Associate Inside Sales Manager

ACE Hardware•Lenexa, KS

5d•$50,000 - $55,000

About The Position

Ace Retail Group (ARG), is a division of Ace Hardware Corporation that owns and operates several Ace brands, including Westlake Ace, Great Lakes Ace, Buikema’s Ace, Outer Banks Ace, Dennis Company, and Breed & Company. ARG is one of the largest hardware retailers in the United States and has two headquarters located in Lenexa, KS and Farmington Hills, MI. ARG’s origins date back over a century and operates over 250 neighborhood stores located throughout the United States. Great people make ARG stand out in our industry, and we are looking for individuals who strive for personal and professional growth, and who want to work with a company founded on (and still led by) our solid Core Values of: Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility and Teamwork. About Ace Retail Group: Based in the Kansas City Metro Ace Retail Group (ARG) is one of the largest hardware retailers in the United States. Our company has operated for more than 120 years and has a chain of over 250 neighborhood stores across seventeen states. Great people make ARG stand out in our industry. We’re looking for individuals who strive for professional growth and want to work with a company founded on solid core values. Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility, Teamwork UNLOCK YOUR CAREER POTENTIAL! Westlake Ace Hardware is seeking a talented, confident, and enthusiastic team member with a “make it happen” attitude. This is a B2B customer connected position with advancement opportunities within our Commercial business unit, which happens to be the fastest growing division inside our company. With a goal of driving repeatable, sustainable and predictable sales, you will be responsible for direct sales and sales facilitation among mostly existing and some new Commercial customers. Position Summary The successful Associate Inside Sales Manager will use the telephone and the internet (email) to pursue distinct sales channels to an assigned group of our stores who do not currently have an outside sales presence. 1. Direct sales: Utilizing data points to prospect (Sales history, purchase patterns, customer segmentation & etc. 2. Store partnership and support: Fielding calls from and partnering with store team members who have uncovered sales opportunities to business customers which they need help carrying across the finish line. Direct Sales: Using our existing customer base as a launching point for your sales efforts you will call on known customers who shop in our retail stores who do not have an outside sales rep (Business Development Manager or Account Manager) assigned to them. Your goal will be to engage these customers and create incremental sales as follows: AISM will use our sales and customer data (BI) and reports to identify and target specific customers who represent opportunity for sales growth based on purchasing patterns, specific requests and account information Narrowed product focus - AISM will see commonly sold products across customer types and will be able to pick out preferred products to be sold based on best margin opportunity and customer demand/need. Organic / Prospecting / data driven opportunities: Cold & warm calling prospective customers based on segmentation, purchase history, frequency, trends and seasonality. Communicate the breadth and depth of product selection and overall capabilities of our Commercial Division to prospective customers. Exercise highly consultative sales skills to connect customers to stores and their team members and vice versa. Apply general product knowledge to discuss the needs of a wide variety of commercial customer types. Store partnership: Fields calls company-wide from stores who need help, (i.e. stores with opportunities to sell beyond their capability). AISM follows up and filters to the right people or takes the lead and closes the sales on behalf of the store and builds out the ongoing sales solution. (e.g. Website, in-store stocking, Sales Manager involvement) Sourcing and locating product within our stable of vendors or go outside in partnership with the Commercial Fulfillment, Sourcing and Operations Manager to order in and maintain stock of items in demand. Communicate with store staff members regarding business customer purchasing habits and frequencies.

Requirements

Strong verbal and written communication skills as well as being comfortable talking with internal and external customers in any setting
Understanding of retail operations, inventory management and business fundamentals
Refined interpersonal skills to engage with others, solid negotiating and conflict resolutions abilities
Able to foster teamwork and collaboration
Can motivate others both internal and external to perform enthusiastically.
Comfortable with computers, telephones, email, various applications, technology, websites and the internet
Must have excellent attention to detail and follow up
Excellent PC skills including knowledge of Excel, Word, PowerPoint & Outlook
Ability to work independently and during flexible hours
Deliver results through the execution of our Core Values:

Responsibilities

Direct sales: Utilizing data points to prospect (Sales history, purchase patterns, customer segmentation & etc.
Store partnership and support: Fielding calls from and partnering with store team members who have uncovered sales opportunities to business customers which they need help carrying across the finish line.
Using our existing customer base as a launching point for your sales efforts you will call on known customers who shop in our retail stores who do not have an outside sales rep (Business Development Manager or Account Manager) assigned to them.
Engage customers and create incremental sales
Use our sales and customer data (BI) and reports to identify and target specific customers who represent opportunity for sales growth based on purchasing patterns, specific requests and account information
Narrowed product focus - AISM will see commonly sold products across customer types and will be able to pick out preferred products to be sold based on best margin opportunity and customer demand/need.
Cold & warm calling prospective customers based on segmentation, purchase history, frequency, trends and seasonality.
Communicate the breadth and depth of product selection and overall capabilities of our Commercial Division to prospective customers.
Exercise highly consultative sales skills to connect customers to stores and their team members and vice versa.
Apply general product knowledge to discuss the needs of a wide variety of commercial customer types.
Fields calls company-wide from stores who need help, (i.e. stores with opportunities to sell beyond their capability).
AISM follows up and filters to the right people or takes the lead and closes the sales on behalf of the store and builds out the ongoing sales solution. (e.g. Website, in-store stocking, Sales Manager involvement)
Sourcing and locating product within our stable of vendors or go outside in partnership with the Commercial Fulfillment, Sourcing and Operations Manager to order in and maintain stock of items in demand.
Communicate with store staff members regarding business customer purchasing habits and frequencies.