Commercial Sales Lead

JR United Kingdom; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A progressive digital marketing agency seeks a Sales Lead to drive premium client engagement while aligning with ethical values. This role requires strategic thinking, strong relationship-building, and proven sales experience to evolve the agency's sales function. Join a dynamic team committed to meaningful work that impacts growth sustainably.

Benefits

Competitive Salary

Flexible working

Volunteering days

Bespoke training

Emergency loan

Free refreshments

Socials and trips

Healthcare plan

3:30pm Friday Finish

Sabbatical

Qualifications

• Experience securing and growing large client retainers (£60k+/year).
• Strong understanding of performance marketing channels.
• Natural networker with access to decision-makers.

Responsibilities

• Lead sales engine and collaboration with marketing.
• Convert ethically aligned prospects into long-term clients.
• Manage sales qualifications and pipeline reporting.

Skills

Sales Strategy

Relationship Building

Negotiation

Presentation Skills

Commercial Acumen

Education

Proven track record in sales/business development

Job description

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Climbing Trees is a dynamic and innovative digital advertising agency comprising a close-knit team of professionals. We pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment where creativity and strategic thinking thrive. As we continue to grow, we recognise the need to enhance our human resources practices to support our team's development and well-being. We want to be an excellent place for our staff to do some of the best work of their careers.

Climbing Trees is a dynamic and innovative digital advertising agency comprising a close-knit team of professionals. We pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment where creativity and strategic thinking thrive. As we continue to grow, we recognise the need to enhance our human resources practices to support our team's development and well-being. We want to be an excellent place for our staff to do some of the best work of their careers.

Our values

We’re seeking someone that truly connects with our values - to promote them internally and help us embed them in our decisions, our actions, and our impact every single day.

We are ethical

Everything we do is underpinned with honesty, impeccable decision-making, kindness and thoughtfulness. The team share a passion for building a sustainable and inclusive future. We work together to find solutions for our clients’ challenges while always considering their impact on the wider world.

We are curious

We’re always learning, staying ahead of trends, and exploring new ideas with open and inquisitive minds. This means clients can expect industry leading digital marketing campaigns with results to match. Our regular thought leadership, research and events and an insight into our inquisitive mind.

We are caring

We genuinely give a damn about our clients, their businesses and our work. We take their success personally, our desire to succeed means we invest our time and emotions into doing a great job.

We are client-focused

We pride ourselves on keeping good company. When we find a client that aligns with our values and has interesting challenges we can solve, we don’t let them go! Our exceptional client service and quest to always add value is how we have forged such long-lasting relationships

As Sales Lead, you’ll own the commercial growth of Climbing Trees by bringing in premium clients that align with our ethical mission. You’ll combine your agency experience, strategic mindset, and exceptional relationship-building skills to move away from volume-based sales and build consultative, high-value partnerships.

You will lead our sales engine, collaborate across the agency, and serve as a visible brand ambassador in the right rooms—connecting us with the clients we’re here to serve.

Sales Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and lead a robust sales engine in collaboration with our marketing team (Friday Sorted)
• Shape and refine a consultative, ethical sales strategy aligned with our mission and revenue goals
• Lead the qualification, management, and reporting of the prospect pipeline
• Create clear and actionable KPI frameworks, focused on quality over quantity

Business Development & Client Acquisition

• Identify, engage, and convert ethically aligned prospects into high-value, long-term clients (retainers of £60k+ annually)
• Leverage your existing network and presence at relevant industry and sustainability events to connect with senior decision-makers
• Present tailored proposals that reflect our performance marketing expertise and ethical positioning
• Build and nurture relationships that are advisory—not transactional

Commercial & Operational Excellence

• Accurately forecast revenue and lead conversion metrics
• Ensure robust CRM hygiene and data-driven pipeline reporting
• Support our agency’s shift toward premium positioning and away from high-volume/low-revenue clients
• Drive negotiation strategies that focus on value, not discounting

Thought Leadership & Brand Advocacy

• Represent Climbing Trees publicly as a credible, inspiring leader, you will have an interest in our market and sharing that knowledge to build our reputation within the digital marketing space.
• Collaborate on thought leadership content to position the agency as a go-to expert in ethical digital marketing
• Be a role model across the agency, promoting cross-team collaboration and client-first thinking

Key Challenges:

As the first dedicated sales lead, you’ll need to bring the wider team on the journey — especially where sales processes impact delivery and marketing.

