Software Sales Manager - ERP Solutions

Software Sales Manager - a track record in ERP software sales is essential as this is critical to gaining credibility with the existing sales team, plus expereince managing and mentoring a small team of salespeople. Our client has continued to trade through the pandemic, and they are re-opening their offices in full this month. This is a replacement position as the current, very successful Software Sales Manager was meant to relocate abroad back in the spring, and can now finally leave the UK as lockdown has eased. So this is a crucial role, a live job and they are ready to interview now.

This would suit a people person, dynamic, energetic, ambitious and experienced at managing, nurturing and mentoring a small team of ERP software Sales Executives and Account Managers. The company is a reseller and implementer of flexible, modular ERP software solutions into the finance, manufacturing, distribution, engineering, and professional service sectors and has been running very successfully for over 20 years - they have around 40 staff and have offices in the Midlands and London. Base salary to £75k, and £5k car allowance, plus around £35k in management commission and an additional £12k bonus if you go 5% over target. A very competitive package of around £120k.

You can live anywhere as you will be home based most of the time, but somewhere between London and the Midlands, to the east and west would be ideal. Birmingham is a marker point. The sales team and the clients are spread throughout the UK, but you will have to spend some time in the offices in the Midlands. You need a strong track record of managing salespeople with at least 5 years success in ERP software sales. That could be Dynamics NAV, Kerridge, Intact, Infor, PS Financials, Dynamics AX, Exact, Sage 200, Sage X3, Epicor, Sage 1000, JDE, SAP Business One, Agresso, Greentree, Merlin, Syteline, Protean, or anything similar.

The current sales manager is now finally able to move overseas and so this role is to manage a sales team that sell about £4million in software and services across a number of ERP solutions. He has been in this role for 8 years and has been very happily running the sales team, and successfully taking it through a period of growth from around £1m turnover to £4m turnover.

The team consists of:

2 experienced business development telesales people who do the cold calling and lead generation, they are both highly experienced and at the top of their game and are very good, plus 1 Pre-Sales Consultant, 3 New Business Sales Executives, and 1 Account Manager. There is still room for growth and they are keen to further build the account management team.

The sales group has been run in quite a relaxed way, and there is an expectation that you will have good runs and bad runs and as long as you keep working, it will all work out. In addition, the current Sales Manager attends a lot of client meetings with his salespeople and he covers for their weaknesses, so you need to go out on site and help them close their deals.

This position involves a lot of coaching, mentoring, man management, nurturing and cajoling, just like every sales manager role. However, there is an expectation that to really sell ERP software successfully, the sales execs need 12 months to get to know the product, the market and be really credible. So the job is focused on not pressurising the salespeople too much, or they might leave. In reality a new business salesperson will have a better second year than a first year. And a better third year than a second.

The job needs someone who is happy to be flexible with time, doesn't watch the clock, someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to get the deals in and keep the customers happy. But also, with the commercial foundation to know what the right decision is to get the deal at the right price. If you have experience managing and mentoring ERP software salespeople and a track record of 5 years' ERP sales, plus experience of deals from ½ a day's training at £500, to £500k sales in software and services for a major end user going through a massive ERP project, then get in touch.

You will have sold ERP solutions yourself and be able to talk coherently about finance solutions, manufacturing functionality and distribution issues. A track record in ERP sales is critical to gaining credibility with the existing sales team, so it is an essential requirement. So if you have managed sales people and you have an ERP sales background please get in touch.