SMC and Digital Sales Culture priorities: Diversity and Inclusivity, Wellbeing, Sustainability, and Learning
If you have been described as customer obsessed and have a passion for digital-first solutions, we invite you to learn more about the SMC and Digital Sales organization and the value we deliver to our customers, partners, and one another, every day.As a Commercial Executive (CE) in the SMB (Small and Medium Business) space; this opportunity will allow you to help establish Microsoft as a leader in education by being able to articulate the Education Transformation Framework vision and craft deals that support the customer maturity framework/path for customers to take to enable their digital transformation based on their stage and objectives/capabilities they want to achieve.As a Commercial Executive (CE) in the SMC space; this opportunity will allow you to establish Microsoft as a leader in the commercial space by being able to articulate the Commercial Transformation Framework vision and craft deals that support the customer maturity framework/path for customers to take to enable their digital transformation based on their stage and objectives/capabilities they want to achieve.The Commercial Executive is a Trusted Advisor who leads the design and execution of the customer’s commercial strategy and negotiation, selling the right solution at the right time and ensuring every deal is compliant and profitable for Microsoft.The Commercial Executive (CE), is a sales professional that will negotiate contracting and pricing, serve as a lead point for escalations/negotiations, develop/model options, drive creative/transformative deal strategies, evaluate your book of business and continually seek out revenue growth opportunities through up-selling and cross selling. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more
As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals
Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.Required/Minimum Qualifications7+ years sales and negotiation experienceOR Bachelor's Degree in Business Management, Information Technology, Law, Marketing, Finance, Communication, Education (or equivalent) or related field AND 5+ years sales and negotiation experience or related work or internship experienceOR equivalent experience.Preferred QualificationsExperience in contracts, licensing and negotiationCommercial Sales IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S
is USD $106,100 - $185,400 per year
There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $144,000 - $203,500 per year.Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation
Find additional benefits and pay information here:Microsoft will accept applications for the role until October 28, 2024.Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements
If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.Proactive EngagementLeads internal sales and management teams through sales process optimizing for the right level of investment and customization
Accomplishes tasks across stakeholders with appropriate breadth and depth
Crafts deals that will process, including any standard or custom amendments and documentation independently
Leverages internal resources to assist with customer queries regarding contract terms
Finalizes legal amendments reflecting operational and other requirements granted in specific customer situations
Handles objections and negotiates contractual amendments within empowerment as needed
Actively participates in the development of deal strategies to present offers to clients
Engages with stakeholders to ensure that efforts are executed effectively and that milestones are being reached
Ensures that the appropriate value has been sold and that the deployment plan has been considered
Leverages advanced understanding of sales science and operational acumen (e.g., pipeline metrics, closed rates, competitive selling) to establish a strategic sales execution cadence
Analyzes multiple data inputs quickly and develops strategic decision making to ensure the best sales and revenue production and velocity through management team where appropriate
Develops an outlook on upcoming business opportunities for their territory.Proactively identifies business opportunities which vary based on deal lifecycle and artificial intelligence (AI) (e.g., upsell/cross-sell, expanding footprint, transformational)
Uses knowledge of both customer and Microsoft commercial strategies to seize new opportunities that grow the Microsoft annuity footprint
Proactively consults internal partners (e.g., account team unit [ATU], specialist team unit [STU], customer success unit [CSU]) to maximize pipeline conversion
Prioritizes execution appropriately
Leverages knowledge to secure upsells that aligns to proven value
Works with account teams to identify growth opportunities and solutions
Creates and utilizes multiple equivalent offers (MEOs) that advances internal alignment and maximize business outcomes
Oversees offers
Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of monetization of products and solutions
Understands limitations on deal making (e.g., understands when it is appropriate and not appropriate to follow through with a deal)
Develops and demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of industry and industry trends
Develops customer-centric offers independently by engaging with and aligning account teams around the deal(s) that they are casting
Partners with account team members to determine how opportunities in the account plan may be most effectively monetized
Builds the best contract structure to enable capitalization on opportunities.Leverages advanced knowledge of customer business needs and desired outcomes to achieve revenue goals using ethical selling methods
Develops and presents pricing scenarios and proposals
Builds upon industry knowledge and independently conducts competitive analysis to craft commercial solutions
Acts as a trusted advisor both internally and with customers in the sales process
Ensures appropriate monetization of commercial solutions
Leads early engagement, planning and ideation process
Coordinates and collaborates with peers and stakeholders to influence account territory planning
