POSITION TITLE: Vice President of Sales
COMPANY: Confidential
REPORTING TO: President
LOCATION: Chicago, IL
COMPANY PROFILE
Our client’s company is a leader in the manufacture of custom engineered industrial damper products, including butterfly, louver and refractory style designs.
The company’s 40,000 square foot headquarters are in the Chicago area. The world-class manufacturing facility and capital investment in state-of-the-art equipment support a strong growth trajectory. The company continues to expand its presence across markets and is looking to double its customer base and revenue.
THE ROLE DEFINED
The Vice President of Sales will manage a team encompassing business development, sales, account management, and inside sales as well as national rep group management. S/he will be accountable for revenue through both direct and national rep channels.
S/he will also identify and develop new market opportunities and expand the company’s presence across industries including power generation, chemical processing, pollution control, pulp and paper, industrial manufacturing, and refineries.
SCOPE AND CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
The responsibilities of the Vice President of Sales will include leading all direct and indirect sales of the company’s custom industrial damper portfolio of offerings nationally, both as an individual contributor and through her/his team and national rep groups. This individual will play a key role in the development of markets and industries where the company’s portfolio of offerings is underpenetrated as well as continued expansion in top geographies.
Additionally, this leader will work to identify strategic areas of growth by expanding the value of company offerings, from components to systems, growing product offerings into broader customer solutions across industries.
This is the ideal role for an individual with prior experience working with complex machinery, equipment, or engineering products, an internal drive to learn every aspect of the offerings in the portfolio, and a strategic approach to effectively motivating and mentoring a team and managing independent rep groups nationally. S/he will partner and work closely with customers, travel extensively across the country to manage independent sales representative groups in different regions, prospect and grow direct sales.
- Develop and implement a business plan that drives product sales, develops solution offerings and expands market share in existing and new industry segments, meeting aggressive sales targets and growth objectives;
- Develop annual sales goals, strategic action plans, target lists of customers and industries, including channels to market;
- Ownership of the annual sales budget;
- Perform market research in target markets, including site visits to understand current and prospective customer requirements and garner input from independent rep teams. Develop and execute action plans to capitalize on that knowledge and further the organization’s goals to penetrate relevant markets and develop solution offerings around the company’s products;
- Manage and improve effectiveness of third-party independent sales groups engaged by the organization across the U.S.: support, motivate and manage the individual sales representatives to drive sales of the organization’s offerings in each geography. Coordinate joint sales calls for the team with regional representatives and serve as the subject matter expert with the technical knowledge to identify opportunities for the organization’s damper products and solutions, ensuring a level of sales activity required to achieve sales objectives.
- Meet with key customers to develop relationships, understand their needs and proactively develop solutions to add more value and address potential issues;
- Demonstrate ability to discover customer needs and deliver a value proposition for a specific product or integrated solution;
- Build market presence in target industry verticals to increase awareness of the product and solution portfolio in the marketplace and increase the pipeline of prospective customers;
- Showcase the company’s custom industrial damper products and solutions at industry events and trade shows as a way to gain awareness and attention of prospective customers and provide a presence that independent sales representative groups can leverage as sales partners.
- Develop a systematic lead generation and outreach process, allocate sales roles and responsibilities for maximum impact;
- Structure and implement a KPI-driven methodology to managing each step of the sales process, from prospecting to sales, employing a continuous discovery approach to customer management with the goal of developing integrated customer solutions.
- Own marketing initiatives to support sales strategy, encompassing awareness, trial and adoption cycles.
EXPERIENCE AND SKILL SETS PREFERRED
The ideal candidate will be a strategic leader with a track record of developing tactics that drive sales results individually and through others. S/he will have a partnership approach to prospects and customers, developing mutually beneficial relationships that result in meeting broader needs through solution offerings around the initial sales of custom components.
S/he will have direct sales experience with a demonstrated ability to cover a national territory and prior track record of success managing independent third-party sales representatives.
- 15+ years of experience in sales leadership, managing and mentoring a team, driving the sales of products and solutions to industrial customers, individually and through direct reports.
- Experience managing varied independent sales representative groups, ensuring optimal coverage of the U.S. market and motivating them to grow sales.
- Experience selling industrial engineered-to-order products and/or solutions.
- Experience with industrial air handling, including actuation, dampers, valves or industrial ventilation systems a plus.
ATTRIBUTES
- Smart: dynamic, aggressive and strategic problem solver. Has the intellectual horsepower and creativity to circumvent obstacles and solve complex problems.
- Dedicated, Hard-Working: “hands-on” and focused – a “do-er” and the “go-to-“ person to get things done, eager to roll up the sleeves and be expert in the details and in the big picture.
- Honest, Forthright: thinks and acts with impeccable integrity and thoroughness.
- Decision Maker: analytical thinker who can make effective decisions, adapt to change and when necessary stay the course to deliver results.
- Disciplined: proven ability to measure success against defined criteria and client objectives.
- Accountable: takes ownership for results as well as the activity required to achieve them.
- Collaborative: ability to work closely with executive team to develop and direct strategies and plans.
- Motivator: collaborates with and inspires third party sales representatives to go above and beyond to drive results and serve clients; cultivate a culture of enthusiasm and collaboration towards sales results.
- Role Model: leader with ability to create a positive work environment, and further the company’s innovative, collaborative and open culture.
Job Type: Full-time
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Schedule:
Travel requirement:
Ability to Commute:
- Bellwood, IL 60104 (Preferred)
Ability to Relocate:
- Bellwood, IL 60104: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person