Strategic Account Manager

Summary:
The Strategic Account Manager for Southern California News Group is responsible for delivering world-class service, partnering with clients to meet their advertising campaign objectives, and working with colleagues to manage the growth and development of assigned accounts. In addition to supporting client needs on a daily basis, the Account Manager partners with internal stakeholders such as Sales, Marketing, and Ad Operations to exceed KPI goals and meet business objectives for our clients. The Account Manager proactively provides campaign performance, presents up-sell and optimization opportunities for existing business and interprets/presents complex data to the client in regards to campaign performance and market analysis.
What you will do:

• Grow and maintain a list of key medium to large SCNG accounts using a consultative (customer-centric) selling approach
• Proactively prospect, qualify, and convert new business opportunities to grow key client verticals
• Serve as a digital expert to help develop the skills of Sales team members
• Possess a thorough knowledge of SCNG's entire advertising offering including print, digital, content marketing, and creative services solutions
• Generate marketing ideas and opportunities outside of our product portfolio (i.e., non-traditional revenue)
• Create and update marketing presentations using research and case studies to sell against other competitive media
• Effectively prepare and execute revenue contracts and business proposals
• Partner with clients to define KPI's and success metrics for campaign performance
• Stay current on business trends and new developments in products (both print and digital) or management within a specific company and/or industry; clearly explain key differentiation factors of SCNG solutions against any competitors in the advertising ecosystem
• Analyze and interpret key sales metrics and develop strategies to reach sales success
• Work internally with various departments to create compelling media solutions for advertisers
• Work closely with client post-sale to ensure client retention, renewal and overall campaign success
• Responsible for client revenue growth, financial forecasting and accurate customer billing
• Acknowledge and overcome client objections by analyzing and resolving campaign issues
• Develop internal and client-facing custom reports via Google Analytics, Excel and other internal tools
• Job duties and priorities may shift as revenue and department needs fluctuate

What you will bring:

• 7+ years of relevant experience, preferably in an Account Manager/Strategist or Account Executive capacity; agency experience preferred
• Proven track record of success driving advertising revenue through the cultivation of long-term strategic relationships
• Demonstrated ability to structure and manage complex negotiations to successful closure and delivery
• Extensive client-facing experience serving as the lead point of contact and interfacing with/presenting to senior-level decision makers
• Strong understanding of digital and print advertising products and the digital advertising ecosystem
• Demonstrated sales and cross-functional leadership skills
• Ability to work well in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills
• Must be detail- oriented and have strong organizational and time management skills
• Sales experience managing medium to large size advertisers
• Proficiency in Salesforce, Google Analytics and Google AdWords
• Bachelors degree required

This is a hybrid role with occasional onsite expectations in Irvine, CA.
The annual base salary range is $70,000 - $85,000 + aggressive sales earning potential and commission. Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, time in role, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, MediaNews Group offers a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, and a 401K plan (all benefits are based on eligibility).
Who we are:
Established in March 2016, the Southern California News Group (SCNG) has virtually overnight become one of the most powerful and influential news organizations in the U.S. This dynamic union was created when the Los Angeles News Group (owners of nine local daily newspapers and websites) and its parent company Media News Group (MNG) acquired Freedom Communications (owners of the Orange County Register and Riverside Press-Enterprise). By combining these two highly regarded and well-established institutions, SCNG has emerged as the largest news content provider in the five-county Los Angeles metropolitan area. As a leader in circulation among top publications nationwide, SCNG now owns and operates 11 local daily newspapers and more than a dozen community weeklies.
Our mission is to connect communities by providing readers with the area's best local news coverage while providing advertisers with unprecedented access to one of the world's most diverse and dynamic audiences.
No matter the distribution vehicle-newspaper, magazine, mobile, online-SCNG's in-depth reporting on local news, politics, sports and entertainment continues to attract a desirable audience for its customers. Combining print, online and social media, SCNG now delivers premium content to over 8.1 million adults every week, making it an indispensable marketing solution for advertisers across Southern California. No other local newspaper group reaches more households in our market than SCNG.
We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
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