TARA N.

COLLIER
collier.tnc@gmail.com 137 Harvest Ridge, Acworth, GA 30102 770-823-7052 linkedin.com/in/tarancollier

SALES & ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT

Understanding & uncovering the customers needs & initiatives, & aligning strategies to drive revenue 15+ years as strategic partner to Fortune 1000 clients. Experienced business owner: 100% commission 7 years. Expertise in management, sales, training & development, facilitation, quality and customer service. Industry experience: industrial distribution, hospitality, manufacturing, legal services, wireless, logistics. Known for professionalism, integrity, business acumen and ability to connect with high level business executives. Skills in: Strategic planning Market penetration New business development Uncovering customer gaps & closing sales Building relationships with decisions makers Training & development (certified) Trend analysis & forecasting Financial analysis Agility & leading through change Follow through

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
RYDER SYSTEM, INC.
Account Manager
Provide consultative selling to National Tier accounts to optimize fleet opportunities. Develop & present account plans ($3.7M client base) & annual reviews to align business strategies accordingly. Utilize Salesforce.com application to generate pipeline opportunities, close deals, schedule Annual Reviews, create tasks, & manage schedule. Sell lease contracts, extensions, replacements, & insurance within Transportation industry. Negotiate transactions terms & conditions related to Consumer Price Index.

PRESENT

Unconvered opportunity with general manager of a national account that secured new business > $37K in 1st 4 months. Exceeded 2nd Quarter 2012 goals for annual review completion that resulted in 10% increased spend. Successfully secured new business of an at Risk potential customer from competition.

W.W. GRAINGER INC., ATLANTA, GA

Account Relationship Manager

2010 MAR 2012

Create & execute strategic plans for $4.2M corporate client base to optimize pipeline, market/account penetration, volume and productivity. Sell extensive line of industrial products and services to up to 155 top-tier, national clients in hospitality and manufacturing industries. Forecast and determine marketing & promotional approaches to grow business. Negotiate transaction terms, conditions and pricing.

In 1st 6 months, increased customer spend 11%, in long-term underperforming manufacturing market. Exceeded 2011 goal for Inventory Solutions upsell with 15% YOY growth. Reduced inventory shrinkage 50% for key manufacturing client. Aggressively sought new business opportunities, e.g., connected with director of engineering for Fortune 1000 hotel, uncovered gap and sold initial $25K with referrals to other sites. Consistently meet or exceed targets in upsell, customer engagement, customer touch, introduction of strategic, on-site safety programs and personal/professional development.
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Coordinator/volunteer for Atlanta Community Food Bank event and membership committee lead for internal diversity organization.
INC.

LEGALSHIELD,

2004 - 2010

Group Benefits Specialist

Market specialized legal insurance to residential and business customers in US and Canada. Developed & grew 1,000+ customers through cold calling and referrals. Maintain customer retention of 85%+. Achieved Incentive Trips for Top Sales, 5 consecutive years (2005 - 2010). Identified and cultivated sales opportunities with small business owners & corporations to offer legal & Identity Theft (IDT) services as an employee benefit. Attained recognition in Profiles of Success and was selected to facilitate training & workshops on market awareness, growing business & customer retention; trained associates across US through mentoring, observation & feedback. Educated commercial drivers on legal compliance & coverage for commercial vehicles.

VERIZON
Supervisor, Verizon Wireless, 2004 - 2005

1994 - 2005

Supervised call center providing wireless frontline troubleshooting and technical support to major corporate accounts across US. Supervised 15 order processors to meet order requirements Service Level Agreements. Monitored employees for quality performance. Provided one on one coaching for continuous improvement. Facilitated conference calls with team, outside sales and customers to strengthen service and revenue.

Manager - Logistics Operations, Verizon Logistics (formerly GTE Supply), 2003 -2004
Managed operations for distribution of mobile phones, data hardware, outside plant & customer premise equipment to major accounts such as AT&T. Managed transportation, stock control and warehousing. Ensured processes were in place to monitor flow of materials. Provided forecasting to upper management for increasingly complex systems of stock levels, delivery times, transport costs and performance evaluation.

Managed 55 direct/indirect reports to improve team efficiency by establishing annual performance goals, allocating resources, and coaching. Exceeded goals for controlling inventory to ensure optimum levels. Achieved Verizon Logistics Excellence Award, 3 consecutive years (2002 - 2004).

Manager - Accounts Management, Verizon Logistics, 2001 - 2003

Managed Fortune 500 accounts, e.g., BellSouth $250M, Chatsworth $20M, Telmar $15M. Collaborated with account managers to evaluate new customer opportunities and grow existing business.

Led team in achieving top Sales Team (105%) award recognition. Led team in exceeding 100% BellSouth Total Customer Satisfaction Quality performance.

Supervisor - Customer Service, Verizon Logistics, 1999 - 2001

Supervised 12 frontline, call-center sales and customer service representatives to ensure customer satisfaction and meet departmental and company service level goals. Determined staffing and training needs.

Exceeded 85% Service Level and <5% abandoned calls. Managed environment with high call volume (6,500+ per month).

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Specialist - Quality Advocate, Verizon Logistics, 1997 - 1999

Developed, revised and implemented quality records and policies for ISO 9000 standards and certification. Implemented systems to facilitate productivity, standardize & improve processes, and guarantee efficiency. Trained sales and management staff.

Achieved 1999 Make a Difference Award for performance in this role. Conducted internal audits biannually & assisted external auditor annually; 0 findings 2 consecutive years. Performed root cause analysis (Visio Flow charts, As Is & To Be Maps) & issued Action Alerts to stimulate immediate recovery for service affecting customers. As certified trainer, conducted or facilitated training to sales staff (> 100 reps) and management personnel for Product Sales Training.
Sales Representative, Verizon Logistics, 1995 - 1997 Developed targeted accounts to achieve sustainable annual sales resulting in $1M + per account. Customer Service Representative, Verizon Logistics, 1994 - 1995

EDUCATION / CERTIFICATION
Master in Business Administration; American InterContinental University; Major: Finance/Accounting Bachelor of Science in Management; Shorter Baptist College (Rome, GA); Major: Business Management Certified Zenger Miller Skills Module Trainer (AchieveGlobal)

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