Sales Territory Manager

Guhring•Tallahassee, FL

About The Position

Under the direction of the Regional Manager, the Sales Territory Manager manages sales activity for cutting tools in an assigned territory, providing customers with product quality, value, support, service, integrity, and professionalism. The role works with distributors and manufacturing accounts to sell, service, and support standard catalogue and engineered special cutting tool products, while identifying customer needs and recommending solutions to grow sales through education-based selling. The manager develops customer relationships and supports centers of excellence or reference centers to promote and publicize company products. The position also monitors competitors and product developments, advises management on product strengths and weaknesses relative to competitors, and trains distributor salespeople. The role focuses on influencing end users to purchase company products and working with distribution to develop partnerships and drive sales.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, or three to five years of related experience and/or training, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Three years of field experience with demonstrated problem-solving and negotiation skills.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to manage large territories and diverse product offerings.
Demonstrated ability to keep abreast of new technology, trends, and distributor needs.
Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
Ability to establish and maintain working relationships with customers, suppliers, and fellow coworkers.
Positive customer-service approach when interacting with internal and external candidates.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience in a similar market and industry is preferred.

Responsibilities

Work with distributors and key manufacturing accounts to sell, service, and support standard catalogue and engineered special cutting tool products.
Use product knowledge to support national direct and distributor accounts, analyze customer needs, answer technical questions, and recommend solutions to grow sales through education-based selling.
Establish customers and set up and maintain centers of excellence and/or reference centers as directed to promote and publicize company products.
Advise management of company product strengths and weaknesses compared with competitors.
Keep informed about new products, services, and other information of interest to customers.
Monitor competitor activity and develop methods for attaining distributors and new accounts.
Identify the manufacturers that represent 80% of the total sales potential in the region.
Visit the top 20 end users in each sales territory at least once per month.
Attend at least two sales-planning meetings per year with each authorized distributor in the region.
Develop and maintain a personal working relationship with the owner or president of each distributor in the region.
Know sales goals and take appropriate steps to achieve them.
Continually improve product knowledge and technical abilities at the spindle.
Document cost savings and submit savings reports to the end user and distributor.
Train and educate distributor inside and outside salespeople to understand and promote company products.
Spend 80% of selling time influencing end users to buy company products, pull sales through distribution, and help develop true partnerships with distributors.