Sales Manager (digital advertising agency)

Blue Wheel; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

401(k) with match

Paid time off

Paternal leave

Paid holidays

Wellness program

Job summary

Blue Wheel is seeking an experienced Agency Partnerships Sales Manager to drive new business growth. The role requires building pipeline, developing relationships with senior brand and marketing executives, and leading complex opportunities from discovery to close.

You will work hands-on, leveraging an established network and a track record of selling digital marketing or agency services. Collaboration with practice leaders is essential to craft compelling solutions.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in agency sales or related services with responsibility for closing new business.
• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets and closing significant engagements.
• Self-sourcing opportunities and building a pipeline are essential.
• Established network of senior relationships across brands, marketing, ecommerce or related industries.
• Experience selling complex digital marketing, media, ecommerce, or agency solutions.
• Ability to engage CMOs, VPs of Marketing, ecommerce executives and other senior decision-makers.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of qualified prospects aligned with Blue Wheel’s target client profile.
• Generate self-sourced opportunities through an established network, direct outreach, referrals, industry relationships and other prospecting activities.
• Manage inbound opportunities and convert qualified leads into active sales opportunities.
• Consistently develop new relationships with senior marketing, ecommerce, and business decision-makers.
• Create and execute account-based prospecting strategies for high-value target brands.
• Meet or exceed established new business and revenue targets.
• Own the sales process from initial prospecting and discovery through proposal, negotiation, and close.
• Lead discovery conversations to understand prospective clients’ business objectives, marketing challenges, current agency relationships, and growth opportunities.
• Navigate complex sales cycles involving multiple stakeholders, capabilities, and significant scopes of work.
• Lead executive pitches, presentations, RFP responses, and other major new business opportunities.
• Maintain urgency and momentum throughout the sales cycle, proactively identifying and addressing barriers to close.
• Develop strong relationships and establish trust with senior decision-makers throughout the sales process.

Skills

Self-source opportunities

Build pipeline

Executive relationships

Complex sales cycles

Negotiation skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Blue Wheel is a digital performance marketing agency that helps brands connect the people, platforms, and insights that drive growth across modern commerce. With more than 100 team members and four offices across the U.S., we've built a culture where curiosity is encouraged, ownership is expected, collaboration is valued, and trust is earned through action. These principles guide how we work with clients and how we support one another as a team. If this sounds like a team you want to build with, we’d love to meet you.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced agency sales leader to drive new business growth for Blue Wheel. The Sales Manager, Agency Partnerships will be responsible for building pipeline, developing relationships with senior brand and marketing executives, leading complex sales opportunities, and converting prospects into Blue Wheel clients.

This is a hands-on sales role. The ideal candidate brings an established network, a track record of generating their own opportunities, and demonstrated success selling sophisticated digital marketing, media, ecommerce, or agency services. They will own the sales process from prospecting and initial outreach through discovery, pitch development, negotiation, and close.

Success requires more than traditional selling skills. This individual must understand the marketing and commerce landscape well enough to identify client needs, connect those needs to Blue Wheel’s capabilities, and credibly engage senior decision-makers. They will work closely with agency subject matter experts to develop compelling solutions while maintaining ownership and momentum throughout the sales process.

Responsibilities

New Business Development

• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of qualified prospects aligned with Blue Wheel’s target client profile.
• Generate self-sourced opportunities through an established network, direct outreach, referrals, industry relationships and other prospecting activities.
• Manage inbound opportunities and convert qualified leads into active sales opportunities.
• Consistently develop new relationships with senior marketing, ecommerce, and business decision-makers.
• Create and execute account-based prospecting strategies for high-value target brands.
• Meet or exceed established new business and revenue targets.
• Own the sales process from initial prospecting and discovery through proposal, negotiation, and close.
• Lead discovery conversations to understand prospective clients’ business objectives, marketing challenges, current agency relationships, and growth opportunities.
• Navigate complex sales cycles involving multiple stakeholders, capabilities, and significant scopes of work.
• Lead executive pitches, presentations, RFP responses, and other major new business opportunities.
• Maintain urgency and momentum throughout the sales cycle, proactively identifying and addressing barriers to close.
• Develop strong relationships and establish trust with senior decision-makers throughout the sales process.

