Clare Williams
Commercial Manager/Microsoft Consultant/Software Manager
Midrand
Summary
I am an energetic and enthusiastic person who enjoys a challenge and achieving personal goals. My present career aim is to grow and explore other opportunities. I enjoy the corporate environment and I find the work interesting and satisfying. The opportunity to learn new skills and work with new development strategies is particularly attractive to me. My main strengths are adaptability, dependability and the determination to get a job done as proven by my career history. I try to learn something new from every experience because I believe there is always room for self-improvement both personally and professionally.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Microsoft Consultant
ACR Williams Pty Ltd
Midrand
08.2024 - 01.2025
- Customized training sessions on Microsoft products and Licensing Agreements (Teams, EA Agreements, M365, etc.)
- Introduced agile methodologies in development projects, increasing project efficiency and adaptability to changing requirements.
- Increased productivity by training end-users on the effective use of various Microsoft licensing and technologies.
- Microsoft Partner Center - Help with onboarding, management, and utilization of Microsoft Partner Centre, association of skills. Maximizing Rebate potential
- Customer Meetings - On-site consultation for strategy, consulting, licensing support
- Maintained up-to-date knowledge of industry trends and best practices, providing valuable insights to clients on emerging technologies.
- Migrated legacy systems to cloud-based platforms such as Azure, reducing infrastructure costs and enhancing scalability.
Cloud Commercial Manager
Microsoft
07.2022 - 05.2024
- With a combination of senior brand | vendor | operations management and cloud acquisition | sales development | marketing management skills set required, the Commercial Manager is responsible for growing a profitable portfolio of partners and customers for Axiz and its’ vendor Microsoft.
- Negotiating and overseeing obligations required by parties in the ecosystem, pursuing new business opportunities, and leading the Microsoft brand’s sales campaigns and go-to-market strategies.
- Develop and manage strategies to proactively build a stakeholder network to accelerate and close opportunities aligned to the specified vendor GTM within the partner space.
- Build and maintain relationships at all levels to drive pipeline management and forecasts to exceed Vendor Targets and Axiz Revenue and GP budgets from partner-sourced billings.
- Manage deal structure and margins to maximize profitability.
- Execution of sales and marketing plans | campaigns, skills development, product | services to achieve growth and meet net new objectives.
- Align with the vendor’s various product stakeholders to maximize the reach of the portfolio into our channel and with their end customers.
- Lead the planning, orchestration, and execution of opportunities with internal stakeholders and partners to cross-sell and up-sell.
- Develop sales-as-a-service demand and lead generation.
- Drive digital platform operation efficiency and communicate new development requirements to ensure smooth billing and reduction of manual process.
- Manage vendor portal obligations as an aggregator to meet commitments and activate rebate | incentive earning opportunities.
- Presenting value, meeting business and technology priorities, governance, decision | budget processes and landing value proposition solutions.
- Lead vendor business planning, including compete strategies and business analysis to pursue high-potential partners and customers and manage vendor’s solutions across the organization.
- Share/ compile market intelligence on competing technologies and cloud providers | aggregators.
- Negotiated contracts and product prices by collaborating with vendors and developers.
- Built relationships with clients to establish new contracts.
- Streamlined internal processes by identifying areas for improvement and implementing changes to increase efficiency.
- Used key metrics and prepared reports for senior management to monitor performance of commercial activities.
Quote Layer Manager – Software
Axiz
Midrand
04.2020 - 06.2022
- Track and grow existing renewals business and new license business.
- Responsible for software sales number for product range.
- Grow resellers’ expertise, competence, knowledge and skills in the vendor programs they are primarily engaged in, as well as adjacent vendors/technologies that Axiz may represent.
- Market products and manage the renewals process:-
- Identify and implement market strategies.
- Disseminate product information.
- Grow market share.
- Identify new business opportunities.
- Position vendor product set.
- Managed the quoting, ordering and query process for 18 software vendors.
- Managed a staff of approximately 20 people.
- Use best practices for opportunity management, account planning and forecasting (partners).
- Working with partners to devise growth strategies and implementing these strategies.
- Enable sales team to grow vendor revenue in existing accounts.
- Provide accurate and regular sales forecasts and business updates to Axiz management.
- Work with sales team to ensure that each sales opportunity is driven as proactively as possible.
- Identify key new accounts and design a sales approach to bring new Partners on board.
- Meeting vendor target.
- Meeting Axiz target for vendor portfolio.
- Pipeline conversion ratio.
- DTAM market share.
- Vendor market share.
- Monitor Gross profit, from daily sales & Contribution reports.
- Handle all renewals related issues.
- Internal Support Team Management.
