About Wellspring

For academic institutions and government agencies to forward-thinking corporations bringing products to market, Wellspring is the premier innovation and IP management partner that bridges the gap between research and commercialization, activating opportunities and driving growth. We deliver solutions that simplify complex processes, from initial discovery to market success, giving our customers the ability to innovate more effectively and efficiently. Innovation is a strategic growth engine and with our solutions and services we empower corporations to achieve unstoppable growth. 

Wellspring’s solutions have been implemented by hundreds of blue-chip customers with over 137,000 users in 50 countries. Some of the biggest and best known companies and brands in a variety of industries have implemented Wellspring’s Accolade solution with highly successful business results. Examples include industry leaders such as BASF, Covestro, Merck, Mondelēz, Hershey, Electrolux, Honeywell, dsm-firmenich, JDE Peet’s, Nouryon, Reckitt, Parker Hannifin, and Evonik. We have accumulated significant experience and best practices from these companies that is included in our solution and consulting services. 

Wellspring has operating bases in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and Australia, with implementation and support channels worldwide. 

To learn more about Wellspring and its suite of innovation technology products, please visit wellspring.com to check out the new brand and innovation stories that transform tomorrow. 

Accolade® and Scout™ are trademarks of Wellspring Worldwide, Inc.  

Responsibilities and Duties 
 
The Sopheon (a Wellspring owned Company) team is seeking a sales executive that – whilst responsible for existing clients in the Benelux, has a “hunter” mentality, with a passion for understanding and diagnosing customer business needs and articulating a solution, and a proven track record of maintaining healthy client relationships and closing business with new and existing customers in the territory. This role will be focused on Net New clients headquartered in the Nordics (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland) and Net New and Existing clients in the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg). Industry verticals include but are not limited to Food & Beverage, CPG, Chemical, High Tech, Automotive and Aerospace & Defense. Wellspring has had success in the global marketplace with its Accolade and Scout software solutions. In Wellsprings IP division solutions such as Evolve and Astria are equally established. 

Are you the ideal candidate? Can you demonstrate the following? 

• Business-to-business software sales to larger complex global firms in the territory min $250m turnover).  

• Expertise in securing access through your own efforts to senior executives for compelling sales conversations. Through our ABX process, you will be responsible for 1- to 2-hours of business development per day using all channels available to build and maintain a strong pipeline of qualified leads, nurturing relationships, and closing high-value deals. 

• Ability to identify undisclosed customer needs.  

• Team selling and use of all company resources to aid sales process. 

• Interpreting public information on a prospective account such as annual reports and stockholder information for account qualification, and identifying strategic entry message and positioning. Experienced in utilizing AI for desk research.  

• Understanding strategic selling or MEDDIC and the roles of various buying influencers.  

• Developing and maintaining a quality pipeline of potential opportunities.  

• Driving complex enterprise deals for businesses end to end from personal lead generation and qualification to solution development and presentation, to contract negotiations, to deal closing and to making sure the deal is property transitioned to support teams. Some coaching and support will be available from other members of the Wellspring global team based in the Netherlands, Germany, UK as well as the USA. 

• Building compelling business cases to support proposals and identify the ROI. 

• Successfully converting opportunities into license sales and consulting services engagements.  

• Developing strong relationships with potential clients at SVP, Director and C-levels particularly with prospect R&D, Marketing and Innovation Management functional areas.  

• Managing and reporting opportunities pipeline using mainly Salesforce.com. Experience with Gong and HubSpot is a plus. 

• Adapting to existing team dynamics and supporting an organization to reach its objectives.  

• Experience in selling to vertical markets including but not limited to consumer-packaged goods, food & beverage, chemicals, high tech, automotive, aerospace and defense.  

• Has an existing network of contacts for shortening the sales cycle, particularly within research and development, innovation, marketing and/or general management.  

Skills and Expertise: 

• At least 3-5 years’ experience in a consultative sales process with complex “business centric” enterprise deals with organization in the territory.  

• Experience selling entire innovation management and new product development (NPD) lifecycle solutions. Preferably experienced in business planning, engineering and other product development / product management related areas. 

• Understanding of and familiarity with the governance models for innovation management, such as agile, waterfall and phase gate.  

• Consistently averaging or exceeding a sales quota of €900k Software ARR. 

• Degree (or equivalent) in Management, Business, Economics, MBA a plus. 

• Use of social selling techniques to gain access to appropriate executives.  

• Willingness and ability to travel as necessary, but also able to work virtual as appropriate.  

• Fluent in English and Dutch language speaker preferred. Knowledge of additional territory languages is an advantage, but not a requirement. 

• Understanding and diagnosing customer business needs and articulating a solution. 

• Superior communication skills (written, verbal and presentation).  

• Ability to utilize PowerPoint or other media to synthesize and present a compelling business case/rationale.