Business Development Executive - Palo Alto Networks

Primary Focus:

The Business Development Executive is focused on driving depth and breadth across a category solution and existing partner base utilizing data insights to identify growth opportunities to deliver on Ingram Micro's goals and outcomes across a category/vendor(s). Your focus will be on cultivating strong relationships with partners and vendors, identifying new business opportunities, and executing sales strategies to retain and expand market share. This role requires a deep understanding of the platform industry, exceptional negotiation skills, and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to achieve category objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Category Strategy: Develop and execute a category strategy to drive growth and new business development within the category. Identify emerging trends, customer needs, and potential market opportunities to shape the category's success.

• New Business Opportunities: Identify and pursue new business opportunities within existing partners, including strategic partnerships, alliances, and end-customer acquisition motions, to expand the category's offerings and market reach.

• Vendor and Partner Relations: Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key vendors and strategic partners. Negotiate and secure favorable terms and conditions to ensure mutual success and accelerate category growth.

• Market Analysis: Conduct in-depth market research and analysis to stay ahead of market trends, competitor activities, and emerging opportunities. Utilize data-driven insights to make informed decisions and guide category acceleration efforts.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with various internal teams, including sales, marketing, product management, and operations, to align strategies and accelerate new business development. • Customer Engagement: Engage directly with key existing customers to understand their unique needs and challenges. Leverage Customer feedback to drive product improvements and deliver exceptional Customer experiences.

• Product Portfolio Expansion: Work closely with the product management team to identify opportunities for product expansion or development to meet existing customer demands and capitalize on market trends.

•Xvantage Expertise: Drive insights and actions for reseller partners and vendors. Identifies opportunities to increase usage of the Xvantage platform for both reseller partners and vendors.

• Solution Selling: Focused on a category / portfolio of vendors to build a full solution (vs a specific vendor); Assigned to a vendor, group of vendors and/or accounts.

What experience, knowledge and skills does a BDE need?

• Strong understanding of strategic selling principles, order management, project management, and operations.

• Advanced knowledge of Ingram Micro’s solutions, products, services, and value proposition.

• Proven success in growing and maintaining year-over-year sales results.

• Skilled in negotiations, closing sales, coaching associates in high performance culture, and order management.

• Effectively able to manage profit and loss concepts and forecasting.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, ability to present in both technical and non- technical terms to large and small audiences.

• Ability to: demonstrate business and financial acumen, use influence effectively to drive ideas and initiatives with internal and external partners, multi-task, respond to rapid change, manage projects, manage detail, manage relationships and resources, and set realistic and achievable goals/objectives and timelines.

• Ability to travel is required - conduct in person customer engagements on regular basis.

Typically, the level of experience and education required to demonstrate these key elements of knowledge/skills/experiences are:

A high school diploma (or equivalent) required, bachelor’s degree preferred. Minimum of six years previous strategic, outside sales, account management experience (preferably in a related industry), or four years of technology or distribution experience in a sales or customer service capacity.