Solutions Specialist

Sonepar • Hot Springs, AR

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

A career at Crawford Electric Supply is more than a job. You’re investing in a brighter, more sustainable future together and joining a team that makes a real difference for our customers. Crawford Electric Supply offers electrical products and services to contractors. If it helps bring electricity to an office, home, factory or other building – you can find it here. We operate throughout the southeast region of the United States, and are part of the Sonepar group, the world’s #1 electrical distributor with over 45,000 associates around the globe. Being “Powered by Difference” means we respect and value diverse perspectives. Crawford Electric Supply we offer a supportive culture and great benefits, and as part of the larger Sonepar group, we can offer exciting opportunities to grow your career. It’s time to energize your future! Don’t miss out on this electrifying opportunity – apply today! Stay connected with us – follow our journey, job openings, and latest news on LinkedIn and Facebook.

If you are looking for a company who is committed to building a relationship with you, who encourages having fun at work, who is powered by difference, and who is passionate about your future, it’s time to apply at Crawford Electric Supply. Known in the electrical distribution industry for being a great place to work and build a career, Crawford prides itself on being a business partner rather than just an electrical supplier to its customers. Every day, Crawford associates provide the best customer experience while at the same time offering the widest variety of electrical products on the market. For the past 30 years, Crawford has built a culture of growth, opportunity, innovative thinking, and stability for its employees by truly living up to the company motto of, “Whatever it Takes!” through our mindset competencies below:

Adapt: Effectively embrace new situation and people
Dare: Appropriately challenge the status quo
Learn: Learn from others, from mistakes, and self-improve

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering or equivalent combination of skills, experience, or education.
• 5 years' experience with Schneider Electric (Square D) automation services, products, and applications or equivalent experience with competitive products and solutions. (for Senior level; 1.5 to 5 years for Level II; 1 year for Level I)
• Ability to create professional proposals from customer specifications, follow process and approval procedures.
• Good technical writing, presentation, and communications skills with the ability to present topics to groups of customers and internal peers in English. Ability to converse in additional languages, especially Spanish, would be very desirable.
• Ability to determine data trends and utilize the information in the decision-making process.
• Demonstrates professional selling skills, e.g., prospecting, negotiation techniques, preparing for professional meetings, handling customer objections, gaining committed customer relationships.
• Ability to identify and understand market trends and conditions, competitive forces, sales opportunities, and growth through strategic business planning.
• Willing to continuously learn and improve technical competency.

Nice To Haves

• Outcome-based sales experience with an understanding of the important business drivers (key factors and activities that drive the operational and financial results) for industrial customers.
• Deep technical knowledge of programmable controllers, I/O, safety, industrial computers, system network design, design software, operations software, and plant maintenance software and able to articulate core product capabilities to customers in a way that is relevant to customer's industry and applications.

Responsibilities

• Area of responsibility includes locations within and adjacent to the Little Rock, AR market.
• The Automation Sales & Services Specialist serves as the key driver and business leader for the area of responsibility for all of Crawford’s Industrial Automation products and service offerings.
• This position must be able to articulate the value of Schneider Electric’s portfolio of Automation products and services and utilize outcome-based selling strategies at all customer levels.
• Responsible for annual planning, forecasting, and driving the business strategy to accelerate business growth and sales performance in the assigned geography.
• Lead the commercial introduction of new products and services including: Set business goals, Identify customer targets, Drive marketing efforts, and Coordinating sales engagement
• Provide technical, application, and industry training to distributor account managers for core products.
• Consult and advise customers on proposals and pricing strategies.
• Guide customers on the proper installation and configuration of core products, modernizations, and conversion to upgraded technology.
• Collaborate with Crawford and Schneider Electric Automation sales, specialists, and domain experts to sell core products.
• Provide pre-sale and post-sale support.
• Understand market trends, business drivers, KPIs, and competing forces and translate them into customer solutions.
• Build and maintain trusted customer relationships, while understanding the different personas within the customer (e.g., buyer vs influencer) as well as their business drivers.
• Develop, create, and implement account and territory plans, campaigns, and commercial programs for new and existing business.
• Act as a trusted partner to the aligned Schneider Electric (Square D) Automation Business Units (BUs), providing local market intelligence and constructive customer feedback.
• Interface with Schneider Electric’s Business Leaders and Technical Consultants to facilitate the resolution of quality and delivery issues when necessary and provide feedback to the appropriate Schneider Electric Specialist team relative to product or service gaps, as well as opportunities.
• Develop marketing and sales collateral on their products, services, and solutions relevant to their market for internal, partner, and customer use.
• Serve as a domain expert for this portfolio of products and services, maintaining and building technical and sales competency through both formal and informal training, as well as regular product updates and team meetings.
• Lead and support customer-facing technical events.
• Respond in a timely manner to customer and sales requests, including outside of normal business hours.
• Travel as required within assigned geography including overnight, and to training and other events nationally for up to two weeks annually.
• Acknowledge and maintain compliance with applicable Sonepar, Crawford, and Schneider Electric focused vendor policies.

Benefits

• Healthcare plans
• Dental & vision
• Paid time off
• Paid parental leave
• 401(k) retirement savings with company match
• Professional and personal development programs
• Opportunity to become a shareholder
• Employer-paid short- and long-term disability
• Employer-paid life insurance for spouse and dependents
• Robust wellness program
• Gym reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees