Fast Facts

Cengage Group is seeking an Inside Account Executive to grow their digital learning solutions business within the higher education market, focusing on effective customer engagement and sales strategies.

Responsibilities: Engage with customers to understand their needs, demonstrate digital solutions, manage sales pipelines, collaborate with internal teams for customer satisfaction, and achieve sales targets.

Skills: Minimum 2 years of customer-facing or education experience, digital proficiency, strong communication skills, and organizational abilities are required.

Qualifications: Preferred qualifications include direct sales experience, prior edtech sales experience, and proficiency in social media platforms.

Location: Remote work from home, with occasional travel to customer meetings or in-person team meetings as needed; candidates should be in or near Independence, KY.

Compensation: $21 - $28 / Hourly

We believe in the power and joy of learning

At Cengage Group, our employees have a direct impact in helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.   

Our culture values inclusion, engagement, and discovery

Our business is driven by our strong culture, and we know that creating an inclusive workplace is absolutely essential to the success of our company and our learners, as well as our individual well-being. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives in everything we do, and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. We achieve these priorities through programs, benefits, and initiatives that are integrated into the fabric of how we work every day. To learn more, please see https://www.cengagegroup.com/about/inclusion-and-belonging/.   

The Account Executive role is an inside sales position working with customers within the college and universities market to offer digital learning solutions. The goal of this role is to grow your territory through sourcing/closing new business with a high level of customer engagement. We are looking for a professional with experience working with customers or students, a digital aptitude, motivated by goal achievement, desire to collaborate with diverse thought, audiences, and team, and a has a passion for education.   

This role works remotely from home, but may travel to for a customer meeting or sales and team meetings as needed. Depending on location, may join the team in the office 1 week per month.   

What you'll do here:

Our Account Executives are part of the North America Higher Education Sales team and play a critical role in driving revenue growth by offering digital learning solutions that facilitate higher education students and faculty to achieve their priorities. Account Executives engage customers via live phone calls and online interactions to understand customer needs and challenges, demo digital solutions and answer questions, collaborate with internal teams and resources to deliver customer satisfaction, and develop a pipeline and strategies to source/close new sales opportunities. In addition, this position collaborates with the Customer Success team on strategies to retain base customers and expand opportunities.   

Success in this role is measured by meeting or exceeding your sales goals, achieving operational perfection and effective pipeline management, and demonstrating leadership within your territory. This position requires customer interaction experience with record of achieving sales goals, digital aptitude, experience establishing relationships with customer decision-makers, and willingness to optimize your time effectively from your desk engaging customers.   

You will be supported with clear goals and expectations, regular coaching, opportunities to build and strengthen your sales capabilities, internal resources and sales support, and a team of dedicated sales and marketing professionals passionate about education.   

Key Accountabilities

Plan for Success

• Plans, organizes, and prioritizes sales activities to achieve sales targets
• Uses Salesforce to develop and maintain opportunities pipeline for every account in assigned territory
• Creates and implements strategic plans for opportunities through resource management and internal collaboration
• Develops product knowledge and digital skills for sales calls, presentations, and delivery of digital courses
• Collaborates with the Customer Success team to support instructor course set-up and student course access to drive digital activations and usage
• Builds itineraries and daily plans that effectively address territory priorities and optimizes customer engagement   

Deliver Results

• Achieves and/or exceeds established sales targets by promoting Cengage solutions to customers
• Conducts sales calls virtually over the phone or via Microsoft Teams (or in-person when needed) with decision makers to identify needs, propose solutions, and establish relationships
• Represents all product offerings and platforms across disciplines for the territory
• Collaborates internally with account partners to implement institutional sales strategies and ensures complete coverage of all Cengage solutions for an account
• Partners with Customer Success teams for digital customer course builds, training, and implementation
• Confirms and communicates details with customers on options to access Cengage content in use at each account
• Develops relationships with channel partners to coordinate shared delivery of content and gain understanding of campus initiatives 

Manage your business

• Uses data to identify priorities for allocation of time and resources
• Continues ongoing updates and maintenance of Salesforce
• Handles travel, business and sampling budgets effectively
• Provides clear, timely communication and accurate reporting
• Exhibits digital proficiency with internal systems and when sharing Cengage solutions
• Perform accountabilities within an available home workspace that is free of distractions  

Skills you will need here:

• Minimum 2 years of customer facing or education/training experience with track record of success, including Associate’s or Bachelor's degree or minimum of 5 years of related experience with High School diploma
• Digital skills to demonstrate products to customers
• Compelling communication capabilities verbally and in writing to engage customers and present solutions
• Experience building trusting relationships with decision-makers
• Driven to succeed by goal setting, strengthening skills and knowledge, competitive spirit, and satisfaction of helping customers achieve their goals
• Strong organizational and time management skills to build territory plans, track sales opportunities and activities, and balance time with multiple priorities
• Ability to enhance collaboration and performance through valuing diversity of thought and working with diverse audiences both internally and externally
• Flexible and adaptable to change in strategies, operations, and market conditions
• Proficiency in PC and Microsoft Office applications to complete tasks and communicate internally and externally
• Ability to travel (1 - 4 times per year) as needed to meet with customers and for sales meetings via both auto and air.
• Must be located within assigned sales territory or within driving distance from our Independence, KY office   

Additional qualifications to achieve success quickly, but not required:

• Direct sales, marketing, or editorial experience preferred
• Prior ed tech sales experience preferred
• Proficiency in social media web platforms preferred    

Cengage Group's Higher Education business, Cengage, supports learning and student success by providing materials and digital solutions to faculty and students enrolled in two-year, four-year and vocational programs. We currently serve more than 10 million of the 18 million students in US higher ed. Setting a new standard of service for our customers, we deliver quality, easy-to-use course materials from textbooks and eBooks to courseware such as MindTap and WebAssign. We help instructors be better teachers, we help institutions solve problems and we empower students to leverage the power and joy of learning to transform lives.   

Cengage Group is committed to working with broad talent pools to attract and hire strong and most qualified individuals. Our job applicants are considered regardless of race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, veteran status, and any other classification protected by applicable federal, state, provincial or local laws.  

Cengage is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities including during our job application process. If you are an applicant with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in our job application process, please contact us at [email protected] or at +1 (617)289-7917.   

About Cengage Group

Cengage Group, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Compensation

At Cengage Group, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees. Click here to learn more about our Total Rewards Philosophy.

The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location. Sales roles often incorporate a significant incentive compensation program beyond this base pay range.

$21.00 - $28.00 USD