Strategic Account Manager - Lakes Region; TN

WHAT YOU'LL DO

As a Strategic Account Manager, you’ll be responsible for maintaining and expanding relationships with strategically important large customers. Assigned to the highest-value clients, the Strategic Account Manager is tasked with building a deep understanding of the clients’ business processes, goals, and strategies to align our offerings and drive mutual growth and success. The Strategic Account Manager is required to live in the Great Lakes Region (OK, KS, MO, TN, IA, NE, SD, KY, WV, IL, MI, IN, OH) and be willing to manage and travel to an assigned region in the Great Lakes territory.

This position will have the flexibility to work remotely while residing within the Great Lakes Region, living close to a major airport. Up to 50% travel is required.

• Serve as the lead point of contact for strategic account matters, build and maintain strong, long‑lasting client relationships, develop trusted advisor relationships with key accounts, customer stakeholders, and executive sponsors
• Identify and understand the roles of the clients’ stakeholders, identify champions, users, the technical team, and the economic buyers
• Manage relationships with existing clients to ensure their retention, and customer loyalty – including annual account reviews and reporting
• Manage and nurture the sales pipeline, ensure timely follow‑ups, and progress tracking
• Uncover clients' objectives and pain points, build strategic roadmaps to drive positive outcomes and solutions to meet client needs while providing exceptional customer collaboration and guidance
• Develop account growth strategies, collaborate with category leadership, leverage market knowledge and client insights, including territory management, pipeline opportunities, and cross‑sell opportunity referral activity where applicable
• Prepare compelling sales strategies, messaging, and presentations. Negotiate and close deals, collect implementation details for client execution
• Ensure timely and successful delivery of Ascend's solutions according to customer needs and objectives, exceeding client expectations
• Prepare and present regular reports on account opportunities, sales forecasts, tailwinds, and headwinds to management
• Maintain CRM to include prospective client headcount or other category suitability
• Stay up to date with, and share, industry trends, competitors, and market conditions to identify new business opportunities

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 6+ years of relevant sales work experience
• Prior track record of influencing stakeholders up to the executive level, with proven negotiation skills for securing advantageous agreements
• Skilled in delivering tailored solutions to clients and managing multiple projects with precision
• Proficient in written communication for creating sales documents (proposals, contracts)
• Ability to build trust and proactively engage in upselling and cross selling
• Strong analytical abilities for sales data interpretation and strategy formulation
• Proven track record of delivering results in a quota‑based sales environment with multi‑year multimillion‑dollar contracts
• Nursing education industry knowledge, background in healthcare or higher education experience preferred
• Proficient in CRM software (e.g., Salesforce, Zoho CRM, Hub Spot) and MS Office, especially Excel
• Up to 50% travel

• Flexible and generous paid time off
• Competitive medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• 401(k) employer matching program
• Parental leave
• Wellness resources
• Charitable matching program
• On‑site workout facilities (Leawood, Gilbert, Burlington)
• Community outreach groups
• Tuition reimbursement

Ascend Learning, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (M/F/Vets/Disabled).