Opportunity Snapshot

You're an extroverted go-getter, an accomplished sales professional who can not only "talk the talk" but also "walks the walk" by aggressively hunting and closing new deals...here is your opportunity to work for Autobytel, the leading online automotive marketplace.

As Regional Sales Director, your mission is to leverage your "evangelical" inside sales track record to expand our client base and drive revenue. This is not a road warrior position; instead, you'll be working from our Irvine office, cold-calling prospects and proactively signing up new automotive dealerships. Your sales targets and compensation will be tied to the number of in-person appointments you are able to schedule for our of field sales representatives.

We'll look to you to project a confident, yet friendly phone manner and present compelling sales arguments that showcase why we're the preferred online marketplace that has helped over twenty-seven million car buyers, generating billions of dollars in car sales for dealers. You'll also be charged with growing existing accounts by up-selling new programs and services. Towards that end, you will be an ambassador for Autobytel's products, and an educator for your clients, helping them to understand the depth of our service and to get maximum leverage -- and revenue generating potential -- from them.

At Autobytel, we've fostered a collaborative team environment and our unique sales model provides you with impeccable support. Right off the bat, you're teamed up with your counterparts in the field, and compensated on your collaborative sales efforts. So, in addition to helping us grow, you will have a real opportunity to grow your bank account!

Our Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of sales experience in Inside Sales or Account Management.
• Deep understanding of sales theories and methods.
• Outstanding communications skills, both oral and written, including strong phone skills and willingness to make some cold calls.
• Team building skills, with the ability to work well within a team.
• Technical savvy including MS Office Suite, Goldmine (or similar) and knowledge of Internet/email/database marketing technologies.
• Experience in the interactive automotive space is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of automotive dealership operations is a plus.

More About the Opportunity

Other great rewards of this role include:

• Top compensation -- bottom line, a career in sales is about earning a great income, yet that often comes at the expense of a base salary and benefits; that is not the case here. Your compensation package will include a base salary, comprehensive benefits plan that includes health insurance and 401(k), and an uncapped commission plan that will enable you to double your earnings and then some.
• Great working environment -- we've fostered a great culture that's casual, yet professional and the retention of our sales force is a great testament to that fact.
• Pride -- one of the best parts about this position is that you will be marketing arguably the best online sales and marketing solution around to clients who value your support -- and the service. You'll take great pride and ownership in knowing that in addition to pioneering the online automotive marketplace, we have maintained our leading position as the most trusted and respected automotive brand.
• High impact -- by bringing on new accounts and developing existing ones, you'll drive a significant revenue stream for Autobytel and play a major role in shaping the future of our company.
• Career development -- we place an enormous focus on your professional development and empower you with the tools and training you need to reach your potential.
• Autonomy -- although your sales goals are clearly defined, you'll have a lot of leeway in developing processes to achieve your goals.

More About Your Role

Reporting directly to our VP, Dealer Sales, you will join our inside telesales (not telemarketing) team of six sales people each of which are paired with one of our twenty-five external sales reps, out in the field, in every major US market. After a short training period, you will "own" a specific territory within seven major regional markets within the US, and your core areas of focus are threefold:

1. Account acquisition; consistently netting new dealership accounts.
2. Account expansion; up-selling services and programs.
3. Partnering with and mentoring your counterparts in the field to meet and surpass sales objectives.

You'll be dealing with the "creme de-la creme" of executive decision makers within the dealerships, including GMs and Principals, which typically make for a hard-won customer. You will sidestep this challenge by leveraging your sales savvy and deep knowledge of our programs, operating as our Brand Ambassador, exuding confidence and building relationships.

This is a 40 hour work week, office-based position and you'll be spending most of your time on the phone: about 70% with our telesales customers and the remaining 30% with partners and your team counterparts expanding relations. Specifically, your responsibilities are to:

1. Work along side your respective outside Account Mangers to meet your monthly quota.
2. Contact existing dealerships and cold call new dealerships to create interest in coming aboard for a variety of programs.
3. Consult General Mangers and Internet Managers in customizing a program that will address their needs.
4. Nurture and care for existing accounts, maximizing the highest possible ROI for the dealership.
5. Create urgency for dealers to sign-up on our programs in a timely manner.

Keys to Success

You know that a competitive, goal-oriented nature, ownership of your sales goals, an outgoing personality and self-motivation are all going to be instrumental in your success. What will make you truly stand out are your:

• Organized, structured approach -- our star performers (and highest earners) forecast and track their prospects and sales dollars meticulously, and at any given time know exactly where they are and what they need to do in order to meet their goals.
• Understanding and embracing our complete product portfolio -- knowing our services and programs inside and out -- and learning about each new one that we introduce -- will ensure that you provide the most complete solution to your clients' evolving needs.
• Creativity -- we have a long history of success in this business, but we always welcome fresh ideas and strategies; you'll utilize your "out-of-the-box" resourcefulness in coming up with new ideas and prospecting techniques.
• Interpersonal finesse -- like all large corporations, we have our fair share of red tape and you will leverage your interpersonal finesse to navigate through the web of bureaucracy and push priorities through. You will demonstrate tact and diplomacy in all communications, effectively reading between the lines, listening closely, and building relationships with our stakeholders.
• Tenacity -- you will need tenacity to handle rejection well, coupled with an indefatigable drive and persistence to work past resistance and roadblocks.

If this sounds like the right mix of challenge and opportunity, and you meet the following required qualifications, we look forward to hearing from you.

Who We Are

Since launching the first car-buying website in 1995, Autobytel Inc.'s mission has been to empower automotive consumers with the tools and information they need to make smart, well-informed vehicle purchasing and ownership decisions. The company has helped millions of car shoppers and generated billions of dollars in car sales for dealers. Today, the company's innovative, consumer-driven flagship site, MyRide.com, expands the company's mission across the automotive purchase and ownership life cycle. As the first vertical search experience for the automotive marketplace, MyRide.com is designed to help Internet-savvy consumers FIND, SEE, BUY and LEARN anything automotive and BELONG to a diverse community of people who have similar automotive interests.

By providing a convenient and comprehensive automotive consumer experience across the purchase and ownership lifecycle, Autobytel provides new value and touch-points for automotive marketers. Through MyRide.com and Autobytel's marketing network, the company connects dealerships with a steady, diverse stream of motivated, serious shoppers, while providing both dealers and manufacturers with precision-targeted brand and product marketing opportunities. The company's advanced web-based advertising and marketing programs also help dealers and manufacturers build relationships with customers, as well as help them to efficiently manage and convert online business.