Sales Manager

Elkhart, IN
Full Time
Mid Level
Responsible for managing sales of SHIELD restraint solutions for the Specialty Vehicles product line in the North American market. This position focuses on account management, opportunity identification and cultivation, and relationship management with current customers and new prospects. It will serve as the primary commercial contact for customer accounts within their portfolio. The individual will also collaborate with SHIELD Engineering to provide creative, high-quality solutions to meet or exceed the customer's needs. Additionally, the individual will provide SHIELD Management with timely and accurate market research, new business opportunities, sales forecasts, and customer visit summaries.

The Sales Manager position has a growth track to the Business Unit Manager Position. The Business Unit Manager position is the primary growth position for senior management roles within the organization.

Essential Functions:
 
  • Develop and execute all sales / customer-related efforts within the assigned customer portfolio
  • Compile and provide quote proposals to customers, including pricing and terms and conditions
  • Work directly with the Business Unit Manager and Vice President of Sales & Marketing to establish and execute the sales strategy
  • Lead and drive sales in the market segments to meet/exceed the annual sales plan.
  • Work directly with Business Unit Manager to generate and negotiate relevant customer contracts
  • Support the product teams, Engineering, and customers to develop innovative, cost-effective, and producible solutions that meet design specifications and field requirements
  • Build sustainable relationships at multiple levels within customer organizations and maintain them via weekly touchpoints and periodic in-person visits
  • Understand customers' specific and varying needs and communicate these to the organization to ensure timely responsiveness
  • Identify and generate new business leads aligned with SHIELD's customer profile strategy
  • Understand external cost dynamics and execute a pricing strategy to maintain margins
  • Analyze market trends, competitor activity, and customer buying habits to improve selling position
  • Ensure that customers are kept up to date on product value, features, application, and competitiveness
  • Represent the company at tradeshows to promote technology and new products
  • Provide customer trip reports that are shared with all departments in the organization
  • Prepare a monthly report of all sales activities
  • Willingness to participate in occasional non-standard workhour conference calls with international team members
  • Willingness to travel within North America
  • Willingness to occasionally travel to Europe or Asia as needed
Role Qualifications:
Skills, Abilities and Other Requirements:
  • Self-starter that excels in an entrepreneurial ownership culture; results-oriented
  • Bias towards action; exhibits a sense of urgency
  • Ability to manage and prioritize multiple customer and tasks
  • Strong commercial skills in communication, presentation, and negotiation to fulfill customer needs while achieving favorable terms and conditions
  • Professional poise and presence suitable for creating new relationships
  • Solid problem-solving skills to identify creative solutions to overcome sales obstacles
  • Thorough knowledge of the product portfolio and their regulatory environments
  • Robust understanding of sales methodologies and processes
  • Solid business, financial, and project management skills
  • Ability to communicate easily at both the technical and non-technical levels
  • Ability to form strong working relationships with customers and coworkers at various levels of the organization
  • Ability to lead by example while exhibiting a collective sense of purpose
  • Ability to travel frequently. Valid driver's license, passport, and valid credit cards to meet travel responsibilities
Education and Experience:
  • College graduate with Bachelor's degree required, Engineering or Business preferred
  • Experience in B2B sales and account management preferred
  • Restraint system industry experience preferred
  • Track record of selling products with complex technical requirements preferred
  • Experience in developing comprehensive market segment business plans preferred
  • Experience managing multiple customer projects concurrently preferred
  • Familiarity with the automotive APQP process a plus
  • Experience in multi-site, multi-country organizational structure a plus
Physical Demands and Work Environment:
Physical Demands:While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, reach with arms and hands, climb stairs, stoop, kneel, crouch, talk, or hear. Regular travel will be required to meet with customers or support marketing events both domestically and internationally. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 lbs.
Work Environment:While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time and an air-conditioned and heated office. The factory floor is in the same building as the main office. The noise level is moderate.

We are committed to building a diverse workforce and consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status.

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