Vacancies Sales Representative - Minnisota Market

AkzoNobel•High Point, NC

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

AkzoNobel is seeking a highly motivated Sales Representative to grow its Industrial Wood Coatings business in Minnesota and surrounding territories. The role is field-based and primarily covers Minnesota, with portions of South Dakota and Iowa and occasional support for key distributors in neighboring markets. Minneapolis is preferred, but candidates located anywhere in Minnesota will be considered. The position combines commercial sales with technical customer support, including helping customers solve coating challenges and advising on wood coating applications. Approximately 70–75% travel is expected within the assigned territory. The Sales Representative will manage and grow an established distributor network and customer portfolio, develop new business and distribution channels, and build relationships with distributor partners and end users. The role includes generating and converting sales opportunities, conducting customer visits and product demonstrations, monitoring territory performance, and gathering market intelligence. The representative independently prepares sales presentations, contracts, and proposals, and manages claims negotiations to minimize liability. AkzoNobel describes its paints and coatings as innovative and sustainable and operates in more than 150 countries. The company offers an inclusive workplace and opportunities for regional and global career growth. In the first year, the representative will learn the product portfolio, work with experienced team members, build territory relationships, and help expand the company’s presence in the wood coatings market.

Requirements

3–5 years of work experience in industrial wood coatings, commercial roles, sales and key account management, or sales to strategic accounts.
Experience or knowledge in the paints and coatings industry or another B2B industry environment.
Fluent in English.
Able to participate in and complete a qualitative and quantitative respirator fit test, and use a respirator as required.
Skills in stakeholder management, project management, decision making, creating value propositions, drive, results orientation, customer service, problem solving, communication and presentation, commercial and business acumen, and a basic understanding of cross-functional processes and sales-related financial concepts.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Outgoing, energetic, and customer-focused.
Self-motivated and comfortable working independently.
Skilled at building long-term customer relationships.
Capable of balancing technical problem-solving with sales growth objectives.
Comfortable spending significant time in the field visiting distributors and customers.

Responsibilities

Manage and grow an established distributor network and customer portfolio.
Develop new business opportunities and identify additional distribution channels.
Build strong relationships with key distributor partners and end users.
Provide technical support, troubleshooting, and product recommendations for wood coating applications.
Generate leads, maintain a healthy sales pipeline, and convert opportunities into revenue growth.
Conduct customer visits and product demonstrations.
Monitor sales performance against territory targets and implement growth strategies.
Gather market intelligence and customer feedback to support business development initiatives.
Represent AkzoNobel professionally and promote long-term customer partnerships.
Independently prepare sales presentations, contracts, and proposals to support successful transactions.
Manage claims negotiations to minimize liability.
Support key distributor accounts, including Hirschfield's and other regional partners.