Director of Sales and Business Development

To qualify as a Director of Sales and Business Development at Uplift, candidates should have at least a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Production, Instrumentation, Automation, or Control Systems Engineering. An MBA is highly desirable, along with a minimum of 10 years of sales experience, including 5 years specifically in enterprise sales within process manufacturing industries.

Candidates for the Director of Sales and Business Development position at Uplift should demonstrate a robust sales background with experience in solution selling and establishing relationships in process industries. This includes familiarity with Industry 4.0 digital solutions and a proven history in managing large deals within sectors like Steel, Cement, and Chemicals.

The Director of Sales and Business Development at Uplift is responsible for generating new business opportunities, maintaining long-term strategic relationships, driving growth in Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), and managing a comprehensive stakeholder engagement strategy with cross-functional teams to deliver outstanding customer value.

Stakeholder engagement is crucial for the Director of Sales and Business Development role at Uplift, as it's essential to establish and nurture relationships at all levels within the manufacturing organizations. This encourages collaboration with teams like Presales and Customer Success to align client goals with Uplift’s innovative solutions.

Key skills for the Director of Sales and Business Development at Uplift include excellent verbal and written communication, leadership and strategic thinking abilities, and effective stakeholder management skills. The ability to foster and manage strategic customer relationships is also critical for success in this role.

Uplift is deeply committed to creating a fair and inclusive workplace for all employees and applicants. We actively support diversity and equality in all hiring processes for the Director of Sales and Business Development role, ensuring that individuals from all backgrounds have equal opportunities for growth and advancement.

Performance metrics for the Director of Sales and Business Development at Uplift include the successful creation and management of a robust sales pipeline, achievement of long-term contract closures, and growth in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) within large enterprise accounts across Europe.

When answering this question, highlight your systematic approach—the research you conduct, the strategies you implement to identify leads, and how you leverage relationships to create opportunities. Provide specific examples of how your efforts led to successful new business development in past roles.

To address this question, narrate the specifics of the deal, including the challenges faced and the tactics you used to overcome them. Focus on detailing the relationship-building, negotiation, and solution-selling processes that contributed to closing the large deal.

Discuss your methods for relationship management; this may include regular check-ins, offering continual value through insights or updates, and being responsive to client needs. Emphasize how relationship management has produced sustainable revenue and satisfaction for your clients.

In your response, explain your understanding of Industry 4.0 technologies and how you relate them to the client’s specific needs. Share examples of how you have successfully integrated technology discussions into sales pitches in previous roles.

Detail your sales pipeline management process, from prospecting to closing. Include methods for nurturing leads, tracking progress, and adjusting strategies based on performance metrics you monitor. Mention any tools or technologies you have used for effective pipeline management.

Provide an example that illustrates how you engaged with teams like Presales or Customer Success to align on shared objectives. Discuss how these collaborations enhanced client satisfaction and drove sales success.

Discuss the importance of clear, concise communication and how you tailor your presentations to meet the needs of different audiences. Emphasize your experience in using storytelling to make complex information more relatable.

When responding, share your strategies for addressing objections calmly and professionally. Highlight your technique for turning objections into opportunities for discussion, demonstrating how you use objections to better understand customer needs.

Discuss resources you use such as industry publications, webinars, and networking events to stay informed about trends within process manufacturing and digital technologies. Explain how this knowledge supports your sales strategies.

Reflect on qualities such as resilience, empathy, and adaptability. Provide examples of how these traits have played a role in your success in previous sales leadership positions and how they would benefit your performance as a Director of Sales and Business Development.