Account Executive

OUR MISSION

The Canadian Press is Canada's bilingual national news agency, trusted by leading media brands to deliver fast, accurate and impartial reporting for more than 100 years. Our Sales & Marketing team is responsible for promoting, selling and providing customer service for a growing suite of solutions, including:

• Licensed news content (articles, photos, graphics, video, audio) used by clients such as The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, La Presse, CTV, CBC, Yahoo, MSN and many more;
• Branded content (blog posts, whitepapers, ebooks, photos, video, infographics), tailor made for each client's exclusive use in their content marketing program;
• CP style webinars, workshops and books on writing and editing.

For organizations looking to spot opportunities for coverage and anticipate potential crises, we also provide Canada's only media forecasting platform and Live Calendar, alerting them in real time to upcoming events, CP coverage plans and wire stories - The same stories that are often published "as is" by countless websites, or that are likely to appear in tonight's radio/TV newscasts and/or tomorrow's newspapers.

Are you a natural hunter, eager to represent a respected brand like The Canadian Press and join a dynamic team that is at the heart of CP's revenue generation, customer service and product development initiatives? Are you known to exceed your targets and excited to leverage your consultative sales approach to win business for CP's products as we embark on a new era of growth?

As an Account Executive, you will develop and close new business opportunities in Canada, targeting PR/communications professionals at enterprise accounts, small and medium-sized businesses, agencies, associations, government organizations and not-for-profits.

• Achieve or exceed sales quotas and sales activity targets.
• Develop, maintain and convert a pipeline of qualified prospects into new revenue, including researching and identifying the right contacts within the target markets; booking meetings via a consistent volume of quality outbound activity (emails, cold‑calls, Linked In messages); and effectively using our Salesforce CRM to maintain an up‑to‑date pipeline with accurate customer and opportunity details, next steps and expected close dates.
• Prepare and deliver presentations and product demos tailored to each client, asking the right questions, actively listening and performing research that helps you show them the specific benefits that are important to them.
• Create proposal decks, respond to RFPs and negotiate contract terms.
• Manage and grow the client relationship from pitch to sale to upselling, staying top‑of‑mind via timely follow‑ups and by gaining a thorough understanding of their business, objectives and pain points.
• Demonstrate knowledge and expertise in our products and develop a strong understanding of our target markets by staying abreast of the topics and trends relevant to PR professionals.

• Minimum three years of B2B SaaS sales experience is required, preferably in roles focused on outbound sales.
• Prior experience selling to PR, marketing and communications decision makers is strongly preferred. The ideal candidate has a well‑developed contact network of managers, directors and VPs within the target audience to "hit the ground running".
• Experience working at companies that sell end‑to‑end PR platforms that include media relations tools is an asset.
• Self‑motivated with a strong work ethic and passion for hunting new business, supported by a verifiable, consistent track record of meeting and exceeding quotas.
• Persuasive and a proven closer with excellent presentation, verbal and written communications skills in English. Verbal and written communication skills in French are an asset.
• Solutions‑oriented with superior relationship‑building skills and the ability to generate interest and urgency, uncover customer needs, present relevant products/services, overcome objections and motivate action throughout the sales cycle.
• Fast learner who takes initiative, is resourceful, organized, and able to effectively multi‑task.
• A Bachelor's degree or equivalent,…