Client Acquisition Specialist

Akoni Technologies; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A growing IT consulting firm in Reading is seeking a Client Acquisition Specialist to drive private-sector growth. This role involves identifying new clients, leading the sales cycle, and building strong commercial relationships. The ideal candidate has a proven track record in IT sales and significant experience in client acquisition and negotiation. This position offers a competitive salary along with uncapped commission, along with numerous perks including health insurance and performance-based career progression.

Benefits

Competitive base salary with uncapped commission

24 days annual leave plus a birthday leave

Health insurance with discounts

Regular team events and social activities

Career progression opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven experience in private-sector IT sales or client acquisition.
• Strong track record of securing new clients and closing deals.
• Solid understanding of IT consulting and digital transformation.

Responsibilities

• Identify and win new private-sector clients across various sectors.
• Manage the full sales cycle from prospecting to closure.
• Build relationships with senior stakeholders.

Skills

IT sales experience

Client acquisition

Negotiation skills

CRM systems

Communication skills

Job description

Client Acquisition Specialist

Location: Green Park, Reading (Mon–Thu in-office, Fri WFH)

Salary: Competitive base + Uncapped Commission

About Akoni Technologies

Akoni Technologies is a fast-growing IT Consulting & Resourcing company specialising in ServiceNow, Oracle Cloud, Cyber Security, Cloud Engineering, Data, DevOps and Software Engineering. We support both public and private-sector organisations by providing high-quality consultants (on-demand resourcing), project delivery teams and niche technology experts.

We are now seeking a high-performing Client Acquisition Specialist to drive private-sector expansion and secure new commercial partnerships.

Role Overview

The Client Acquisition Manager will be responsible for identifying, engaging and converting new private-sector clients. You will lead outbound business development, build strong commercial relationships and secure profitable deals across consulting services and resourcing.

This is a high-impact, revenue-driven role suited to someone who thrives on winning business, building networks and closing deals.

Key Responsibilities

New Business Generation

• Identify, target and win new private-sector clients across sectors including Finance, Retail, Energy, Technology, Manufacturing, Legal and Healthcare.
• Build and manage a strong pipeline for both consulting engagements and IT resourcing.
• Drive proactive outreach campaigns via LinkedIn, email, industry events and direct calling.
• Position Akoni as a trusted delivery partner for digital transformation, cloud, data and technology-driven programmes.

Deal Acquisition & Negotiation

• Own the full sales cycle : prospecting → qualification → pitching → proposals → negotiation → closure.
• Develop tailored proposals, capability packs and commercial offerings.
• Confidently negotiate rates, margins, MSAs and SOWs.
• Ensure all deals meet revenue, margin and delivery expectations.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain relationships with senior stakeholders (CTOs, CIOs, Engineering Directors, Transformation Leads, Procurement and TA teams).
• Attend client meetings, industry events and networking forums to elevate Akoni’s commercial presence.
• Understand client challenges and shape solutions using Akoni’s delivery capability.

Market & Sector Intelligence

• Research market trends to uncover new service opportunities and emerging technology demands.
• Monitor competitor offerings, pricing and sector shifts (AI, digital transformation, cyber, data).
• Provide insights to help refine Akoni’s private-sector strategy and service positioning.

Internal Collaboration

• Work closely with Delivery Leads to match consultants and shape winning solutions.
• Collaborate with Marketing and the Bid Team on campaigns, content and client propositions.
• Provide accurate weekly forecasts, pipeline updates and performance insights to leadership.

Required Skills & Experience

Essential

• Proven experience in private-sector IT sales, business development or client acquisition.
• Strong track record of securing new clients and closing commercial deals.
• Solid understanding of IT consulting, digital transformation and technology resourcing.
• Confident negotiator, experienced with MSAs, SOWs, commercials and rate structures.
• First-class communication, presentation and relationship-building skills.
• Competence with CRM systems and pipeline management.
• Strong prospecting ability and outbound engagement skills.
• Experience collaborating with marketing, bid and delivery teams to shape proposals.
• Comfortable representing Akoni at events, meetups and partner sessions.

Desirable

• Experience selling into mid-market and enterprise organisations.
• Knowledge of high-growth sectors (FinTech, Energy, Retail Tech, SaaS, Digital Health).
• Experience selling both project-based work and resource augmentation.

Personal Attributes

• Highly driven, ambitious and target-focused.
• Commercially astute with strong business acumen.
• Professional, polished and confident engaging senior decision-makers.
• Entrepreneurial mindset, thrives in a fast-growing, agile environment.
• Strong organisation, follow-through and time-management skills.

What’s Included in Your Role at Akoni

• Competitive base salary + uncapped commission structure.
• 24 days annual leave plus an extra day for your birthday (excl. bank holidays).
• Vitality health insurance & rewards (after probation), with discounts on high-street and online retailers.
• Regular team meetups, events and social activities.
• Clear performance-based career progression with achievable milestones.
• Access to Reading Green Park events and networking opportunities.