Account Manager - JHB

Comstor Europe; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading tech company in Johannesburg is seeking an experienced Account Manager to drive growth among Cisco partners. Responsibilities include developing strategic plans, managing partner accounts, and achieving sales goals. Ideal candidates possess 1–3 years of experience in sales support or account management, along with a strong knowledge of Cisco products. A Diploma or Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field is preferred. This role offers an opportunity to work in a dynamic environment with a focus on partner relationships.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of experience in sales support, account management, or channel operations.
• Knowledge of Cisco products and service offerings.
• Understanding of product positioning and competitive conditions.

Responsibilities

• Proactively grow and develop Vendor Focused Partners.
• Track progress towards sales quota and goals.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with Partners.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Organizational skills

Interpersonal skills

Negotiation skills

Presentation skills

Education

Diploma or Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, IT, or related field

Matric

Tools

Sales Central (D365)

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

Vacancy No: VN13966
Job Title: Account Manager - JHB
Office Location: ZA-Johannesburg (Alternative Office Location: Johannesburg)

The Account Manager is responsible for driving Cisco's growth across the assigned portfolio and nurturing existing and new relationships with Cisco-loyal partners. Operating within Comstor South Africa, this role drives strategic initiatives, partner engagement, and sales enablement efforts to expand Cisco’s footprint in the region – specifically Johannesburg.

Responsibilities

• Proactively engage to grow and develop Vendor Focused & Registered Partners.
• Develop strategic plans together with Vendor Focused Partners, Team Leads and Management to grow and develop their business.
• Determine market strategies and goals for each assigned product and service.
• Work with Partners & internal stakeholders to identify opportunities to increase existing accounts to meet sales quota.
• Collaborate with the team to identify and grow opportunities within territory.
• Conduct market research to determine Partner needs, and potential matches, to dislodge competing vendor products.
• Develop and deliver professional sales presentations for Partners.
• Build and maintain strong, long-lasting relationships with Partners.
• Keep Partners up to date with product-related information with the inclusion of Channel Managers, Sales Manager, and Business Practice Lead where necessary.
• Operate as the lead point of contact for any and all matters specific to your accounts.
• Partner account management including negotiating and closing deals to maximize profit.
• Track progress towards and achieve established quotas & sales goals.
• Drive Partner adoption of the Westcon-Comstor digital tools.
• Execute excellence in sales administration.

Sales Administration & Operations

• Accurate data capture on Partner and end user required information, close date, sales stage, opportunity owner.
• Keep records of Partner interactions, transactions, inquiries, comments and complaints on Sales Central (D365).
• Accurate forecasting on Sales Central (D365) with pipeline conversion and opportunity management.
• Prepare for and participate in weekly and monthly sales meetings.
• Attend all required internal and external meetings.
• Maintain and develop own knowledge of Vendor product portfolio.
• Respond to Partner's requests promptly in a professional, polite and friendly manner and within the agreed Partner SLA.
• Obtain and evaluate all relevant information to handle inquiries and complaints in a prioritized manner.
• Direct requests and unresolved issues to the designated resource(s) through the workflow tools and relevant stakeholders where required.
• Record details of actions taken, using workflow tools (Sales Central).
• Own all order related issues to the satisfaction of the Partner and the business.
• Keep Partners up-to-date with the status of their query.
• Finance queries and incident management/resolution with finance.
• Manage and request releasing of system holds: Credit holds, Wrong Shipping codes.
• Manage backlog and communicate with the Partner on delivery expectations.
• Manage and request creation of missing promotions (SBA and MDM).
• Back Order Management, checks and updates, in conjunction with order support division.

Vendor Relationship Management

• Develop and maintain Vendor relationships in conjunction with relevant channel managers that produce referral business opportunities.
• Establish productive Vendor relations to ensure quality of service to Partners.

Communication & Collaboration

• Keeps management informed of area activities, changes in competitive conditions, and significant problems.
• Forecasting long-range account sales and product needs and communicates related information regularly to management.
• Communicate and coordinate with internal departments such as Channel Management, Presales, Marketing and Backoffice to effectively support the Partner.
• Attend all required internal and external meetings.
• Provides assistance to area personnel as needed.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education

• Matric.
• Tertiary education is preferred.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of Cisco products (Enterprise Networking) and service offerings.
• Understanding of product positioning & competitive conditions.
• Knowledge of sales cycle is required.
• Knowledge of sales & marketing strategies, techniques and principles.
• Knowledge of customer service and support processes.

Experience

• Diploma or Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, IT, or related field.
• 1–3 years of experience in sales support, account management, or channel operations (preferably in IT distribution or vendor environment).
• Familiarity with Cisco products and partner programs is an advantage.
• Strong communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.

Desired Skills, Abilities & Attributes

• Applying Business Acumen.
• Managing the Competition.
• Working with Technology.
• Execution Excellence.
• Excellent listening and communication skills – verbal and written.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills.
• Strong negotiation skills.
• Strong presentation skills.
• Ability to multitask.
• Handles confidential financial and personal information appropriately.
• Ability to tactfully handle stressful and difficult situations.
• Possess strong problem-solving skills.
• Accurately captures Partner information.
• Willing to be flexible.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure.
• Computer literate with good Microsoft Office skills.

Values

• Demonstrates and embraces Westcon-Comstor values of Ambition, Integrity, Partnership and Accountability.
• Recruitment and Selection of candidates will be according to the Company\'s Employment Equity Targets.