The Requirements
To be a good fit for this opportunity you will need:- 10+ years of sales experience demonstrating progressive success including Fortune 1000 companies and above.
- A bachelor's degree or the equivalent, preferably in Business. An MBA or other advanced degree is preferred.
- The skill to strategically map large complex accounts.
- Comfort working at the boardroom level.
- A solid transportation background. An understanding of both Shippers’ and Carriers’ perspective is a plus. If you’ve worked directly for a dealership or leasing company, you’ll have a distinct advantage in understanding the technology / machinery. Quick question for you - click here
- Comfort positioning and selling a revolutionary solution.
- Strong oral and written communication skills, including the ability to develop well-considered proposals, business letters, emails, etc.
- Self-motivation and the ability to achieve goals independently.
- A passion for the product. You will be an ambassador for natural gas solutions promoting the fact that natural gas is cheaper, cleaner, homegrown, good for the US, able to create jobs, etc.
- Strong industry contacts will be an advantage.
- Understanding of and comfort with a long sales cycle.
The Role
As the Senior Business Development Manager you will be responsible for generating sales of natural gas fuel by promoting natural gas vehicle technologies to Fortune 1000 prospects utilizing large truck fleets. Your threshold will be companies with a billion dollars in revenue. Smaller businesses will be targeted by Business Development Managers working within your territory.More specifically, you will:
- Compile lists of prospective customers for use as sales leads, based on information from newspapers, business directories, industry ads, trade shows, Internet Web sites, and other sources.
- Manage and grow relationships with various prospects, clients, and partners in the natural gas fuel industry.
- Create penetration strategies by doing complex mapping.
- Establish and develop relationships with decision makers and key players.
- Educate prospects, boards of directors, communities, government councils, trade associations, etc. on the economic and health benefits of natural gas vehicles.
- Participate on committees, professional associations and other high visibility venues to leverage personal exposure and promote natural gas fuel.
- Market to new and existing customers through the creation, development, and implementation of various business solutions. Coordinate marketing promotions, including advertising, and special sales.
- Estimate demand for proposed projects based on market research and consumer trends.
- Create focused proposals and presentations.
- Review and understand station contracts and fueling agreements.
- Provide input to the management team on new product or service features to be developed to meet current and future customer needs.
- Work closely with Engineering on the development of assigned projects, and with Operations on station operations and performance.
Relationship building: You’ll grow and maintain relationships with various prospects and decision makers, including city council members, fleet managers, public works directors, trade associations, C-level executives, board members, etc. You'll also mentor junior sales staff as appropriate.
Education: You’ll skillfully build and deliver presentations that focus on the economic and health benefits of natural gas vehicles.
Taking point as an expert: You’ll position yourself as a trusted authority who can be counted on to expertly guide clients through the conversion from inception through implementation. This is solutions sales with full cycle sales involvement.
Team collaboration: You’ll work effectively and collaboratively with the Sales, Engineering, and Operations departments. All will be central to your success.
Driving for results: You’ll develop and implement plans focused on achieving sales and performance milestones and be resilient in pursuit of the targeted results.
Note: this description is intended to give you a general overview of the position and is not an exhaustive listing of duties and responsibilities.
Why Clean Energy
Guidance and support – in this role you'll report to the VP of Sales. We know you're a seasoned professional with tremendous talent, but understand there will be a learning curve as you acclimate to the company and our business. Upon joining us you’ll participate in a two week training and orientation program providing company insight, territory information, a wide lens view of the natural gas infrastructure we’re building, and the trucks and progressive solutions you’ll be selling. It’s a mini transportation boot camp. You'll arrive with the drive and sales skills and we'll complete the picture by giving you all you all the additional tools you will need to succeed.Career growth -- ours is a hot industry and we've established ourselves as a clear leader. We're creating growth both organically and through acquisitions as we're building America's Natural Gas Highway. You could be challenged and rewarded in this position for years to come, but if you prove yourself and want to pursue future growth opportunities, you'll find Clean Energy to be a company ripe with opportunity.