Wearing Multiple Hats

With a lean team, you'll need to be comfortable flexing between business development, marketing collaboration, pipeline reporting

Filtering for Fit

Finding clients that align with both commercial goals and ethical values will require rigorous qualification and long-term vision.

Refine and Elevate a Proven Sales Foundation

This is a unique opportunity to take an already successful, founder-led sales function and evolve it into a focused, scalable engine — refining what's worked, formalising best practices, and unlocking sustainable growth.

Define How Values-Driven Sales Work

Learn how to sell ethically — not just for profit, but for impact — and help create a new model for sustainable agency growth.

Direct Access to Strategy

Close collaboration with leadership means your input will shape positioning, service design, and client experience.

Master Selling into Purpose-Led Sectors

Hone your ability to speak to sustainability, B Corp, and ESG-driven decision-makers — a highly valuable and emerging skillset.

Be the Catalyst for Scale

Your work will lay the foundation for future hires, tools, and systems that enable growth beyond founder-led sales.

Our ideal candidate will:

• Have a proven track record in a sales or business development role within a digital or performance marketing agency securing and growing large client retainers (£60k+/year)
• Deep understanding of performance marketing channels (PPC, SEO, Paid Social, Analytics)
• Strong commercial acumen with accurate forecasting and KPI tracking ability
• Exceptional pitch, presentation, and negotiation skills
• Outstanding relationship-building and qualification skills
• Natural networker with access to the right events and executive decision-makers
• Strategic thinker who can communicate our unique ethical value proposition

Whats it like to work at Climbing Trees?

At Climbing Trees, we’re a tight-knit, purpose-driven team that thrives on collaboration, transparency, and doing great work that does good in the world. We’re small enough to stay agile, but established enough to have processes that work — and we’re always open to evolving them.

How We Work Together:

• Collaborative, Not Hierarchical – Everyone’s voice matters. We work together across roles to solve problems, win business, and deliver impactful campaigns.
• Purpose-Led – We’re values-first, not just in who we work with, but how we treat each other. Trust, integrity, and sustainability guide both our client work and internal culture.
• High Standards, Low Ego – We care about quality and accountability, without the politics or posturing.
• Open Communication – Weekly team meetings, clear reporting, and approachable leadership keep everyone aligned and in the loop.
• Focus Time + Flow – While we value collaboration, we also protect time for deep work — respecting boundaries and individual ways of working.
• In-Office Culture – With 3 days a week together in our Essex office, we prioritise real connection, shared energy, and informal idea-sharing.

Benefits

Competitive Salary

We proudly offer a competitive salary designed to recognise and reward your talent and impact.

Flexible working

We’ve been working flexibly and remotely since before it was trendy.

Volunteering days

Choose how you want to make personal impact by volunteering on our time.

Bespoke training

Access a self-directed training plan tailored just for you.

Boundaries

Look after yourself, always make time to switch off.

Emergency loan

Life can throw unexpected curveballs, be covered with a £1k emergency loan once you’ve passed probation.

Free refreshments

We keep you going with free tea, coffee, and fruit in the office. (plus free air right?!)

Socials and trips

We shut the office annually to spend time as a team, as well as lots of socials throughout the year.

Healthcare

To keep you fighting fit, take up our private healthcare plan.

3:30pm Friday Finish

Look forward to the weekend and get the Friday feeling by finishing early

Sabbatical

Take time out to rediscover yourself once you’ve been with Climbing Trees for ten years.

Happy Birthday!

Our gift to you is to never have to work your birthday again.