Team Leader: Inside Sales

At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and we’re committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it’s our people who make this happen.

Inside Sales Team Leader

Permanent

Manchester: £40,500 - £45,000

Hybrid Working - minimum of 2 days collaboration work a week in the office

Ready to lead a high-performing B2B sales team?

Imagine driving the growth of a dynamic company by leading and growing a team that shapes the customer journey from start to finish. If you’re an experienced leader of inside sales, providing high quality customer engagement and developing others in their professional development journey, we have an exciting opportunity for you at AQA where you will shape a key function within the business that will evolve and develop with you.

A leadership role where your impact matters

At AQA, the Account Management Executive team drives the outbound lead generation essential to our business growth. As their Team Leader, you'll lead and guide their development to achieve excellence in lead generation, customer engagement and support for the field based Account Managers. Your leadership, in this player manager role, will be crucial in allocating resource relative to demand in maintaining a strong and positive customer experience from first contact to first results day.

What’s in it for me?

• Career Development: Ability to play a significant part of the growth and development of a key function in the business.

• Generous Leave: Start with 25 days of annual leave, growing to 30 days, plus additional Christmas and New Year’s leave.

• Volunteer Time: Take up to 5 paid days to volunteering for charities close to your heart.

• Health Coverage: Enjoy private medical insurance through Bupa, covering all conditions from day one.

• Wellbeing Support: Access the cycle-to-work scheme, gym discounts, and mental health resources.

• Pension: Benefit from up to 11.5% employer pension contributions.

• Flexible Work: Enjoy a balanced 35-hour work week with flexible hours. Office attendance is approximately two days a week, occasionally more, with some travel between offices.

What will I need to be successful?

To thrive in this role, you'll need:

• Proven experience in a B2B inside sales environment with a strong track record in sales coaching and mentoring.

• Confident leadership abilities with a passion for developing and supporting team members.

• A proactive and flexible approach to meet business and customer needs.

• Creative problem-solving skills and excellent communication abilities.

• Familiarity with CRM systems (training on Microsoft Dynamics provided).

• Experience of leading and organising projects

• Sector knowledge of the education industry is advantageous but not essential.

What Next?

Read the full job description then upload your most recent CV and a cover letter detailing how your skills and experience are exactly what we need.

All applications will receive a written response.

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Full Job Description

Summary

The Inside Sales Team Leader is responsible for their team’s performance including managing productivity, identifying training needs and ensuring a high level of quality is delivered consistently. They will be responsible for the coaching and development of their team as well as creating a positive culture and leading by example. This is a player manager role, given the span of control the team leader will also contribute to outbound sales efforts.Inside Sales plays a crucial role at AQA by driving business growth through proactive customer engagement, effective lead generation and lead follow-up. As the primary point of contact for many customers, the Inside Sales team is essential in building and maintaining strong customer relationships, ensuring a positive customer journey from initial contact through to acquisition and ongoing support.
Key contributions of the Inside Sales team include:
Lead Generation: As part of the broader Sales and Account Management Team, the Inside Sales team is responsible for identifying and qualifying potential customers, ensuring a steady pipeline of prospects for the business.
Customer Engagement: Through outbound calls and communications, the Inside Sales team actively engages with customers to understand their needs, providing relevant information and solutions tailored to their needs.
Support for Field Sales: By managing initial customer interactions and nurturing leads, the Inside Sales team supports the field sales team, allowing them to focus on finalising customers switching to AQA and building deeper customer relationships.
Data Management: The team maintains accurate CRM records, ensuring that customer information is up-to-date and readily available for all sales and support activities.
Market Insight: Through regular customer interactions, the Inside Sales team gathers valuable insights into customer needs and market trends, contributing to the development of effective sales strategies and campaigns.
Customer Experience: By providing prompt and personalised service, the Inside Sales team enhances the overall customer experience, fostering loyalty and long-term relationships.
Overall, the Inside Sales team at AQA is integral to achieving sales objectives, enhancing customer satisfaction, and driving the company’s growth.
Landscape:
The role requires collaboration with Regional Sales Managers, Key Account Managers, Account Managers and Subject Support Leads in the co-ordination and delivery of acquisition campaigns. The role will have frequent contact with the CRM Manager and the Business Performance Analyst.
Key Activities:
Team Leadership: Manage a team of Account Management Executives and Sales Development Representatives to drive lead generation and outbound customer engagement. The team will also be responsible for managing inbound sales enquiries via channels such as Live Chat on the AQA website.
Goal Setting: Create clear and motivational goals that support continuous improvement.
Skill Development: Coaching and developing team members to enhance their performance and skills. Ensure best practice sharing amongst the team to further accelerate organisational learning, linked to AQA’s value of working and learning together.
Quality Assurance: Ensure consistent high-quality delivery through monitoring, coaching and training.
Process Management: Maintaining and improving processes for efficiency and effectiveness.
Performance Management: Conduct check-in’s, performance reviews, providing feedback and support.
Data Analysis: Use management reports to review team performance, proactively implementing corrective actions where necessary.
Strategic Collaboration: Contribute to strategic acquisition campaigns and ensure alignment with sales objectives.
Project Participation: Engage in strategic and tactical projects as needed.
Inside Sales: This is a player manager role, given the span of control the team leader will also contribute to outbound sales efforts. 
To be successful in this role, you will need to Demonstrate:
Experience: Proven experience in a B2B inside sales environment with a strong track record in sales coaching and mentoring.
Leadership: Confident leader with a passion for developing and supporting team members.
Proactive Approach: Ability to work proactively and flexibly to meet business and customer needs.
Problem-Solving: Creative problem solver with excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively with stakeholders.
Best Practices: Ability to identify, implement, and continuously improve best practice approaches to elevate team performance and operational efficiency.
CRM Knowledge: Familiarity with web-based CRM systems (training on Microsoft Dynamics will be provided).
Sector Knowledge: Knowledge of the education sector is advantageous but not essential.