Inbound Sales Strategist

About The Shelf

We are a full-service influencer marketing agency creating meaningful stories, experiences, and content by working with influencers who know how to spread the word about your brand. With our unique, professional, and longstanding influencer marketing expertise, we create the most genuine connections to deliver the results you deserve.

• We’re a team of more than 80.
• We’re growing.
• We’re about as scattered as a team can be… East Coast, West Coast, the middle of the country… a bunch of us are in Canada, 1 in Ukraine, 1 in Russia… we like to keep our options open in terms of company retreat locations.
• About half of us are really funny.
• We’re currently working with some pretty amazing brands: Famous Footwear, UMG, Zenni Optical, KISS, Lenox, Sam’s Club, ROAR Organic, Nestlé, Honest Co., and Hershey just to name a few.

About the role

This role owns qualified inbound demand and converts it into closed revenue by combining strong sales execution, strategic problem-solving, and a deep, practical understanding of influencer marketing programs.

We’re looking for someone who is naturally outgoing, energized by client conversations, and curious about how great brands operate. You enjoy identifying gaps, diagnosing real business problems, and designing solutions — not just selling services.

This is not a transactional inbound role.
It’s a consultative, solution-oriented sales position for someone who enjoys thinking alongside smart brand teams and confidently turning insight into action.

The right person feels like a mini Head of Sales + Strategist, embedded directly in the inbound funnel.
Why This Role Exists

Inbound selling breaks down when:

• Sellers rely on leadership to “carry” strategy
• Conversations stay high-level instead of becoming concrete
• Follow-ups lack insight, urgency, or direction
• Deals stall because no one can independently frame a viable program
  

This role exists to eliminate those failure points.

Success here means:

• Faster deal velocity
• Higher-quality, more strategic conversations
• Better-qualified, better-scoped deals entering delivery
• Fewer escalations to senior leadership
  

What You’ll Own

• Own qualified inbound leads (demo requests, referrals, warm intros, returning prospects)
• Lead discovery, strategy framing, proposal alignment, and close
• Maintain momentum and urgency from first call to signed agreement

• Translate client goals (retail, DTC, awareness, conversion, retailer-specific) into:
• • Clear influencer program recommendations
  • Platform mix (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, etc.)
  • Creator tiers, content formats, timelines, and KPIs
• Anchor recommendations in what has actually worked, not hypotheticals

You should sound like:

“Here’s what’s worked for brands like you — and here’s how I’d tailor it to your situation.”

• Build and maintain strong working knowledge of:
• • Past campaigns and performance
  • Retail-specific programs (Walmart, Sam’s, Amazon, etc.)
  • What performs in reality vs what only sounds good
• Confidently answer:
• • “What would you do if…?”
  • “Why this approach?”
  • “What’s realistic at this budget?”

• Deliver thoughtful, value-driven follow-ups (not “just checking in”)
• Advance deals through:
• • New insights
  • Refined scope
  • Clear next steps
• Maintain control of the sales process without waiting for the buyer to lead

• Partner with Strategy, Creative, and Leadership when needed
• Know when to pull in support — and when not to
• Do not depend on others to make deals viable

AI Literacy & Operating Leverage

This role requires comfort using AI as a force multiplier, not a crutch.

You don’t need to be an engineer — but you should:

• Use AI to accelerate research, prep, and follow-ups
• Turn raw inputs into sharper insights faster than traditional workflows
• Constantly look for ways to do more with less while maintaining quality
  

We value sellers who:

• Experiment with modern tools
• Improve their own operating efficiency
• Bring better thinking to conversations — not just more activity

AI literacy here means better outcomes, not busier days.

What This Role Is Not

This role is not a fit for someone who:

• Needs scripts to sell
• Can only close when a buyer is already “ready”
• Relies on others to explain programs
• Treats inbound as “easy mode”
• Confuses activity with effectiveness (volume ≠ outcomes)
• Is uncomfortable using modern tools and expects process or people to compensate for inefficiency
  

• Consultative selling rooted in curiosity and diagnosis
• Strong discovery, qualification, and deal control instincts
• Comfort leading strategic conversations with senior brand stakeholders
• Ability to close mid-to-large deals with minimal oversight

• Strong understanding of influencer marketing, including:
• • Creator strategy and tiering
  • Content formats and platform nuances
  • Measurement trade-offs and performance realities
• Previous influencer marketing experience — especially as:
• • An Account Manager
  • A Strategist
  • A program planner or designer
    is a significant advantage
• Ability to recognize patterns across past campaigns and apply them to new brand challenges

• Executive-level verbal communication
• Clear, confident written follow-ups
• Accountability for outcomes, not excuses
• Comfort being measured on revenue
• Bias toward ownership and action

• You’ll own real revenue, not just meetings
• You’ll sell programs you genuinely believe in
• You’ll operate with autonomy and trust
• You’ll influence how inbound selling is done — not just execute it
• You’ll work with ambitious brands and sharp internal teams
  

If you’re a strategic, outgoing seller who enjoys problem-solving, values efficiency, and wants real responsibility — we’d love to talk.