Senior Channel Sales Manager

The Senior Channel Sales Manager is responsible for driving and executing the company’s sales strategy through strategic channel partners (e.g., distributors, resellers, system integrators). Responsible for focuses on cultivating strong, productive relationships with key channel partners, generating new business opportunities, and enabling partners to effectively sell the company’s products and services. Manages complex, high-value relationships and strategic initiatives within the channel ecosystem.

Duties/Responsibilities:

Strategic Channel Management & Growth:

• Build and nurture relationships with key channel partners, ensuring they are well-equipped to sell, support, and service the company’s offerings. Focus on high-value partners, driving their growth and expanding the company’s footprint in targeted regions or verticals.

• Drive the company’s revenue growth by achieving and exceeding sales targets through channel partners. Develop and implement account plans that align with corporate goals and maximize sales opportunities.

• Identify new channel partners and recruit them based on strategic market objectives. Ensure successful onboarding, training, and ongoing enablement to build a robust and high-performing channel ecosystem.

• Work with senior management to set realistic sales targets and quotas for partners. Provide ongoing guidance and coaching to help partners meet their sales objectives and optimize their performance.

Sales Enablement & Support:

• Lead training sessions and workshops to enable channel partners to understand the company's products, sales processes, and competitive advantages. Ensure partners have the resources and tools needed to be successful, including product knowledge, pricing guidelines, and sales collateral.

• Provide partners with the sales enablement tools and resources necessary to support the sales process. This includes offering support for CRM systems, proposal generation, marketing materials, and product demos.

• Partner with channel sales representatives to conduct joint sales calls, customer meetings, and product demonstrations. Provide sales support during the negotiation and closing stages of deals, ensuring a smooth process for both the partner and end customer.

Performance Monitoring & Optimization:

• Manage and oversee the sales pipeline for assigned channel partners, providing insight into forecasted sales and performance. Monitor and track channel partner activities to ensure alignment with revenue targets.

• Regularly track, report, and analyze sales activities and partner performance using CRM and other tools. Use data-driven insights to adjust strategies and ensure continuous improvement in channel sales efforts.

• Work with the sales operations team to design and implement incentive programs for partners to motivate and incentivize sales performance.

Strategic Collaboration & Relationship Management:

• Collaborate closely with the marketing, product management, and sales teams to ensure alignment between channel strategies and overall corporate objectives. Work together to create campaigns, promotions, and new product launches that support channel partner success.

• Regularly communicate with senior management and stakeholders to provide updates on channel partner performance, market conditions, and the effectiveness of the channel sales strategy. Identify opportunities for process improvement and report on challenges and success stories.

• Resolve conflicts or challenges that may arise with partners, ensuring a positive relationship while aligning with the company’s business goals.

Market Intelligence & Competitive Analysis:

• Stay informed about market trends, industry developments, competitor activities, and customer needs within the channel ecosystem. Use this knowledge to adjust and optimize channel strategies.

• Provide input to product management and marketing teams on how the company’s products and services compare to competitors and suggest ways to improve sales and marketing strategies to address competitor weaknesses.

Customer Focus & Satisfaction:

• Ensure a customer-centric approach in all interactions with channel partners, prioritizing the satisfaction of end customers while supporting partner success. Help resolve issues that may arise during the sales or post-sales process.

• Collect and provide feedback from partners and customers to the internal teams, ensuring the company’s offerings continue to meet market demands and partner needs.

Experience/Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in channel sales, partner management, or sales roles, preferably in the [industry sector, e.g., technology, life sciences, software, etc.

Knowledge & Skillsets Required:

• Deep knowledge of channel sales models, including reseller, distributor, VAR, and system integrator relationships. Experience with the specific channel ecosystems in the Life Sciences, technology, or similar sectors is ideal.

• Proven ability to drive revenue, develop new business opportunities, and exceed sales targets. Experience managing complex sales cycles and large accounts through channel partners.

• Strong ability to analyze sales data, track KPIs, and use performance metrics to make data-driven decisions. Ability to forecast sales accurately and manage a channel pipeline effectively.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence both internal and external stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

• Familiarity with CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and other sales enablement technologies to manage partner relationships, track sales opportunities, and generate performance reports.