Area Sales Manager

Sherwin-Williams • Charlotte, NC

6d

About The Position

The Area Sales Manager leads and develops a team of General Industrial Sales Representatives, helping them achieve sales, margin, and gallon growth goals through coaching, talent development, and disciplined execution. The role supports profitable growth in the General Industrial division by strengthening value-based selling, opportunity management, pipeline health, forecasting, and follow-through against value plans.

This high-impact leadership role is responsible for attracting, developing, and retaining a high-performing sales team while setting clear expectations for teamwork, respect, and accountability. The manager works across multiple General Industrial segments and collaborates with Marketing, Operations, Supply, Technical Service, Regional Facility leadership, Lab, and Enterprise partners. The role also involves joint customer calls and travel within the area of responsibility to support key opportunities and customer relationships.

The preferred candidate is located in the Southeast region, identified in the posting as Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. The position is eligible for a performance-based bonus and company benefits.

Requirements

• High school education or equivalent.
• Sales experience in the paints and coatings industry.
• Knowledge of and/or experience in the Industrial Painting segment, including manufacturing environments and customer buying processes.
• Exposure to disciplined pipeline management and forecasting practices in a B2B sales environment.
• Experience using CRM and reporting systems for opportunity tracking, pipeline visibility, and forecast submission.
• Experience using standard sales reports and dashboards to monitor execution, identify risks, and support management reviews.
• Experience with Microsoft Office applications for reporting, analysis, communication, and business reviews.
• Comfort with travel.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s degree in a business-related field.
• Experience managing sales execution through others, including goal setting, pipeline review, performance feedback, and accountability.
• Experience reinforcing consistent use of sales tools and systems across a sales team.
• Experience leading teams in disciplined use of standard sales systems and workflows.
• Experience identifying metal and plastic coatings users, including knowledge of liquid and powder coatings and their applications.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of General Industrial Sales Representatives, enabling achievement of sales, margin, and gallon growth goals through coaching, talent development, and disciplined execution.
• Balance territory performance and expenses while supporting profitable execution and General Industrial business objectives.
• Guide Sales Representatives in building healthy pipelines, managing opportunities, developing high-quality value plans, and following through on progress against those plans.
• Attract, develop, and retain a high-performing team through hiring, onboarding, coaching, and performance feedback.
• Set clear expectations around teamwork, respect, and accountability, and foster an environment where team members can grow and succeed.
• Help Sales Representatives navigate diverse customer needs, applications, and value drivers across multiple General Industrial segments.
• Maintain visibility into pipeline health, review progress collaboratively, support progress against value plans, and help remove obstacles.
• Share best practices, reinforce value-based selling and execution discipline, and encourage continuous improvement in selling capability.
• Facilitate regular pipeline reviews, performance discussions, and business cadence activities to support forecast accuracy, transparency, accountability, and informed decisions.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Operations, Supply, Technical Service, Regional Facility leadership, and Lab and Enterprise partners to align resources and support customer execution.
• Join Sales Representatives on customer calls and travel within the area of responsibility to support key opportunities, reinforce value-selling behaviors, and strengthen customer relationships.

Benefits

• Performance-based bonus, subject to the terms of the Company’s applicable plans.
• Health benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).
• Disability coverage.
• Security, retirement, and savings benefits.
• Generous time-away-from-work package, including personal leave, paid parental leave, medical leave, vacation, and holidays.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: High school or GED