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We are working with Gorilla Group in their search for a Managing Director to help lead and grow their new office in New York.
Gorilla Group is a vaunted web design and development agency specializing in ecommerce for multichannel companies. Armed with a uniquely client-driven culture, Gorilla seeks a Managing Director to help lead and grow its new office in New York City.
The Managing Director will be responsible for meeting established sales and profitability targets, building the New York team and managing client relationships. This is a full-time position with great benefits: Medical, dental and life insurance plans; Health Savings Account; Work-from-home options; 401(k) with 3% company contribution; Corporate bonus and sophisticated caffeine delivery systems.
HARRY’S COMMENTS: I’m in the process of re-reading (for the third time) David Ogilvy’s classic book, “Ogilvy on Advertising.” Great book, btw. If you haven’t read it, you can buy it here. As the proprietor of an ecommerce recruiting agency, I love this quote:
“When you are head of an agency, you know that your staff looks to you to bring in new business, more than anything else. If you fail to do so over an extended period, you sense that you are losing their confidence, and are tempted to grab any account you can get. Don’t. Above all, don’t join the melancholy procession of agencies which always accompanies a dying brand on its way to the cemetery.”
Mr. Ogilvy’s words apply here because one of America’s best ecommerce consultancies, Gorilla Group, is looking to open a New York office – and the firm wishes to appoint as its NY Managing Director a gun-slinging Business Development executive. By “gun-slinging,” I mean someone who has a track record of vendor-side success in identifying, qualifying, closing, and partnering with the RIGHT ecommerce clients.
“Who’s Gorilla?”
Headquartered in Chicago, Gorilla Group is a 15-year-old web design/development agency whose goal is to help middle-market companies improve their businesses with commerce. As Magento’s 2010 “Partner of the Year,” Gorilla makes its money by providing services around the design, development, management, and marketing of ecommerce sites. Although they come from many industries, Gorilla’s clients are primarily apparel manufacturers, multichannel retailers, luxury marketers, branded manufacturers, and B2B manufacturers.
Gorilla prides itself on its world-class team of experts, and it performs all of its work in-house. The company does not outsource anything, which gives it significant depth across multiple functional areas, including design, development, and services. The fact that all of its work is performed in-house gives Gorilla a tight grip on quality control in addition to a uniquely client-driven culture.
“Okay, who supplies the leads?”
Ah, yes. Of course. The leads. Every gun-slinger asks this. Leads are like ammo, and Gorilla will have you packing heat. Without going into specifics, Gorilla’s lead generation mechanisms are hitting on all cylinders, and the client has built up a very strong demand for its services. Moreover, this demand is likely to last for sometime – and not just because Gorilla does a phenomenal job with lead generation.
According to US Commerce Department, ecommerce accounted for 8.6% of total retail sales last year, up 7.6% from 2010. Total retail sales, including e-commerce, increased 7.9% in 2011 and totaled $4.2 trillion. These estimates are based on the Commerce Department’s quarterly survey of more than 11,000 US merchants.
11,000! Many of whom are reaching out to ecommerce consultancies and integrators to help them make sense of the opportunities and risks associated with the multichannel commercialization of their businesses.
“Yeah, but what’s so great about this role?”
In addition to a killer compensation package that will have you earning a fistful of dollars, this role will report directly to the CEO and will involve building and leading Gorilla’s New York team. Sometimes sales reps get a shot at becoming a Sales Manager – but rarely to they get a shot at general management. Yet that’s what this is: A chance to manage the P&L of an entire office. You get to make of it what you will, and everyone will report to YOU.
But there’s a catch. (There’s always a catch …)
Obviously, we can’t offer this role to just any green-horn sales rep. No! Here are just a few of the things I would need to see in candidate:
- Management-level synapses that fire 24/7.
- A track record of selling complex ecommerce solutions. If no such track record exists, I will probe deeply for an understanding of the FIVE (5) things any ecommerce executive needs to be successful in their career.
- A sound, replicateable process for analyzing buyer needs. Some might call this “the ability to probe for pain,” and it’s an essential skill for any trusted advisor.
- The ability to present a professional image and create a positive first impression.
- An understanding of how to manage his or her energy and attitude. Your direct reports will be up if you’re up. They will walk the talk you walk.
- A significant level of financial literacy and business savvy.
- An ability to communicate very effectively over the phone.
Those are some of my requirements. The client’s requirements are listed below. This is a fantastic opportunity for a successful ecommerce sales rep to grow, both personally and professionally. Gorilla’s principals will be pulling for you – but don’t expect to be micromanaged.
The firm has a long tradition of hiring the right people and giving them enough room to learn from experience. However, given the importance of the NYC market, you shouldn’t expect to go it alone, either. Gorilla’s principles will be only a $200 shuttle away.
Please Tweet this job, and you’ll be automatically entered into our monthly drawing. Just do it and see what happens: 2010 prizes included $100 Amazon gift certs, Dean & Deluca steaks, and Keurig coffee machines …
Position Overview:
The Managing Director is responsible for establishing, building and maintaining key relationships, directing and managing the client’s business, building the New York team and managing practice profitability.
Responsibilities:
- Interacts with the highest level in client organizations
- Participates in the overall leadership and growth of our firm
- Develop and maintain positive client relationships at all levels of the organization in support of established revenue and profitability goals
- Understand the client’s core business strategy and uncover new ways to support and deliver that strategy through superior customer experience and enabling technologies.
- Works well with the project delivery teams to support their success
- Be an active contributor to a positive, innovative, collaborative, and cooperative work environment
Position Requirements:
- Background in management or technology consulting or a leading interactive agency
- 7-10 years of experience working as a leader in a similar environment
- Experience working with ecommerce platforms including Magento, Demandware, Hybris, ATG and others
- Experience with both business development and client services
- Deep understanding of the design and development processes for interactive projects
- Successful history of meeting assigned targets for sales and account profitability (>$4MM per year)
- Ability to manage several concurrent projects in a deadline critical environment
- Ability to prioritize issues based on business need
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