Renewals Manager – Software
Axiz
Midrand
06.2016 - 03.2020
- Managed a team of 6 people.
- Track and grow existing renewals business.
- Responsible for software sales number for product range.
- Grow resellers’ expertise, competence, knowledge and skills in the vendor programs they are primarily engaged in, as well as adjacent vendors/technologies that Axiz may represent.
- Market products and manage the renewals process:-
- Identify and implement market strategies.
- Disseminate product information.
- Grow market share.
- Identify new business opportunities.
- Position vendor product set.
- Use best practices for opportunity management, account planning and forecasting (partners).
- Working with partners to devise growth strategies and implementing these strategies.
- Enable sales team to grow vendor revenue in existing accounts.
- Provide accurate and regular sales forecasts and business updates to Axiz management.
- Work with sales team to ensure that each sales opportunity is driven as proactively as possible.
- Identify key new accounts and design a sales approach to bring new Partners on board.
- Meeting vendor target.
- Meeting AxizWorkgroup target for vendor portfolio.
- Pipeline conversion ratio.
- DTAM market share.
- Vendor market share.
- Monitor Gross profit, from daily sales & Contribution reports.
- Handle all renewals related issues.
- Internal Support Team Management.
External Account Manager & Microsoft Licensing Specialist for New Business
AxizWorkgroup
Midrand
02.2015 - 05.2016
- To develop and manage a selected database of resellers and achieve the targets attached to each customer (Overall GP and Revenue, GP %).
- Establish value, build trust and alignment with distributors, working with product teams on over-stocked product lines.
- Manage the sourcing and delivery of products to the customer, and generate interest in all Axiz brands during regular on-site customer visits, keeping customers informed of new products and IT innovation opportunities.
- Submit monthly reporting and metrics, as well as provide accurate and regular sales forecasts and business updates to management and to vendors as required.
- Maintain excellent customer relationships, and be escalation point for compliments and complaints.
- Professionally and efficiently manage customer telephonic and email engagement, with a view to maximizing sales and increasing partner delight.
- Drive sales to meet individual and team targets monthly, quarterly and annual gross profit target.
- Quote and provide accurate pricing and product information to customers within SLA timeframes.
Microsoft Renewals Specialist
Axiz
08.2012 - 08.2014
- Manage Microsoft Renewals.
- Drive and control all aspects of Microsoft renewals.
- Maintain a tracking list to see conversion rate.
- Maintain weekly funnel with complete updated info.
- Build and maintain relationships with Internal and external customers.
- Prepare renewal quotes 60-90 days in advance.
- Follow-up on outstanding renewals pro-actively.
- Process orders correctly and keeps track of them until it has been invoiced.
- Solid understanding of Microsoft licensing.
Internal Account Manager
Axiz
01.2012 - 08.2012
- Promote the sale of computer software effectively and efficiently.
- Products include: Microsoft, VMWare, Veeam, Citrix, McAfee, Adobe, Corel, Nuance & Novell.
- Professionally and efficiently, manage customer telephonic/email engagement with a view to maximizing the client experience.
- Keep customers informed of new product development and IT innovation opportunities.
- Work in a team environment.
- Ensure customer expectations are met (quote stage to invoicing).
- Be able to organize time effectively, with the purpose of completing today’s work today.
- Display accuracy regarding messages, quotes, orders, and information given.
- Report on lost deals with reasons and pending deals (pipeline).
Education
Matric - English, Afrikaans, Mathematics, Science, Accounting, Geography
Nirvana Secondary School
Lenasia 01.2001 - 01.2005
NQF Level 6 - General Management
Destiny Village
Midrand 04.2001 -
Skills
Calm under pressure
Effective problem solver
Customer-focused
Relationship building
Business results driven
Telephone Etiquette
Critical thinking
Confident
Organised
Methodical
Target/Goal Driven
Self-Motivated
Hard worker
Quick Learner
Timeline
Microsoft Consultant
ACR Williams Pty Ltd
08.2024 - 01.2025
Cloud Commercial Manager
Microsoft
07.2022 - 05.2024
Quote Layer Manager – Software
Axiz
04.2020 - 06.2022
Renewals Manager – Software
Axiz
06.2016 - 03.2020
External Account Manager & Microsoft Licensing Specialist for New Business
AxizWorkgroup
02.2015 - 05.2016
Microsoft Renewals Specialist
Axiz
08.2012 - 08.2014
Internal Account Manager
Axiz
01.2012 - 08.2012
NQF Level 6 - General Management
Destiny Village
04.2001 -
Matric - English, Afrikaans, Mathematics, Science, Accounting, Geography
Nirvana Secondary School
01.2001 - 01.2005