Job Description

As a Sales Executive - Competition & Game of Skill at DNA Payments, you will be responsible for identifying, acquiring, onboarding, and growing competition start-ups and established competition merchants with annual card turnover of up to £5 million. Reporting directly to Head of Competitions.

Working within the High Risk division, you will manage the full sales cycle from prospecting through to onboarding and go live, acting as the primary commercial contact for your merchant portfolio. You will proactively build and maintain a strong pipeline of opportunities, driving prospects through every stage of the funnel from Top of Funnel (TOFU) lead generation through to Bottom of Funnel (BOFU) conversion.

You will collaborate closely with internal teams including Underwriting, Risk, Compliance, Integrations, Customer Success, and Technical Support to ensure a smooth and frictionless onboarding experience, while identifying opportunities for account growth and retention.

This role requires a highly motivated self-starter with excellent pipeline management skills, strong commercial acumen, and a passion for helping competition and game of skill merchants succeed.

Key Responsibilities

New Business Development

• Identify, prospect, and acquire new Competition Start-Up and Game of Skill merchants.

• Build and manage a healthy pipeline of qualified opportunities through outbound activity, inbound enquiries, referrals, events, and partner channels.

• Manage prospects through the entire sales lifecycle from discovery to contract signature and go live.

• Consistently achieve and exceed new business revenue and merchant acquisition targets.

Pipeline Management

• Maintain a disciplined and structured sales pipeline, ensuring accurate forecasting and CRM management.

• Demonstrate ownership of opportunities across all funnel stages:

  • Top of Funnel (TOFU): Lead generation and qualification.

  • Middle of Funnel (MOFU): Discovery, solution positioning, and stakeholder engagement.

  • Bottom of Funnel (BOFU): Proposal management, negotiation, and closing.

• Produce regular pipeline reports and forecasts for management.

• Maintain accurate records of all sales activity, opportunities, and forecasts within Salesforce.

Merchant Onboarding & Go Live

• Own the onboarding journey for new merchants, ensuring a smooth transition from sale to live processing.

• Work closely with internal stakeholders to remove barriers and accelerate merchant onboarding.

• Ensure merchants understand DNA Payments' products, services, and processes.

• Act as the commercial lead throughout implementation and go live.

Relationship Management & Growth

• Develop strong relationships with merchant owners, directors, and key decision-makers.

• Identify opportunities for increased processing volumes, product adoption, and revenue growth.

• Conduct regular account reviews and business performance discussions.

• Support merchants during business expansion, platform migrations, or operational changes.

Internal Collaboration

• Work closely with Underwriting, Compliance, Risk, Operations, and Technical teams to resolve issues and deliver exceptional merchant experiences.

• Champion continuous improvements that support merchant growth and improve onboarding efficiency.

• Ensure merchants are informed of new products, services, and platform enhancements.

Market Intelligence

• Maintain strong knowledge of the competition and game of skill sector.

• Monitor industry developments, competitor activity, and emerging market trends.

• Provide market feedback to support product development and commercial strategy.

Required Skills & Experience

Experience

• Minimum 2 years' experience in sales, business development, account management, or merchant acquiring.

• Proven track record of achieving and exceeding sales targets.

• Experience managing a structured sales pipeline from prospecting through to contract signature.

• Experience within payments, fintech, merchant services, gaming, competitions, or other regulated sectors is highly desirable.

Commercial Skills

• Strong prospecting, networking, and relationship-building capabilities.

• Demonstrable ability to self-generate opportunities and convert leads into revenue.

• Excellent negotiation, objection handling, and closing skills.

• Ability to influence stakeholders and communicate value propositions effectively.

Industry Knowledge

• Understanding of payment processing, merchant acquiring, gateways, and eCommerce platforms.

• Familiarity with WooCommerce and common competition website platforms is advantageous.

• Knowledge of the Competition, Game of Skill, or broader high-risk payments sector is desirable.

• Knowledge of Salesforce CRM or similar sales management platforms would be highly desirable.

Personal Attributes

• Self-motivated, ambitious, and driven to succeed.

• Strong ownership mentality and ability to work independently.

• Excellent organisational and time-management skills.

• Results-focused with a proactive approach to winning new business.

• Comfortable managing multiple opportunities and priorities simultaneously.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

• Passionate about delivering an outstanding merchant experience.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• New merchant acquisition.

• Annual card turnover (CTO) secured.

• Revenue generated.

• Lead-to-live merchant conversion rate.

• Pipeline coverage and forecasting accuracy.

• Time to go live.

• Merchant retention and portfolio growth.

• Salesforce adoption and CRM compliance.

• Achievement of monthly, quarterly, and annual sales targets.