Solution Development & Pitching

• Develop a strong understanding of Blue Wheel’s capabilities across DTC Advertising, Amazon, Marketplace, Creative, Lifecycle Marketing, Social Commerce, Retail Media, and Business Intelligence.
• Translate prospect needs into relevant Blue Wheel solutions and clearly articulate the agency’s value proposition.
• Partner with practice leaders and subject matter experts to develop strategies, proposals, scopes, and presentations. Coordinate internal teams and resources as needed to close business.
• Lead the overall sales narrative and ensure pitches clearly connect Blue Wheel’s capabilities to the prospect’s business objectives.

Commercial Management

• Develop proposals, scopes of work, pricing, and commercial structures in partnership with Finance, Operations, and agency leadership.
• Negotiate pricing, scopes, contracts, and service agreements with prospective clients.
• Maintain accurate pipeline, opportunity, and activity information within the agency CRM.
• Provide reliable sales forecasts and regularly communicate pipeline health, opportunities, risks, and expected closes.

Client Growth

• Identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities within existing Blue Wheel client relationships.
• Partner with client leadership teams to introduce additional capabilities where Blue Wheel can create meaningful value.
• Build relationships with additional decision-makers, brands, divisions, and business units within existing client organizations.
• Participate in executive client meetings, annual planning sessions, QBRs, and other strategic conversations when they create opportunities for relationship or revenue growth.
• Work closely with agency leadership, practice leaders, marketing, and client teams to coordinate new business efforts.
• Represent Blue Wheel at conferences, industry events, networking opportunities, and prospective client meetings.
• Build and maintain relationships throughout the broader brand, marketing, ecommerce, and agency community that can generate future opportunities.
• Share prospect feedback and competitive intelligence with agency leadership to strengthen Blue Wheel’s sales approach and positioning

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in agency sales, business development, client leadership, digital marketing, ecommerce, or related professional services, with significant direct responsibility for generating and closing new business.
• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets and closing significant agency or professional-services engagements.
• Demonstrated ability to self-source opportunities and build pipeline, rather than relying primarily on inbound leads or dedicated lead-generation teams.
• Established network of senior relationships across brands, marketing, ecommerce, retail, or related industries.
• Experience selling complex digital marketing, media, ecommerce, technology, or agency solutions.
• Strong understanding of modern digital marketing and commerce, with working knowledge across performance media, Amazon and marketplaces, retail media, creative, lifecycle marketing, social commerce, and analytics.
• Demonstrated ability to build credibility and relationships with CMOs, VPs of Marketing, ecommerce executives, founders, and other senior decision-makers.
• Experience leading complex sales cycles involving multiple stakeholders, significant budgets, and multiple agency capabilities.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, relationship-building, and negotiation skills.
• Commercially minded with experience negotiating scopes of work, pricing, contracts, and service agreements.
• Highly self-motivated and comfortable operating independently while collaborating with cross-functional agency teams.
• Strong organizational and pipeline-management discipline with the ability to manage multiple opportunities simultaneously.
• Agency experience strongly preferred.

Employee Benefits

Employees at Blue Wheel are offered the following benefits and perks while employed:

• Healthcare: Medical, Dental, Vision, Accident, Critical Illness, Life & Disability, FSA/HSA Options
• Retirement: Company-sponsored 401(k) option with Company match
• PTO: Generous Paid Time, Sick Time, Floating Holidays, Volunteer Day, and Bereavement Time
• Paternal Leave: Paid 12-week leave for primary parent and 2-week for secondary parent
• Holiday: 10 paid holidays, along with light week between Christmas and New Years
• Fringe: Mental Health Days, Health and Wellness Reimbursement, Employee Assistance Program, Employer-paid Coaching Sessions

Blue Wheel operates and hires in the following states: CO, CT, FL, ID, IL, KS, MI, MN, NJ, NY, OR, PA, TN, TX, and WA