Sales Manager

Sales Manager
- Italy (f/m/d)

Location:
Milano, Milan, Italy Department: B2B Sales & Client Services JOB PURPOSE As Sales Manager for Italy, you are a true hunter — commercially sharp, self-driven, and confident generating your own pipeline from scratch. You own the full sales cycle across the entire Italian market, from outbound prospecting through discovery, pitch, negotiation and close, delivering multi-stakeholder deals on favourable commercial terms. You thrive in outbound motions, are unafraid to pick up the phone or open a cold conversation, and consistently deliver against target while contributing to Awin's win-win-win for advertisers, publishers and the wider partner ecosystem. MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
* Generate your own pipeline across the Italian market through proactive, targeted outbound prospecting — you are not reliant on inbound leads to hit target.
* Design and execute account-based outbound strategies targeting priority Italian brands, in coordination with SDRs and marketing.
* Own the full sales cycle end-to-end — outbound outreach, discovery, pitch, negotiation and close.
* Run tailored, consultative discovery — mapping client pain points to the right Awin products and selling solutions, not features.
* Build value-led narratives and lead client presentations, demos and proposals with credibility.
* Negotiate and close complex deals within Awin's pricing framework, maximising contract value through favourable commercial terms.
* Forecast accurately — maintain a clean Salesforce pipeline, forecast quarterly signings with precision, and defend your numbers under scrutiny.
* Realise GP via effective implementation, working closely with Client Services, Product, Legal and Finance to launch programs that deliver value.
* Stay close to the Italian e-commerce and affiliate landscape, competitor positioning and regulatory context, feeding insights back into the wider EMEA org.
* Take initiative and ownership — use your own judgement, elevate with proposed solutions rather than open questions, and drive progress without needing to be pushed.
* Meet and exceed KPIs across new business signings, outbound activity and pipeline health. JOB REQUIREMENTS Professional experience
* 3+ years in B2B sales, ideally in SaaS, MarTech, AdTech, affiliate marketing or e-commerce, with a track record of hitting quota.
* Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economics, Communications or a related field preferred.
* Demonstrable success in outbound sales — a proven hunter who has consistently built and closed pipeline from self-sourced opportunities.
* Experience closing multi-stakeholder deals across the Italian market.
* Experience selling to Italian e-commerce advertisers and navigating local buying processes. Sales skills
* Hunter mindset with commercial instinct who proactively seeks out and creates outbound opportunities, spots commercial openings quickly, and closes them; comfortable generating pipeline from a cold start.
* Client-need obsession & consultative selling — maps client pain points to Awin products; leads with discovery, active listening and value framing.
* Growth mindset & openness to change — embraces change, learns quickly and stays resilient in the face of setbacks and rejection.
* Coachability & openness to feedback — actively seeks feedback and acts on it to improve.
* Intrinsic motivation & accountability — takes full ownership of pipeline, targets and personal development, and owns outcomes.
* Solutions-oriented — brings answers, not problems; escalates with proposed solutions and leverages resources to unblock deals.
* Forecasting accuracy & data fluency — manages pipeline confidently in CRM and forecasts quarterly signings accurately.
* Storytelling, negotiation & closing under complexity — builds compelling narratives, handles objections and closes on favourable terms.
* Win-Win-Win mentality & collaborative approach — balances Awin, client and partner interests and works seamlessly cross-functionally.
* Market, product & legal fluency. Credible on the affiliate and e-commerce landscape, Awin's platform and competitors; understands contract T&Cs and where to push back. Technical skills
* Confident with LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Salesloft, Gong and equivalent outbound prospecting tools.
* Solid MS Office / Google Workspace skills, particularly Excel/Sheets and PowerPoint/Slides.
* Working understanding of affiliate/partnership tracking technology and adjacent MarTech is a plus
* Formal sales methodology training (e.g. MEDDIC, SPIN, Challenger, Sandler) is a plus.
* Salesforce and/or Salesloft certifications are a plus. Language skills
* Italian: native or full professional proficiency (mandatory).
* English: full professional proficiency preferred; professional working proficiency minimum (mandatory).
* Any additional European language is a plus.
* Willingness to travel within Italy and occasionally across EMEA for client meetings, industry events and offsites. O