SAP Business Development Executive - Midwest

Your role and responsibilities

- Develop relationships with SAP VP's, RVP's, GM and SAP AEs (industry Acct Execs and LOB Execs)in the Midwest market unit.

- Identify and progress opportunities in region.

- Drive Executive and Field Alignment - support Top 2 Top meetings, quarterly region and solution GM meetings and AE/VP alignment.

- Facilitate Industry and PSO Alignment- SAP IVE resources with IBM industry resources and alignment of SAP Professional Services with GBS.

- Lead GTM Initiatives - Programs defining play, approach, target setting and tracking

- SAP Field enablement - provide current solution and partnership information to the field and support training opportunities

- Confirm proper tagging for IBM Services in the JPR SAP system

- Ensure client/ prospect interaction and attendance at major SAP & IBM events

- Provide sales guidance to NA GBS leader, NA SAP GM and sector/industry leadership and global leadership when required. What's working and what's not working in region.

- Work with Client team and Alliances to develop references, Win Wires, Go live announcements to be shared internally and with SAP for reference program.

- Support marketing through strategy guidance, event prioritization and collateral development direction.

- Identify issues and handle escalation management.

- Comply with IBM sales reporting requirements

- Minimum 4 yrs Prior sales experience required

- Bachelor degree required

Region specific responsibilities

- Tailor go to market offerings and materials to suit midwest market unit.

- Engage with IBM and SAP DSA and GTM teams for pipeline cadence/governance in your assigned region

Required education

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred education

Bachelor's Degree

Required technical and professional expertise

Candidate must have a mix of Technical, intepersonal and strategic selling skills to ensure the candiadte can drive growth, build relationships and represent IBM Consulting effectively.

Prospecting and Lead Generation

• Skill Description: Ability to identify, research, and target potential clients or leads who align with the company's offerings.

• Why It Matters: A BDE must build a robust pipeline of opportunities to sustain long-term growth.

• Proficiency in using tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot), or industry databases.

• Experience with cold calling, email outreach, or social selling to generate interest.

• Ability to qualify leads effectively to focus on high-potential opportunities.

2. Consultative Selling

• Skill Description: Understanding client needs through active listening and tailoring solutions to address specific pain points.

• Why It Matters: Modern buyers expect personalized, value-driven interactions rather than generic pitches.

• Ability to ask insightful, open-ended questions to uncover client challenges.

• Skill in presenting solutions that align with the client's goals and demonstrate ROI.

• Experience in handling complex sales cycles involving multiple stakeholders.

3. Relationship Building and Networking

• Skill Description: Developing and maintaining strong, trust-based relationships with clients, partners, and industry contacts.

• Why It Matters: Long-term business growth often relies on repeat business, referrals, and industry reputation.

• Strong interpersonal skills, including empathy and emotional intelligence.

• Proven ability to nurture relationships over time, even without immediate sales.

• Experience attending industry events, conferences, or trade shows to expand networks.

4. Negotiation and Closing Skills

• Skill Description: Effectively negotiating terms, overcoming objections, and closing deals that benefit both the company and the client.

• Why It Matters: Closing deals directly impacts revenue and requires balancing assertiveness with diplomacy.

• Confidence in handling objections (e.g., price, competition) with data-driven responses.

• Ability to identify buying signals and move prospects toward a decision.

• Experience negotiating contracts or agreements while maintaining positive client relationships.

5. Product/Service Knowledge

• Skill Description: Deep understanding of the company's offerings, industry trends, and competitive landscape.

• Why It Matters: A BDE must articulate value propositions clearly and differentiate the company from competitors.

• Ability to explain complex products/services in simple, client-friendly terms.

• Awareness of market trends and how the company's solutions address them.

• Quick learning ability to stay updated on new offerings or industry shifts.

6. Communication and Presentation Skills

• Skill Description: Clear, persuasive, and professional communication in pitches, meetings, and written proposals.

• Why It Matters: A BDE often serves as the face of the company, influencing client perceptions.

• Strong verbal and written communication tailored to different audiences (e.g., C-suite vs. mid-level managers).

• Confidence in delivering polished presentations or demos.

• Ability to craft compelling proposals or emails that drive engagement.

7. Strategic Thinking and Planning

• Skill Description: Developing and executing a strategic approach to achieve sales targets and penetrate new markets.

• Why It Matters: Business development requires long-term planning, not just short-term wins.

• Experience creating territory or account plans to prioritize high-value opportunities.

