Solutions Sales Manager – Cyber Security & Networking

PURPOSE OF JOB: 

The Solutions Sales Manager role in Cyber Security & Networking is responsible for developing and growing their assigned customer segments. This involves leading and developing a team of solution specialists who focus on proactive sales activities to generate new and cross-sale opportunities within both new and existing accounts. By leveraging extensive industry knowledge and innovative sales strategies, the Solutions Sales Manager ensures the team meets and exceeds sales targets, fosters strong customer relationships, and delivers tailored solutions that address diverse cybersecurity and networking needs. 

To be successful in the role key activities will include, but are not limited to:  

• Team Leadership. Lead, mentor and coach a team of Solution Sales specialists, who are focused on valuable proactive sales activity. Ensuring performance development plans are in place to manage team performance and personal growth effectively.  

• Team Pathway: Support high-quality talent acquisition and management, including succession planning, and individual Personal Development Plans that align to company KPIs and objectives. 

• Strategic Planning & Execution: With the Head of Cyber Security & key stakeholders within supporting departments, develop and implement strategic team plans to drive the growth of key business metrics within the specific customer segment and al sub-propositions within the team. Align team objectives with overall business goals and ensure effective execution. 

• Sales/Financial Performance Management. Meet and exceed financial targets and KPIs set by the business and encourage all appropriate activity to be updated in CRM for central visibility.   

• Customer Sales. Lead by example and foster a proactive culture within team to uncover, develop & lead opportunities alongside the Bytes Account Manager. The focus is on driving net new opportunities via whitespace and cross sale into existing accounts. Support team members indirectly on customer opportunities, ensuring LEARN is adopted.  

• Customer Segment Development. Work collaboratively and consultatively with all relevant departments (including Solutions Team, Alliances, Sales, customers, vendors, and partners) to build appropriate GTM’s that align with customer segment/s and enhance the main proposition/ sub-proposition areas and that can support other areas across the business. Ensuring Head of Function is consulted throughout. 

• Sales Enablement. Develop and implement comprehensive sales enablement plans that are consistently aligned with the specific needs of each customer segment/s. Ensure these plans integrate seamlessly with the overall business proposition, sub-propositions, and marketing strategy to drive effective sales performance and customer engagement. 

• Marketing Strategy Support. Actively support the overall proposition marketing plan and generate new ideas which will continue maximise how we reach our customers.  

• Market Research. Stay informed about the competitive landscape, market trends, and customer demands. Use these insights to drive continuous innovation and ensure our offerings remain relevant, competitive, and aligned with customer needs. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:  

• Create and set a clear mission statement, technology focus areas, and ongoing sales strategy that supports the aligned customer segment/s and overall proposition/ Bytes goals. 
• Support high-quality talent acquisition and management, including succession planning, and individual Personal Development Plans that align to company KPIs and objectives.
• Work strategically with the aligned sales management team to build out activity, enablement and marketing plans which focus on the aligned customer segment/s.
• Ensure the focus on customer engagement is with net new and cross-sale opportunities. Uncovering opportunities via pro-active whitespace, sales enablement, vendor account manager engagement, inbound requests. 
• On directly aligned deals, ensure the opportunity is proactively managed, alongside the Bytes AM, until closure and CRM is consistently updated. 
• On indirect deals (for your team), ensure they are proactively managing the opportunity, alongside the Bytes AM, until closure and CRM is consistently updated.  
• Ensure relationships with key customer contacts are maintained throughout the team, to ensure excellent customer service and increase opportunity to expand the wallet share.
• Working across sales, marketing, the wider solutions & alliances team, and through key vendors/ partners, build a pipeline of Solutions and Services revenue, maintaining an opportunity level of 2 x target.
• Stay updated on the latest trends and products within sub-proposition, and ensure the team has a deep understanding of the offerings to effectively communicate internally and externally. 
• Ensure knowledge of the main proposition and wider Bytes value is maintained. Expectations that all areas will be supported and promoted to sales/customers.
• Identify, qualify, develop, and sponsor new services, solutions and hi-potential vendors that will enhance or extend Bytes’ value proposition and revenue streams. Ensuring these are submitted to Head of Cyber Security & Networking
• Consistently drive positive performance and motivation across team and wider team networks. 
• Ensure full visibility and tracking of opportunities and engagements across the team within CRM. 
• Have regular team deal desk clinics to oversee pipeline management and encourage deal learning throughout the team. 
• Support the creation of collateral and customer materials to support the sales process.
• Work collaboratively within team to build “thought leadership” content to enhance Bytes’ standing in the market with customers, vendors, and distribution.
• Coach and mentor team members, providing training, feedback, and support to enhance their sales skills and product knowledge. 
• Build monthly and Qtr’ly performance reports which are circulated to team members and the Head of Cyber Security & Networking. 
• Attend priority customer Quarterly Business Reviews.
• Attend priority vendor Quarterly Business Reviews
• Improve engagement, performance and confidence and wellbeing of individuals.
• Champion the importance and influence that Bytes values have in the development of a successful, responsible, and ethical business.  

