Vendor Account Manager & Auctioneer

Cox Enterprises; Colchester; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Option to buy additional holiday days

Birthday off (paid)

Well-Being Day

Charity Day

Career progression opportunities

Competitive pension scheme

Job summary

Manheim Auction Services, part of Cox Enterprises, is seeking a Vendor Account Manager & Auctioneer in Colchester. The role blends live and digital auctioneering with consultative account management across key dealer, corporate and finance clients to drive vehicle volumes and revenue.

You will lead provisional bids, negotiate post-sale outcomes, grow vendor relationships and ensure delivery of SLAs and KPIs while using Salesforce for reporting and stakeholder communication.

Qualifications

• 2+ years’ experience as a car and van auctioneer.
• Account management knowledge in automotive industry.
• Strong influencing and relationship-building abilities.
• Proven strategic selling and account management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• CRM/Salesforce experience.
• Team-oriented with customer service focus.
• Ability to develop and deliver customer pitches.

Responsibilities

• Offer vehicles as an auctioneer in live and digital sales to maximise value.
• Own provisional bids and manage branch bids.
• Negotiate post-sale bids with buyers and vendors to maximise price and conversions.
• Develop vendor relationships and create growth strategies across Cox Automotive network.
• Ensure vendor SLA and KPI delivery and timely reporting.
• Use Salesforce for reporting and vendor communication.
• Work with Service Delivery, Operations and Buyer Services to meet targets.
• Lead vendor review meetings and provide reporting.
• Aim to maximise vehicle volumes remarketed and purchased by vendors.

Skills

Auctioneer experience

Account management

Influencing skills

Strategic selling

Relationship management

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

Customer focus

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Vendor Account Manager & Auctioneer

Colchester

£48,957

40 hours a week (Monday – Friday)

Accelerate your career with a company that leads the way!

Overview

Manheim Auction Services is proud to be part of Cox Enterprises — a family-run company with a remarkable 120-year legacy of innovation and forward thinking. As the world’s largest automotive services organization, we’re a global force with more than 24,000 team members supporting over 40,000 customers worldwide.

At Manheim, we believe our differences drive us forward. We champion a culture where everyone — our people, clients, and communities — can thrive together, united by respect, inclusion, and a shared passion for progress. Diversity isn’t just a value; it’s a vital part of our success.

Manheim Auction Services offers a seamless blend of physical and digital auctions, connecting buyers and vendors with an extensive range of vehicles. Whether in person or online, we’re redefining the vehicle auction experience — one transaction at a time.

Why Join Us & What’s In It For You?

As a Cox Automotive team member, you’ll have access to a wide range of benefits, including exclusive discounts, cashback offers and our brilliant peer to peer recognition scheme. And there’s even more to enjoy:

• Option to buy additional holiday days
• Your birthday off every year - paid
• One annual Well-Being Day for you to relax and recharge
• One paid Charity Day to give back and support a cause that matters to you
• Opportunities for career progression across the Cox Automotive network
• Competitive pension scheme

About The Role

As a Vendor Account Manager, you’ll build strong client relationships, grow revenue and maximise business opportunities across Manheim and Cox Automotive. Combining consultative account management with onsite auctioneering, you’ll lead a portfolio of key dealer, corporate and finance clients, driving vehicle volumes, client retention and revenue growth through proactive relationship management and collaboration.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Responsible for offering vehicles as an auctioneer in a live environment for sale via physical and digital sales channels, ensuring you do everything possible to maximise the vehicle value.
• Be the owner or provisional bids in the branch.
• Negotiate and convert provisional bids post-sale by engaging with buyers and vendors to achieve an agreed price and maximise vehicle conversion rates while delivering a positive customer experience.
• Actively seek and negotiate bids on unsold vehicles post-sale, converting unsold stock and increasing the conversion rate.
• Develop and grow relationships with existing vendors creating business development strategies that will identify new opportunities for increasing sales to achieve wallet share growth
• Ensuring the delivery of vendor SLA and KPI’s
• Active conduit for issue resolution.
• Maintain regular vendor contact and ensure timely delivery of vendor/client reports.
• Effective and regular use of the Salesforce tool.
• The ability to work with the team and vendors to develop solution led services is critical.
• To deliver target objectives across all vendor service areas. To be an active team member within the internal team and to be accountable and available to your vendor base in a structured manner.
• The key objectives are to gain the maximum volume of vehicles to remarket and gain the maximum number of vehicles to be purchased by the vendor. The role demands strategic selling and the ability to deliver and demonstrate value to the vendor.
• Undertaking effective vendor review meetings at appropriate frequency is a prerequisite along with the provision of appropriate reporting to the vendor and internally.
• To work closely with the internal Service Delivery, Operations, Logistics and Buyer Services teams to ensure that the delivery of vendor SLA and KPI’s are being met and associated reporting is undertaken.
• Oversee the handling of sales performance through provisional, during and post-sale. Set and meet all provisional conversion targets seeking improvements and identifying training requirements for self and team
• Develop robust relationships with key regional customers & allocated portfolio, demonstrating knowledge and understanding of market trends within the region to advise and enhance the customer experience.
• Ensure effective Stock channel management between physical and online where applicable
• Develop relationships with key Cox Automotive team members e.g. Next Gear Capital

What We’re Looking For

• 2 Years+ Experience as an Auctioneer of Cars & Vans
• Account management knowledge and automotive industry competence.
• Evidence of high-level influencing skills.
• Evidence of strategic selling and strategic account management
• Proven relationship management and excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
• Forward thinking planning decision making.
• Analytically orientated
• Automotive Industry experience and specifically knowledge of automotive dealerships and the used car market is desirable.
• High awareness of customer service, a genuine desire to provide customers with service excellence and encourage such awareness in staff.
• Results orientation with the ability to effectively influence team performance.
• Use of CRM, Salesforce or other
• Ability to create a solid customer review and evidence of being able to demonstrate a refined customer ‘pitch’.

We’re Committed to Inclusion

We are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in all its forms. We are a place where you can be you.