Business Development Specialist - Industry and Professional Trades

The Business Development Specialist will focus on distribution channel sales of industrial and professional trades and its customer service in accordance with the organization’s policies and procedures based on established specifications while interacting with all disciplines of the local organization and the relevant departments of the parent company.

Primary Responsibilities: 

• Identify, build and develop new client business within the industry and professional trades by pursing business opportunities with strategic targets and cultivating relationships with existing clients through clear and concise verbal and written communication.
• Research target demographics, economic trends, customer needs and interests and other data that can be used in creating strategies for business development.
• Proactive, boots on the ground recruitment of new customers via cold calls, expos and meetings.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with distributive channel partners and their customer’s relevant decision makers.
• Oversee all aspects of the sales process within the vertical market, including development of opportunity-specific sales strategy, selection of pursuit teams and "quarterbacking" the entire sales process until the final close of the construction project.
• Define, test, refine and implement strategic plans to successfully achieve opportunities within the vertical market segment. These activities include primary research, industry, market and competitive analysis, and customer needs assessment.
• Ensures strategic objectives of the vertical market segment are well understood and executed by the pursuit team.
• Lead activities and strategies for organic growth of distributive channel sales of technical adhesive tapes. Directly manage RFP’s/RFQs.
• Negotiate prices and other contracts with distributive partners, Key Accounts and other distributors while coordinating prices with headquarters. Provide timely follow-up on phone calls, emails, quotations, technical inquiries, complaints, and other requests.
• Forecast levels of demand for relevant finished goods and update sales forecast on a quarterly basis at the very least.
• Provide ongoing product feedback, progress updates on new business development activities and market updates as well as competitive analysis to the management team.
• Coordinate with Sales Order Specialists and Customer Service teams as needed, as well as relevant agents or distributors.
• Frequent travel may be required, weekends if necessary.
• Create and maintain timely regular reports to Management, including KPI’s, tracking of order entry and sales on a daily and monthly basis, trip/field reports and significant meeting minutes.
• Other tasks as required/assigned by the Sales Manager Industry and Professional Trade.

Education/Experience:

• B.A., B.S., or three to five years of related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3-5 years substantial and broad business experience in Business Development and/or Account Management with at least 3 years in the building and construction industry with a successful track record of building relationships.
• Technical understanding.
• Comprehensive sales, business development (i.e. relationships with distributors) and account management skills and a proven track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets.
• Comprehensive knowledge of MS Office, experience in SAP beneficial.
• Strong negotiation capabilities combined with highly persuasive communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a high degree of flexibility and a strong sense of personal responsibility.
• Strong relationship builder.
• Strong analytical skills and detailed orientation.
• “Hands on” approach to all tasks.