Product Sales Specialist - ELA

at Pearson in Springfield, Illinois, United States

Job Description

Working from a home office, the Product Specialist Sales Representative (PS) will be a critical member of Pearson General Education College Readiness sales team. If you are a driven, dedicated, problem solver and relationship builder with a background in College Readiness curriculum sales in a school district as a Master Teacher or in acquisitions, implementation of those curricula and are interested in providing solutions to Public and Parochial school districts and their students to prepare them for accelerated engagement in career and college education, then we want to meet you!

The PS role requires an individual to leverage their deep knowledge of College Readiness curriculum in the specialty area of English Language Arts and doing so in partnership with Field and Territory sales representatives across their assigned sales territories, in many capacities such as prospecting, product demonstrations, proposals, closing sales, order entry, customer service, implementation and problem resolution. The PS representative will partner with those sales representatives and their prospects and customers to coordinate sales activities within the portfolio of Pearson offerings specific to the College Readiness General Education curriculum

This role involves significant product knowledge. The ideal candidate will have the ability to deliver presentations, influence, listen, and propose questions, and drive educators to purchase learning tools, products, and services in person and via telephone contact and tools such as Microsoft Teams and ZOOM. On a daily basis you will need to leverage your education, your creative skills, and your ability to think strategically and on your feet, as our customers will need immediate responses to their questions.

Responsibilities:

+ Identify and close, and sometimes forward new district sales opportunities to meet or exceed quarterly and annual revenue goals;

+ Identify new sales opportunities aligned to organizational strategy and offer solutions to meet the needs of prospects and current customers

+ Develop a deep understanding of product offerings and be able to answer complex product questions to suit customer needs;

+ Manage leads within an assigned territory and identify the most effective solution for each prospect;

+ Identify and close new business, renew current business as well as grow existing business;

+ Leverage all tools and resources across the organization (including data, customer target lead list, marketing colleagues, etc.) as needed;

+ Support territory and field sales teams and individual representatives, and in some cases directly manage, end-to-end sales responsibilities -including prospecting, building proposals, developing relationships with customers, tracking pipeline and closing sale;

+ Develop and maintain a deep knowledge of all product offerings delivered by the organization in this product family;

+ Provide deep subject-matter expertise; be able to understand the business needs, understand the solutions being defined and be able to effectively how these solutions could meet the business need of the customer;

+ Assist in the preparation of proposals and bids to relevant customers; participate, as assigned by Market sales management in RFP/RFQ and State Adoption sales efforts;

+ Complete all administrative tasks thoroughly and promptly (e.g., continuously update sales pipeline within OneCRM/Salesforce);

+ Educate customers and collaborate effectively internally on all processes and procedures to ensure accurate and timely transactions;

+ Ability to accurately forecast sales projections and monitor pipeline;

+ Excellent time management to ensure daily sales contact goals are achieved in a large sales territory;

+ Excellent communication skills (written and verbal), and relationship-building skills;

+ Ability to work independently, maintaining proper focus on the highest priority activities; and

+ Strong analytical skills and ability to prioritize leads provided and seek reference sales to drive effective sales results within an assigned region.

How Success will be Measured:

+ Achieve or exceed quarterly and annual sales targets;

+ Successfully negotiate deals that are win-win: solving a customer problem while providing a profitable transaction for Pearson;

+ Achieve a high percentage of retainable business by being responsive to customer requests and needs and through partnership with Territory Sales Representatives and Field Sales Account Managers;

+ Customer satisfaction communicated by district contacts; and

+ Build a reputation within Pearson for being fully engaged in growing the business, proactively problem solving, and offering suggestions on how we can improve as an organization

+ 5+ years of Honors/Advanced Placement/Dual Enrollment direct customer sales experience or 5+ years’ experience as a licensed public school or charter school educator in your specified field of expertise.

+ Experience in technology and/or educational sales a plus but not required;

+ Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree a plus and a background in education is a plus;

+ Excellent time management, problem-solving, and organizational skills;

+ Excellent written and verbal communications skills;

+ Customer service and relationship-building skills;

+ Demonstrated ability to learn quickly, multi-task, prioritize, and take initiative;

+ Goal-oriented and self-directed/self-motivated;

+ Proven track record of sales achievement;

+ Thorough understanding of consultative selling;

+ Deep understanding of educational issues, customer needs, and funding sources;

+ Competence in MS Office programs, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook;

+ Experience using Saleforce.com or similar CRM system a plus but not required; and

+ Must be able and willing to travel efficiently for in-person sales meetings as needed estimated 20-30% of travel.

Compensation at Pearson is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and specific location. As required by the Colorado, California, Washington State, New York State and New York City laws, the pay range for this position is as follows:

Minimum full-time salary range is between $95,000 – $125,000.

This position is eligible to participate in a sales incentive plan, and information on benefits offered is here.

What to expect from Pearson

Did you know Pearson is one of the 10 most innovative education companies of 2022?

At Pearson, we add life to a lifetime of learning so everyone can realize the life they imagine. We do this by creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are on a journey to be 100 percent digital to meet the changing needs of the global population by developing a new strategy with ambitious targets. To deliver on our strategic vision, we have five business divisions that are the foundation for the long-term growth of the company: Assessment & Qualifications, Virtual Learning, English Language Learning, Workforce Skills and Higher Education. Alongside these, we have our corporate divisions: Digital & Technology, Finance, Global Corporate Marketing & Communications, Human Resources, Legal, Strategy and Direct to Consumer. Learn more at We are Pearson.

We value the power of an inclusive culture and also a strong sense of belonging. We promote a culture where differences are embraced, opportunities are accessible, consideration and respect are the norm and all individuals are supported in reaching their full potential. Through our talent, we believe that diversity, equity and inclusion make us a more innovative and vibrant place to work. People are at the center, and we are committed to building a workplace where talent can learn, grow and thrive.

Pearson is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of