The right solutions -- as more organizations explore alternative fuel vehicles, Clean Energy offers the right solutions at the right time. Nearly 14 million natural gas vehicles are on the road throughout the world, but only about 117,000 are in the U.S., according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Clean Energy is actively changing that statistic by building an infrastructure of commercial fueling stations, as well as building a portfolio of subsidiary, like-minded companies to drive success.
Proven strong leadership -- you will join a team of accomplished, seasoned professionals at Clean Energy, led by Andrew Littlefair. Mr. Littlefair served as President of Pickens Fuel Corp (PFC), predecessor company of Clean Energy, which he co-founded in 1997 with Boone Pickens and was Staff Assistant to then President Ronald Reagan in the Office of Presidential Advance from 1983 to 1987. Our executive team's profiles can be viewed at CleanEnergyFuels.com.
Solid growth -- more and more organizations are exploring alternative fuel vehicles and Clean Energy is transforming exploration to a viable choice. For instance, in 2009 we opened the world's largest public LNG truck fueling station to serve the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach as well as regional trucking (pictured at right); this facility will help transportation companies comply with the Port of Long Beach's Clean Air Action Plan.
Excellent compensation -- in addition to a competitive salary and lucrative bonus structure, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes all you would expect plus some pleasant surprises, such as a discretionary match on our 401(k) plan -- in four of the last five years the company has matched 50% of the employee's annual contribution! We also have an onsite fitness center staffed by a personal trainer and much more. We enjoy a business-professional environment.
Pictured: Opening of the first LNG port truck fueling station in Carson CA.
Keys to Success
This role calls for a unique combination of business development skills, technical savvy, and interpersonal qualities; you'llneed to be engaged and engaging: engaged in your customers' goals and engaging in the sense that people like and trust you. To be successful, you will be a consummate business professional, passionate about what you do and comfortable working with multiple decision makers at the highest levels.
Ease with an extended sales cycle is imperative. In this energy conscious environment it isn't that difficult to get in door, but change is difficult and closing takes effort and time. You'll need all of your business acumen, including understanding financials, sales savvy and interpersonal finesse as you invest the extended time necessary to educate your prospects and facilitate change. It could be six to eighteen months before you see results, but if you're tenacious and dedicated you will find success.
About Clean Energy
Taking the Lead in Clean-air TransportationClean Energy has a broad customer base in the solid waste, transit, ports, shuttle, taxi, trucking, airport and municipal fleet markets, fueling thousands of vehicles at more than 280 strategic locations (and growing) across the United States and Canada.
Clean Energy owns and operates two LNG production plants, one in Willis, TX and one in Boron, CA, with combined capacity of 260,000 LNG gallons per day and designed to expand to 340,000 LNG gallons per day as demand increases. It also owns and operates a landfill gas facility in Dallas, TX that produces renewable methane gas or biomethane for delivery in the nation's gas pipeline network.
America's Natural Gas Highway -- Coast-to-Coast and Border-to-Border LNG Truck Fueling
Trucks powered by cleaner, cheaper and All-American natural gas will soon travel the country on America’s Natural Gas Highway. We are building a network of LNG truck fueling stations on the Interstate Highway System and in major metropolitan areas. Soon, natural gas fueling infrastructure will be ready to serve long-haul trucks traveling across the USA as well as regional trucks working within local areas.
The Clean Energy vision extends beyond servicing the high fuel-use requirements of fleet operators. We are committed to helping businesses access the measurable advantages of clean-fuel solutions. Simultaneously, we are committed to protecting our environment as the leader in clean-air transportation. Clean Energy has proven that business and environmental goals can indeed find common ground, with mutually profitable results. Our vision and efforts have received recognition and awards from business and environmental organizations alike.
Pictured: the solid waste and environmental services industries are "early adopters" of natural gas vehicles because natural gas is cheaper, cleaner, domestically abundant, and it works.