Sales Development Representative

Tennant Company•Eden Prairie, MN

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sales Development Representative (SDR) is responsible for high-volume prospecting and pre-qualification of inbound and outbound leads to support Tennant’s field teams. This role plays a critical part in ensuring timely lead follow-up, accurate pre-qualification, and effective handoff through both live engagement and CRM usage. The SDR works closely with a wide range of internal partners including Marketing Operations, Web, Sales, and other cross-functional stakeholders. The role requires the ability to work independently for extended periods while also collaborating as part of a team to support shared goals, evolving projects, and new initiatives. Success in this role requires adaptability, a proactive and engaged approach to work, and the ability to bring professionalism and enthusiasm to interactions with both prospects and internal partners as business needs change.

Requirements

Bachelor degree, preferably in business management, marketing, entrepreneurship, professional selling, or related business program, with 0-2 years sales experience
Proficiency with basic business technology, including Microsoft Office and digital communication platforms (example: LinkedIn); comfort learning new sales and CRM tools
Foundational understanding of sales and lead qualification concepts, with the ability and willingness to learn Tennant’s lead management and sales processes
Willingness to travel occasionally (Up to 10% of time); Travel may be minimal or none depending on business needs
Openness to relocation in the future for a field sales position, based on performance and business needs
Strong Verbal Communication / Customer Focus: Confident and professional engaging prospects and internal partners by phone, video, and chat; able to build rapport quickly and guide discovery conversations
Competitive: Thrives in a performance-based environment and is motivated by clear goals, metrics, and comparison to peers
Nimble Learning / Coachable: Actively seeks feedback, applies coaching in real time, and shows rapid improvement
Entrepreneurial Mindset: Takes ownership of tasks, processes, and outcomes; comfortable working independently for long stretches
Open to Feedback: Responds constructively to direct feedback and adjusts approach without defensiveness
Adaptable to Change: Remains effective in a fast-changing environment with shifting priorities and evolving sales motions
Flexible: Willingly adjusts daily activities, messaging, and tactics to meet business needs
Plans and Aligns: Effectively prioritizes time and activities to meet commitments and align efforts with sales and organizational goals

Nice To Haves

Exposure to customer relationship management (CRM) systems preferred

Responsibilities

Develop and generate high quality, pre-qualified sales leads by following up on marketing-generated leads and inbound requests, performing targeted outbound cold-calling, creating/executing email campaigns on behalf of field sales, leveraging digital prospecting tools, and by data mining internal Tennant sources of information as well as 3rd party sources
Conduct discovery conversations to assess customer needs, urgency, and fit, enabling a smooth and timely handoff to the field sales organization
Track and manage prospecting, pre-qualifying and nurturing activities within CRM, ensuring accuracy and completeness of data
Develop a strong understanding of prospective customer challenges and how Tennant solutions align to those needs
Participate in training and coaching activities to enhance product knowledge and sales skills
Navigate and support new projects, pilots, and evolving initiatives with enthusiasm, working independently and collaboratively with the team to refine approaches and meet KPIs
Manage and track lead flow accurately and promptly in CRM to ensure timely and correct processing of leads, including running regular reports to check accuracy
Monitor inbound lead assignment (web, chat, marketing, affiliate) and support appropriate assignment or reassignment to the field
Enhance lead and contact data as needed to support effective follow‑up and reporting
Closely with Marketing & Sales Operations and other stakeholders to understand lead system changes, assignment rules, and process updates
Follow established lead management processes and contribute feedback for continuous improvement, documenting processes as they evolve
Support data hygiene efforts for lead, contact, and account records in CRM