Sales Manager

Role overview:

Our Education portfolio brings together professionals and decision-makers from across the education sector, creating opportunities for the sector to share insight, explore emerging challenges and connect with organisations providing solutions and services to schools.

The Schools & Academies Show is where thousands of school and MAT leaders come to find real solutions to urgent sector challenges. As the portfolio continues to develop, we’re looking for a commercially minded sales professional who can help us build on its success and identify new opportunities for growth.

This role is ideal for an ambitious, commercially driven salesperson who thrives on winning new business, building long-term client relationships and helping shape the commercial success of market-leading events.

About Us:

At GovNet, we take pride in creating vibrant communities through events, exhibitions, conferences, and training courses that serve diverse industries, ranging from education to healthcare to emerging technologies. We are passionate about understanding and addressing the evolving challenges faced by these communities and strive to deliver impactful solutions. With a proven track record across various markets, we are dedicated to enhancing the sectors we serve.

Duties include:

- Researching the education sector, finding commercial angles and adapting your approach to sales through your research.
- Winning new business through pitching, self-generated prospecting, networking and outbound sales activity.
- Managing and developing an existing portfolio of sponsor accounts, identifying opportunities to increase spend and long-term partnerships.
- Creating tailored sponsorship proposals that align with client objectives.
- Negotiating commercial agreements and closing high-value sponsorship deals.
- Maintaining a healthy sales pipeline and accurate revenue forecasts through our CRM.
- Working collaboratively with Content, Marketing and Event Operations to deliver successful sponsorship campaigns.
- Keeping up to date with developments across the target market and identifying new commercial opportunities.

Essential skills and requirements:

- Proven ability to win new business through self-generated prospecting and outbound sales.
- Experience growing and managing existing customer accounts, identifying expansion opportunities and increasing revenue.
- 1 year of proven experience in selling B2B.
- Experience managing a full sales cycle from prospecting through to negotiation and close.
- Excellent communication, presentation and negotiation skills.
- Strong commercial awareness and the ability to identify customer needs.
- A results-driven mindset with a passion for exceeding targets.
- Excellent organisation and pipeline management skills.
- Experience using CRM systems to manage opportunities and forecasts.

Desirable skills:

- Experience selling sponsorship, exhibitions, conferences or events.

What We Offer

- Competitive salary and uncapped commission scheme, 40% OTE.
- Flexible, hybrid working (work from home 3 days a week).
- Summer and EOY Parties, and team socials.
- Work from abroad for up to 2 months a year.
- 25 days holiday (increasing 1 day per year to a max of 30 days), with the opportunity to buy/sell more.
- Birthday day off.
- Up to 3 days off for a milestone birthday, wedding or moving house.
- Westfield Health Cash Plan and lifestyle discounts.
- Summer half-day Fridays.
- Dedicated time for your learning and development.
- 37.5-hour week.
- Salary sacrifice schemes; home & tech, cycle-to-work, workplace nursery, Octopus EV and money coach.
- Group Life Assurance.
- Employee Assistance Programme.
- Pension Scheme.

Interview process:

🧑‍💻 1st stage Teams interview

👥 2nd stage in-person interview

Our Values:

🙌Back Your Team: We support one another, building strong, collaborative relationships.

💫Immersed in the Market: We stay deeply engaged with the industries we serve, ensuring we deliver tailored solutions.

🎇Fearless Accountability: We take responsibility for our actions, embrace challenges, and continuously seek growth through feedback.

🤸‍♀️Always Agile: We remain adaptable, ready to evolve with the ever-changing landscape of our business.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

We welcome applications from all individuals regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected under UK law.

If you require any adjustments during the application process, please let us know, and we will be happy to try and accommodate your needs.