This sales leader is responsible for growing strategic merchant coverage within a specified geographic territory of the United States. The Director will lead a team consisting of various Managers - Business Development (MBD), and a shared Sales Coordinator. The team's primary focus is to sign high volume merchant holdouts to welcome the American Express Card. The Director will work with the MBDs to develop strategies to identify and acquire the largest volume and most highly resistant prospects across multiple industry categories, thereby growing American Express Cardmember usage and spend.

Key Responsibilities:
?Recruit, hire, train, coach, and manage the team?s performance and sales success
?Ensure MBDs build and manage effective and profitable pipeline, and utilize in-depth knowledge of American Express, the industry, and their prospects to provide value solutions that exceed prospect business needs and add value to prospects? business
?Ensure MBDs are deployed against most strategic markets, industries and destination areas
?Spend approx. 40% of time on in-field coaching to develop MBDs overall sales effectiveness.
?Travel out of town and overnights required
?Gather and disseminate marketplace and competitive intelligence
?Conduct formal multi-level presentations to prospective accounts and within Amex
?Administer sales tracking reporting, expense processing, operating & marketing budgets for team
?Conduct day-to-day activities within the context of a compliant home office

Excellent sales and negotiation skills, supported by strong financial acumen and a proven track record in sales and sales management to complex and/or large accounts
?Demonstrated strong leadership and general management skills, evidenced by recruiting, training, coaching & developing top sales talent, and proven ability to drive sales results through people leadership
?High financial and analytical proficiency, evidenced by successful sales strategy development and financial analysis of profitable opportunities, and collaboration with Direct Reports and internal linkages to develop and execute the strategic sales plan
?Strong interpersonal, written and oral communication and influencing skills
?Project and time management; excellent ability to focus, prioritize and multi-task
?College or university degree required
?Minimum 5 years outside sales and sales management
?Experience leading virtual teams desired
?Essential Computer Skills: Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint required; Merchant Force, SEIMS, and Lotus Notes desired
?Must hold a valid drivers license
?Virtual office experience is a plus. Position will be based in Southern US; desired locations: Lexington, KY, Louisville, KY, Nashville, TN, Knoxville, TN, Memphis, TN, Washington, DC, Maryland and/or Virginia. Location within territory required.
Candidates who have applied to position 116951BR do not need to repost.
Qualities of Successful Candidate:
?Comfortable in high pressure, high performance, and sales oriented environment
?Solid knowledge of card payments industry markets and Merchant Services org preferred
?Excellent role model of American Express Blue Box Values
Demonstrated ability to:
?Develop winning strategies
?Drive innovation and change
?Build and leverage relationships
?Focus the sales organization on the customer
?Inspire and motivate employees/team
?Build diverse talent