The Commercial Executive acts as a trusted advisor to determine how commercial licensing and contracting should be changed to best meet customer needs. The Commercial Executive will leverage the sales science (e.g., pipeline metrics, closed rates, competitive selling) to establish a strategic sales execution cadence. This role will develop customer-centric offers by engaging with and aligning account teams around the deal(s) that they are casting. Thereby, establishing the strategy for the negotiation approach by engaging with senior stakeholders internally and externally. Drives accountability and the negotiation outcome.

• Responsibilities: Deep Proactive Engagement
  Partners with various sellers in order to achieve revenue targets with general guidance. Collaborates with business stakeholders (e.g., Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs [CELA], operations, finance) and across teams. Applies knowledge of critical resources (e.g., deal desk, sales support, partners) and leverages them to drive business outcomes. Provides advice to peers and manager on how to adjust commercial licensing approach to meet customer needs. Ensures others are aware of their roles in orchestration. Contributes to overall success by driving team collaboration, cross segment and cross group collaboration. Educates peers and teams by sharing knowledge, supporting the onboarding of others in the same role, and proactively seeking help.

• Demonstrates fundamental understanding of customer business needs and desired outcomes to achieve revenue goals using an ethical selling perspective. Utilizes knowledge of customer needs and desired outcomes to develop commercial proposals. Develops industry knowledge and understanding of competitive analysis to contribute to crafting commercial solutions. Participates in early engagement, planning, and ideation process with limited supervision. Prepares account territory planning and actively seeks feedback on the plan. Crafts close plan strategies. Understands the correct commercial channel and how to leverage it. Leverages Microsoft financing knowledge if applicable to advance commercial outcomes. Incorporates principles of ethical selling into tasks. Renews agreement and knows/adjusts language of renewal or negotiation.

• Optimizes for the right level of investment and customization. Contributes to orchestration across stakeholders with appropriate breadth and depth with little support from others. Crafts deals that will process (book). Reviews and includes any standard or custom amendments and documentation. Articulates Microsoft contractual documentation. Ensures the needs of the territory are well met with compelling proposals. Drives upsell and cross-sell. Handles objections and may negotiate contractual amendments within empowerment and escalates issues as appropriate. Participates in the presentation of offers to clients. Understands which deals to prioritize. Aligns internal stakeholders on closing and monitors that the appropriate value has been sold and that the deployment plan has been considered. Develops a comprehensive understanding of sales science and operational acumen (e.g., pipeline metrics, closed rates, competitive selling) to help establish a strategic sales execution cadence. Works with others to analyze multiple data inputs quickly and develops strategic decision-making to ensure the best sales and revenue production and velocity through the management team where appropriate. Leverages an understanding of upcoming business opportunities for their territory.

• Understands and anticipates business opportunities which vary based on deal life-cycle and artificial intelligence (AI) (e.g., up-sell/cross-sell, expanding footprint, transformational). Uses knowledge of both customer and Microsoft commercial strategies to influence the likelihood of winning new opportunities that grow the Microsoft annuity footprint. Pro-actively consults sales support to maximize pipeline conversion. Engages in account planning. Pro-actively identifies target opportunities and develops an execution plan. Measures results against plans. Prioritizes execution appropriately. Leverages knowledge to secure up-sells that aligns to proven value. Works with account teams to identify growth opportunities and solutions. Provides offers. Demonstrates knowledge of monetization of products and solutions. Develops working knowledge of the industry and industry trends. Develops customer-centric offers with minimal guidance. Engages and aligns with the account team around the deal(s) that they are casting. Partners with account team members to determine how opportunities in the account plan may be most effectively monetized. Identifies and recommends the best contract structure to enable capitalization on opportunities.

• Understands best practices and strategies and requires minimal support from more experienced team members. Develops an understanding of product strategy per solution area. Contributes to analyzes competitive positioning and use cases. Actively develops their knowledge of the industry, competition, and Microsoft offerings. Seeks out and applies feedback to align pricing and offer strategy to meet customer needs. Identifies potential commercial strategies to meet customer needs. Provides input to inform alternatives and recommendations internally and externally. Seeks out learning opportunities and understanding of local subsidiary strategy. Understands the importance of Microsoft/customer business strategies to accomplishing goals. Ensures that their work provides clear direction/suggestions and that they follow through on plans.

• Works with customer/partner support/account teams during life-cycle management planning to ensure that value is delivered and that customer/partner priorities, strategies, and budget are clear so that they can structure deals that drive annuity and cloud growth. Structures deals that drive value and contribute to Microsoft growth through the attainment of revenue-based, share-based, and/or consumption-based quotas. Demonstrates empathy with customers and partners. Grows share and adoption while simultaneously driving business value for customers. Balances customer and Microsoft needs when crafting value-based solutions. Seeks and uses knowledge about customer/partner priorities and industry challenges. Simplifies commercial strategies for customers and partners with general guidance. Engages with partners (e.g., licensing solution partner [LSP], cloud solution provider [CSP]) in effective ways to establish customer solutions for the benefit of all parties with general guidance.
  

Mastering Key Skills

• Creates a commercial plan for the assigned sales accounts by mapping out how to maximize qualified medium in size/scope or low complexity commercial opportunity for the account with some support from more experienced colleagues. Develops and leverages an understanding of customer commercial history, inclusive of discounts, concessions, and consumptions for account. Identifies and anticipates upcoming renewals as appropriate.

• Ensures adherence to volume licensing, commercial solutions policy for commercial deal execution, inclusive of regulatory laws and principles in local markets, company policies, and guidance for consistent deal making. Ensures sales and negotiation strategies adhere to established guidelines, policies, and legal standards. Partners with high-risk deal desk (HRDD) where applicable and audit teams. Leverages relevant tools including business conduct and integrity, appropriately and confidentially. Actively raises compliance issues as needed to legal personnel, likely through the manager. Ensures that their own work reflects a culture of compliance through the sales deal execution-related parts of Microsoft policy (e.g., anti-corruption policy). Helps to ensure that win/win-compliant deal making occurs while creating commercial solutions.

• Assists in analyzing deals for risks related to contract growth, partner channel risk, profitability (supported by deal desk as needed), legal issues, and contracting. Identifies and escalates risk as needed. Leverages both corporate and local resources. Keeps up to date with current tools. Learns when to take risks (e.g., market making deal).

• Works in collaboration with the account team when negotiating commercial terms. Develops an understanding of stakeholders. Supports the negotiation strategy (e.g., solution development, raises potential vulnerabilities, helps define walk-away positions). Identifies and raises potential vulnerabilities. Leverages knowledge of negotiation skills, strategies, and tactics daily. Takes the risk to customers and Microsoft of no agreement into account when making decisions. Supports the development of the negotiation approach by engaging with senior stakeholders internally and externally. Works to ensure that stakeholders are accountable for negotiation outcome(s).