• Ability to analyze market data and identify growth opportunities.

• Skill in forecasting sales and managing pipelines to meet quotas.

8. Resilience and Adaptability

• Skill Description: Staying motivated in the face of rejection and adapting to changing market conditions or client needs.

• Why It Matters: Sales cycles can be long, and setbacks are common in business development.

• A track record of persistence in pursuing challenging deals.

• Ability to pivot strategies when faced with obstacles (e.g., new competitors, budget cuts).

• Positive attitude and self-motivation under pressure.

9. Collaboration and Teamwork

• Skill Description: Working effectively with internal teams (e.g., marketing, product, customer success) to support the sales process.

• Why It Matters: Business development often requires cross-functional alignment to deliver on client expectations.

• Experience collaborating with marketing to refine lead generation strategies.

• Ability to coordinate with technical or delivery teams to address client requirements.

• Strong team-oriented mindset to share insights and contribute to overall goals.

10. Data-Driven Decision Making

• Skill Description: Using data and analytics to guide sales strategies and measure performance.

• Why It Matters: Managers value candidates who can back their decisions with metrics and optimize their approach.

• Proficiency in CRM tools to track and analyze sales activities.

• Ability to interpret KPIs (e.g., conversion rates, pipeline velocity) to improve outcomes.

• Experience using data to prioritize leads or refine pitches.

This Job can be Performed from anywhere in the US.

ABOUT BUSINESS UNIT

IBM Consulting is IBM's consulting and global professional services business, with market leading capabilities in business and technology transformation. With deep expertise in many industries, we offer strategy, experience, technology, and operations services to many of the most innovative and valuable companies in the world. Our people are focused on accelerating our clients' businesses through the power of collaboration. We believe in the power of technology responsibly used to help people, partners and the planet.

YOUR LIFE @ IBM

In a world where technology never stands still, we understand that, dedication to our clients success, innovation that matters, and trust and personal responsibility in all our relationships, lives in what we do as IBMers as we strive to be the catalyst that makes the world work better.

Being an IBMer means you'll be able to learn and develop yourself and your career, you'll be encouraged to be courageous and experiment everyday, all whilst having continuous trust and support in an environment where everyone can thrive whatever their personal or professional background.

Our IBMers are growth minded, always staying curious, open to feedback and learning new information and skills to constantly transform themselves and our company. They are trusted to provide on-going feedback to help other IBMers grow, as well as collaborate with colleagues keeping in mind a team focused approach to include different perspectives to drive exceptional outcomes for our customers. The courage our IBMers have to make critical decisions everyday is essential to IBM becoming the catalyst for progress, always embracing challenges with resources they have to hand, a can-do attitude and always striving for an outcome focused approach within everything that they do.

Are you ready to be an IBMer?

ABOUT IBM

IBM's greatest invention is the IBMer. We believe that through the application of intelligence, reason and science, we can improve business, society and the human condition, bringing the power of an open hybrid cloud and AI strategy to life for our clients and partners around the world.

Restlessly reinventing since 1911, we are not only one of the largest corporate organizations in the world, we're also one of the biggest technology and consulting employers, with many of the Fortune 50 companies relying on the IBM Cloud to run their business.

At IBM, we pride ourselves on being an early adopter of artificial intelligence, quantum computing and blockchain. Now it's time for you to join us on our journey to being a responsible technology innovator and a force for good in the world.

IBM is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualifiedapplicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race,color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexualorientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability,neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is alsocommitted to compliance with all fair employment practices regardingcitizenship and immigration status.

OTHER RELEVANT JOB DETAILS

IBM offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program. Eligible employees may have access to:

• Healthcare benefits including medical & prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, and mental health & well being
• Financial programs such as 401(k), the IBM Employee Stock Purchase Plan, financial counseling, life insurance, short & long- term disability coverage, and opportunities for performance based salary incentive programs
• Generous paid time off including 12 holidays, minimum 56 hours sick time, 120 hours vacation, 12 weeks parental bonding leave in accordance with IBM Policy, and other Paid Care Leave programs. IBM also offers paid family leave benefits to eligible employees where required by applicable law
• Training and educational resources on our personalized, AI-driven learning platform where IBMers can grow skills and obtain industry-recognized certifications to achieve their career goals
• Diverse and inclusive employee resource groups, giving & volunteer opportunities, and discounts on retail products, services & experiences

We consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable law.

This position was posted on the date cited in the key job details section and is anticipated to remain posted for 21 days from this date or less if not needed to fill the role.