Product Specialist

Job Purpose

The main purpose of this job is to maintain and grow the Rectron client base through promoting and selling Rectron's product range

Job Dimensions

• Reseller Transformation and Engagement
• Work with resellers to upskill their teams for conversations on Lenovo Server and Infrastructure Solutions.
• Send quotes to resellers based on their requirements
• Propose alternate solutions to resellers, where you believe this would make sense for the situation
• Maintain a good understanding of the reseller landscape to be able to bring in the relevant resellers to be able to move projects along. This may require Rectron to resell reseller services across our ecosystem
• Work with resellers to drive opportunities to closure
• Identify high-potential resellers based on data from our existing transacting resellers

End Customer Engagement

• Assist resellers in their engagements with end customers to articulate the value of Rectron solutions against their strategic objectives
• Work with resellers to deliver proof of concepts where required
• When engaging with end customers, work on uncovering latent opportunities that resellers may not have identified
• Construct solutions based on customer requirements
• Work with resellers to build out project plans with timelines Marketing

Vendor Engagements

• Engage vendors on conversations where required
• Maintain a good level of understanding of vendor funding and programs, such that you are able to leverage these to assist resellers and customers
• Develop deep relationships with your top customers, as well as high potential customers, and gain a deep understanding of their businesses, and how your product fits in with their businesses.
• Recruit customers in order to build up the customer base
• Ensure that you are the largest contributor in terms of customer recruitment in your product line
• Possess a good understanding of the challenges that the market faces, such that you will be able to find innovative solutions for the broader market

Knowledge Maintenance

• Maintain a high level of knowledge across Lenovo Server and Infrastructure Solutions. This will require you to do regular training
• Ensure upkeep of relevant vendor certifications
• Maintain awareness of competitive solutions such that you will be able to effectively sell against them
• Work with product managers to understand priorities in their product lines Internal Relationships
• Keep abreast of technology trends
• Keep up to date with the latest marketing trends

Core Competencies

• The candidate must possess the following capabilities:
• Sales Capability
• Identify opportunities amongst broader end customers
• Call downs on the reseller base
• Working with the product manager to identify white space
• Comfortably speak about new products
• Computer literacy and PC skills
• Ability to effectively navigate and use a Windows based PC
• Microsoft Word: Proper formatting, typing up of documents
• Microsoft Excel: Pivot tables, v-lookup, filtering, sums
• Microsoft PowerPoint: Putting together basic, neat presentations
• Microsoft Outlook: Sending/receiving emails, out of office settings, scheduling meetings, attachments
• Skype for Business: Sending/receiving messages, joining conference calls
• Dynamics CRM: Data capture and reporting
• Effective Communication
• Clear, professional communication
• Getting back to stakeholders timeously
• Manage expeProblem Solving
• Listening to and effectively analyse problems as they arise
• Proactively find solutions to problems using all available resources
• Knowing when to ask for help either from internal or vendor resource

Key Performance Indicators

Reseller Engagements

• Meetings with resellers that you need to develop
• Provide feedback on all reseller engagements, along with suggestions on activities that should be run
• Ensure that queries are responded to within a reasonable time frame

Administrative

• On time submissions of reports required by Rectron
• Logging of opportunities on CRM

Training

Attendance at Lenovo training sessions – online and in person

• Assist in providing regular training to the Rectron sales team to ensure that knowledge is kept up to date within the organisation – training must be conducted once every two months at a minimum

Marketing

• Assistance where necessary on the execution of marketing activities
• Communication of marketing activities to the customer base

Internal Back Up

• Ensure that your internal back up understands your product set and is well informed on all your pending deals, as well as business processes.

Education/Qualification, Skills and Experience

Education/Qualification

• Minimum: Matric Qualification, with a degree or diploma as an advantage
• Experience (experience required for the job)
• At least 2-3 years Product Specialist experience in IT sales environment