Crafts and executes close plan strategies
Aligns language of renewal or negotiation to customer's understanding.Leads collaborations with various sellers and business stakeholders in order to achieve revenue targets independently
Leverages critical resources (e.g., deal desk, sales support, partners, finance) to drive business outcomes
Contributes to high levels of strategic conversations internally or externally
Proactively engages with others to align commercial strategy to customer needs
Participates in the planning and execution of strategies with partners to ensure that solutions are aligned to customer commercial strategic needs
Applies deep knowledge of solution assessment and expected outcomes to determine how commercial licensing and contracting should be changed to best meet customer needs
Drives accountability in resolving cross-functional issues to successful conclusion
Engages in feedback loop to corporate to improve/simplify contractual commercial to meet business needs or market opportunities
Fosters overall success by driving team collaboration, cross segment and cross group collaboration
Leads teams by sharing knowledge, supporting the onboarding of others in the same role, and proactively responding to feedback.Ensures that customer/partner support/account teams deliver value during lifecycle management planning and that they are aligned with teams on customer/partner priorities, strategies, and budget to better structure deals that drive annuity and cloud growth
Initiates and develops challenger relationships with customers/partner to understand their priorities and strategies, and structures deals that drive value and contribute to Microsoft growth through attainment of revenue-based, share-based, and/or consumption-based quota with minimal guidance
Demonstrates empathy with high-level customers and partners
Grows share and adoption while simultaneously driving business value for customers
Proactively identifies and balances customer/partner and Microsoft needs when crafting value-based solutions
Represents customer and partner requirements in proposals
Translates requirements into proposals
Identifies issues and potential recommendations for internal stakeholders to help solve customer/partner issues
Leverages knowledge about customer/partner priorities and industry challenges to solve problems
Simplifies commercial strategies for customers and partners with minimal guidance
Orchestrates the right resources to solve partner issues in deals
Engages with partners (e.g., licensing solution partner [LSP], cloud solution provider [CSP]) in effective ways to establish customer solutions for the benefit of all parties independently.Leverages knowledge of best practices and strategies to accomplish goals
Understands product strategy per solution area
Analyzes competitive positioning and use cases independently
Possesses and utilizes knowledge of industry, competition, and Microsoft offering to accomplish goals
Provides feedback to align pricing and offers commercial strategies to meet customer needs
Provides alternatives and recommendations internally and externally
Demonstrates agility in aligning business strategies within region
Actively pursues learning opportunities and reinforces understanding of local subsidiary strategy
Helps other team members understand Microsoft/customer business strategies and why they are important for accomplishing goals
Creates clarity in their work and encourages others to do the same
Ensures that their peers follow through on plans.Mastering Key SkillsAnalyzes deals for risks related to contract growth, partner channel risk, profitability (supported by deal desk as needed), legal issues, and contracting
Assesses and escalates risk as needed
Coaches others on assessment and escalation of risk as needed
Leverages both corporate and local resources
Keeps up to date with current tools
Judges when to take risks (e.g., market making deal).Drives adherence to commercial solutions policy for commercial deal execution, inclusive of regulatory laws and principles in local markets, company policies, and guidance for consistent deal making
Coaches sales team to ensure compliance
Maintains and ensures others' sales and negotiation strategies adhere to established guidelines, policies, and legal standards
Partners with high-risk deal desk (HRDD) where applicable and audit teams
Leverages relevant tools including business conduct and integrity, appropriately and confidentially
Actively and promptly raises compliance issues as needed directly to the appropriate compliance organization
Supports less experienced team members in addressing compliance investigations
Pre-empt and advises on potential non-compliance issues and redirect appropriately
Serves as a trusted advisor on compliance (e.g., General Data Protection Regulation [GDPR])
Drives a culture of compliance through the sales deal execution related parts of Microsoft policy (e.g., anti-corruption policy)
Ensures that win/win-compliant deal making occurs while commercial solutions.Creates and manages commercial plan/contributes to account plan for strategic accounts by mapping out how to maximize qualified medium in size/scope or complex commercial opportunity for the account
Analyzes customer commercial opportunity history, inclusive of discounts, concessions, and consumptions for territory
Anticipates and verifies upcoming renewals as appropriate.Partners with leaders when negotiating complex commercial terms in collaboration with the account team and deal manager
Understands stakeholders (priority)
Leverages formal negotiation strategies and identifies important factors for successfully negotiating (e.g., anticipates potential vulnerabilities, understands customer measurement of value in order to craft solutions to meet those needs defines walk-away positions)
Consults with leaders on rhythm of negotiation team planning and reporting to stakeholders
Utilizes the strategy for the negotiation approach by engaging with stakeholders internally and externally
Drives accountability for negotiation outcome(s).Employment typeFull-TimeWork siteUp to 50% work from homeRole typeIndividual ContributorDisciplineCommercial SalesProfessionSales