Who We Are
Founded in 2020, Ascent is a venture-backed startup building the unifying dashboard for high-intensity, small unit tactics. Our platform informs incident command where their operators are, how they’re doing, and maps the space. During high risk operations, we ensure that incident command has the necessary information to make for more informed decisions and tasks can be accomplished as efficiently and safely as possible.
None of this would be possible without our customers. Since our founding, we have conducted over 1,900 customer discovery interviews with fire departments across the United States. We currently have over 20 members on our Fire Advisory Board to help guide us in our mission.
Why Ascent
Ascent offers the opportunity to make a difference in the world by developing tech that keeps our heroes safe. Turn your passions into practical solutions that will improve the lives of first responders and warfighters. At Ascent, you’ll work with engineers from all different backgrounds to collaborate on our tech. Our team is currently 20 members strong, working from our Chicago office in the heart of Fulton Market. This location includes free street parking, access to a gym onsite, and several other benefits.
What does this mean for you? We are a well-resourced, but lean team- so you have the opportunity for growth. We value accomplishment over perfection, meaning errors or action are preferred to errors of inaction. As a member of the team, you will be expected to take full ownership of your role.
Role Overview
As a member of the team, you will be expected to take full ownership of your role. A regional account manager plays a pivotal role in establishing and maintaining relationships with clients within a specific geographic area. Their primary responsibility is to act as a liaison between the company they represent and its clients, ensuring that client needs are understood and met effectively. This involves conducting regular meetings with clients to assess their needs, providing product or service demonstrations, and addressing any concerns or issues that may arise. Additionally, regional account managers are tasked with identifying new business opportunities within their assigned territory, whether it be through upselling existing products/services or introducing new offerings to meet evolving client needs.
This role will require, at minimum, quarterly visits to our headquarters in Chicago, IL for collaboration with the in-person team. This is primarily a remote position but will report directly to the Director of Sales on a regular basis. You will be required to travel to conferences and other events deemed appropriate by leadership. There is a base salary plus uncapped commissions. A travel budget will be established as well as discretionary spending for demonstrations.
Responsibilities
- Client Relationship Management: Cultivating and maintaining strong relationships with clients within a designated geographic region.
- Needs Assessment: Understanding client needs and objectives through regular communication and interaction
- Client Support: Providing support and guidance to clients on product/service offerings, troubleshooting issues, and addressing concerns.
- Sales and Revenue Generation: Meeting or exceeding sales targets by upselling existing products/services and identifying opportunities for new business.
- Account Planning: Developing and implementing strategic account plans to achieve sales and growth objectives.
- Market Analysis: Conducting market research and analysis to identify trends, opportunities, and competitive threats within the region.
- Product Knowledge: Maintaining a thorough understanding of company products/services and effectively communicating their value propositions to clients.
- Cross-functional Collaboration: Collaborating with internal teams such as sales, marketing, and product development to ensure alignment with client needs and objectives.
- Contract Negotiation: Negotiating contract terms and pricing agreements with clients to secure profitable deals.
- Client Advocacy: Serving as the primary advocate for clients within the company, conveying client feedback and preferences to internal stakeholders.
- Forecasting and Reporting: Generating sales forecasts, tracking progress against targets, and providing regular reports on sales activities and outcomes.
- Customer Satisfaction: Monitoring and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction through proactive engagement and resolution of issues.
- Travel: Traveling within the designated region to meet with clients, attend industry events, and conduct business activities as necessary.
- Training and Development: Continuously updating knowledge and skills through training sessions and professional development opportunities to enhance effectiveness in the role.
- Compliance: Ensuring compliance with company policies, industry regulations, and legal requirements in all client interactions and business activities.
Pay: Base salary plus commissions and bonuses
Qualifications
- Must be based in California
- Minimum 5 years previous experience in sales, account management, or a related field.
- Familiarity with the public safety industry or military background.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to negotiate contracts, pricing agreements, and other terms with clients to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.
- Capacity to identify client challenges and develop creative solutions to address them, often in collaboration with internal teams.
- Proficiency in analyzing sales data, market trends, and other relevant metrics to inform strategic decision-making and drive business growth.
- A customer-centric mindset with a commitment to delivering exceptional service and value to clients.
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team, collaborating with colleagues from various departments to achieve shared goals.
- Strong organizational and time management skills to manage multiple client accounts, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines effectively.
- Flexibility to adapt to changing business environments, client needs, and company priorities.
- Proficiency in using relevant software applications such as CRM (HubSpot) systems, Google Suite, and other tools necessary for the role.
Nice to Have but not Mandatory Qualifications
- A bachelor's degree in business administration, fire science, or a related field.
- Direct public safety sales experience, fire service preferred.
- A solid understanding of hardware and software solutions (Saas) relevant to fire departments, such as fire station management software, incident command systems, dispatch systems, communication equipment, and IoT devices, would be beneficial.
- Experience working in emergency services or a related field, such as firefighting, emergency medical services (EMS), or law enforcement, can provide valuable insight into the operational needs and workflows of fire departments.
- Demonstrated success in sales, particularly in selling complex technical solutions to government agencies or similar organizations, would be advantageous.
- Understanding of regulatory requirements and compliance standards relevant to the public safety sector, such as NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards, can be beneficial.
Equal Opportunity Employment
Ascent Integrated Tech provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.