Business Development Executive, Insurance & Benefits

Avant Imaging and Integrated Media Inc.; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 650,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

AIIM is seeking a proven business development professional to own the complete sales cycle for a North American territory with a Canadian focus. The role demands hunting new business, not account management, and targets $750k in new revenue in the first year.

You will work from AIIM’s Toronto office on a hybrid basis, engaging insurers, brokerages and benefits providers across Canada and beyond. A strong background in insurance communications and multi-stakeholder sales is essential.

Qualifications

• At least three years of successful business development or full-cycle sales experience selling to insurance carriers, brokerages, life and health insurers, benefits providers or related organizations.
• Proven record of achieving sales targets and closing net-new business within the insurance or benefits industry.
• Practical understanding of insurance communications (policyholder, member, broker) and lifecycle.
• Experience navigating complex sales with multiple decision-makers, procurement requirements, RFPs and extended cycles.
• Ability to prospect independently, conduct effective discovery and convert opportunities into agreements.
• Strong presentation, proposal-development and negotiation skills.
• Disciplined CRM, pipeline-management and forecasting practices.
• Ability to work from AIIM’s Toronto office on hybrid basis while managing a North American territory.

Responsibilities

• Build and execute a target-account strategy across the insurance, brokerage and benefits sectors.
• Generate opportunities through focused prospecting, referrals, industry knowledge and strategic outreach.
• Engage senior stakeholders across policyholder and member communications, policy services, marketing, operations, claims, broker distribution, group benefits, procurement, digital and data.
• Lead consultative discovery conversations to understand communication requirements and business priorities.
• Identify opportunities to improve individual communications and coordinate print, mail, email and SMS across programs.
• Manage presentations, proposals, RFPs, negotiations and contracting through to a signed agreement.

Skills

Insurance sales

Prospecting

Multi-stakeholder selling

HubSpot

Tools

HubSpot CRM

Job description

AIIM is hiring a proven business development professional with experience creating and closing opportunities across the insurance and benefits industry.

Your target market will include:

• Property and casualty insurance carriers
• Life and health insurance companies
• National and regional insurance brokerages and broker networks
• Managing general agents
• Group benefits carriers and providers
• Benefits administrators and third-party administrators
• Other insurance and benefits organizations serving Canadian policyholders, members, plan sponsors, brokers or advisors

This is not an entry-level sales position, and it is not an account-management role. It is a 100% new-business hunting role for an experienced seller who understands the insurance and benefits ecosystem and can navigate complex, multi-stakeholder buying processes.

You will own the complete sales cycle from initial prospecting through signed contract. You will not inherit an established portfolio. Your first-year target will be $750,000 in new revenue.

The territory

The role has a North American reach, with a clear Canadian-market mandate. In addition to Canadian-headquartered organizations, you may pursue North American insurers, brokerages and benefits providers that have Canadian operations, Canadian market share or communications delivered to Canadian policyholders, plan members, plan sponsors, brokers and advisors.

The opportunity

Insurance and benefits organizations depend on accurate, secure and timely communications throughout the policyholder and member lifecycle.

AIIM has extensive experience producing and mailing insurance policies and other essential client communications. These include new policies, policy renewals, declarations, endorsements, client notices, billing communications, claims correspondence, regulatory notices, benefits communications, welcome packages and broker or advisor materials.

AIIM also helps clients improve how these communications work together. Sequential communication programs can coordinate email, personalized print and mail, and SMS in a planned series based on timing, delivery, response or customer action. For example, an email may be followed by a personalized mailed notice and an SMS reminder to help increase awareness and response.

You will be able to sell:

• Insurance-policy production and mailing, including new policies, renewals, declarations and endorsements
• Client notices, billing communications, claims correspondence, regulatory communications and other transactional print and mail
• Direct-mail programs supporting acquisition, retention, renewal and policyholder or member engagement
• Sequential communications combining email, personalized print and mail, and SMS
• Large-format printing, signage and environmental graphics for offices, branches, broker locations, conferences and customer-facing environments
• Integrated communication programs delivered across multiple channels

This is an opportunity to sell more than a single product. You can enter an account by solving one immediate communication need and then identify additional opportunities across the policyholder, member, broker and advisor communication lifecycle.

What you will own

• Build and execute a target-account strategy across the insurance, brokerage and benefits sectors.
• Generate your own opportunities through focused prospecting, referrals, industry knowledge and strategic outreach.
• Engage senior stakeholders across policyholder and member communications, policy services, marketing, operations, claims, broker distribution, group benefits, procurement, digital and data.
• Lead consultative discovery conversations to understand communication requirements, service challenges, compliance considerations and business priorities.
• Identify opportunities to improve individual communications and coordinate communications across print, mail, email and SMS.
• Work with AIIM’s solutions, data, estimating, production and operations teams to develop proposals that are valuable to the client and achievable for AIIM.
• Manage presentations, proposals, RFPs, negotiations and contracting through to a signed agreement, then transition the new client to AIIM’s onboarding and account teams.
• Maintain a disciplined pipeline, accurate activity history and reliable sales forecast in HubSpot.

What success looks like

During your first 90 days, you will learn AIIM’s capabilities, develop a prioritized target-account plan and begin building qualified opportunities within the insurance and benefits market.

Your first-year objective is to close $750,000 in new revenue while establishing a strong pipeline for continued growth.

This role is best suited to someone who is comfortable creating their own momentum. You will have internal expertise and operational support behind you, but you must bring the experience, industry knowledge and discipline required to find and close new business.

What you bring

• At least three years of successful business development or full-cycle sales experience selling to insurance carriers, insurance brokerages, life and health insurers, benefits providers or related organizations.
• A demonstrated record of achieving sales targets and closing net-new business within the insurance or benefits industry.
• A practical understanding of insurance-policy, policyholder, member, broker or benefits communications.
• Experience navigating complex sales involving multiple decision-makers, procurement requirements, security reviews, RFPs and extended sales cycles.
• The ability to prospect independently, conduct effective discovery and convert opportunities into commercially sound agreements.
• Strong presentation, proposal-development and negotiation skills.
• Disciplined CRM, pipeline-management and forecasting practices.
• The ability to work from AIIM’s Toronto office on a hybrid basis while managing a North American territory.

Experience selling insurance-policy production, transactional mail, direct mail, digital communications, large-format print or integrated client-communication solutions is strongly preferred.

Compensation and earning opportunity

In addition to base salary, the position offers uncapped commission earned on new revenue under AIIM’s sales compensation plan. There is no ceiling on commission earnings, giving successful performers a genuine opportunity to earn substantial income as they build the territory and close new business.

Why AIIM

AIIM gives experienced sellers an established and credible delivery platform behind every opportunity.

From our approximately 103,000-square-foot Toronto facility, AIIM helps leading organizations plan, produce and deliver secure communications across print, mail, digital channels and physical environments. AIIM is SOC 2 Type II compliant, ISO 9001:2015 certified and a Canada Post Expert Partner.

You will be supported by experienced specialists across solutions, data, estimating, production, operations and client experience, allowing you to focus on what you do best: creating opportunities and winning new clients.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

AIIM is committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Accommodation is available upon request throughout the recruitment and selection process.