The description above reflects the core responsibilities/activities of the role but is not intended to be all-inclusive; other duties may be required in addition to changes in the emphasis of duties as required by the business from time to time.  

INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Team Leadership & Development. Set direction for the team and provide oversight relating to resource planning, and skills development. Coach team members through growth mindset, challenge individuals to maximise their full potential and drive innovation.  

Sales/Financial Performance Management. Collaborate with Head of Function/ Divisional Director of Function to set valuable financial and performance targets for team members. Review the data sets available, adjust where necessary, and provide consistent updates both up channel and to the team, to ensure targets are met or exceeded. Expects and drives team to use Bytes systems to their best capacity (CRM, SmartInfo, Compass, Teams etc).  

Personal Performance Management. Understand the personal goals and aspirations of everyone within the team and actively support career progression. All individuals across the team to have clear and set OKRs and Personal Development Plans. Review these regularly to ensure personal/ business goals are met, individuals are taking personal performance responsibility and continue to plan for the future.  

Customer Sales. Be a customer-facing resource for our top clients and an indirect customer resource for team members to utilise where necessary. Ensure LEARN methodology is adopted throughout each opportunity. Lead by example to demonstrate Bytes wider portfolio outside of main sub-proposition.  

Proposition Development. Maintain knowledge of key vendors, partners, services, customer challenges, use cases, trends & direct reseller competition within proposition area to ensure Bytes is focusing on the rights areas and to keep up with innovation.  

Sales Enablement. Be a key sales resource for proposition sales enablement. Coach team members on their role in sales enablement and ensure all messaging is consistent.   

Marketing. Contribute to the main proposition plan with internal and external ideas, market research, vendor focus areas, emerging trends and key updates that require a quick marketing response. Actively promote the Bytes brand via internal and external content (blogs, podcasts, socials, thought leadership keynotes etc). 

Vendor/ Partner Management. Develop, maintain and nurture key senior relationships within our vendor and partner community.  

WIDER TEAM NETWORK 

Internal 

• Solutions Leadership across Cyber Security & Networking and other proposition areas 

• Vendor Alliances Team 

• Sales Management Team 

• Account Managers 

• Bytes Services Teams 

• Pre-Sales Technical 

External 

• Customer stakeholders 

• Strategic vendors stakeholders 

• Strategic distributor stakeholders 

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, & SKILLS: 

Educational Qualifications: 

• Educated to GCSE Level with an A-C Grade in Maths and English
• Minimum A-Levels (A-C) English, Mathematics, and technology related subject
• Batchelor’s Degree in technology or business management 

REQUIRED 

DESIRABLE 

DESIRABLE 

Years of Experience 

• Greater than five (5) years of demonstrable sales experience within the software technology industry
• Previous Team Management Experience (Minimum 2 year) 

REQUIRED 

REQUIRED 

Other Requirements 

• Deep commercial and technology understanding across the Cyber Security & Networking market
• High-level understanding of other key IT areas: Modern Workplace, Public Cloud (Azure or AWS), Hybrid Infrastructure (including data, storage, and platforms), FinOps, AI, Data Analytics, Automation, Software Asset Management, or Service Management. 

REQUIRED 

DESIRABLE  

CORE Competencies & SKILLS  

• Commercial acumen and ability to construct and drive negotiated outcomes to achieve positive results
• Intermediate-level skills in use of Microsoft Office 365 suite applications.
• Demonstrate skills in leading and coaching a team
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with excellent customer facing skills.
• Able to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Able to demonstrate a high degree of flexibility including occasional out of hours working.
• Excellent organisational skills - able to manage and prioritise and tasks and time of self and others.
• Able to manage sensitive and sometimes confidential information.
• Able to demonstrate initiative and a proactive approach to activities and tasks.
• Able to work with business and technical stakeholders within Bytes, customers, and vendors. 

MEASURES & GOALS 

OBJECTIVE 

MEASURE 

FREQUENCY 

Engagements 

Number of engagements, % resulted in GP pipeline, GP won & passed over to other proposition areas 

Monthly, Quarterly, Annual 

Pipeline 

Number of Deals & Gross Profit 

Monthly, Quarterly, Annual 

Pipeline Accuracy 

Pipeline vs Actual GP 

Monthly, Quarterly, Annual 

Net New Deals Closed 

Number of net new deals closed, GP relating to those, number of win wires. 

Monthly, Quarterly, Annual 

Cross-sales Deals Closed 

Number of cross-sale deals closed, GP relating to those, number of win wires 

Monthly, Quarterly, Annual 

Strategic Customer Targets 

Opportunities in the pipeline and closed business  

Monthly, Quarterly, Annual 

Win/Closure Ratio 

% Deals Won vs Lost 

Monthly, Quarterly, Annual 

GP Performance 

Actual GP Performance 

Monthly, Quarterly, Annual 

Customer Segment Performance 

GP, Customer Wins, GM %, Av Deal Size 

Monthly, Quarterly, Annual