Strategic Account Manager

Phoenix Contact•Louisville, KY

About The Position

The Strategic Account Manager is a hands-on, activity-driven role on Phoenix Contact’s regional sales team, responsible for leading the establishment, development, and growth of assigned Regional Strategic Accounts. The role drives sales of Phoenix Contact products by combining engineering knowledge with interpersonal and business skills. The territory includes Ohio, Kentucky, and parts of Tennessee. The position develops strategic plans and account roadmaps, expands relationships at all levels of customer organizations, conducts business reviews, analyzes account performance, negotiates corporate pricing, and leads cross-functional teams. It also supports proposals and presentations, maintains customer information and activity in CRM systems, tracks sales and development metrics, provides forecasts and reports, and delivers product presentations and demonstrations. The Strategic Account Manager is expected to build partner relationships, develop technical knowledge of Phoenix Contact products and solutions, and pursue ongoing skill development.

Requirements

Five or more years of sales experience in the electronics or industrial automation and controls marketplace.
Excellent networking and influencing skills, including the ability to communicate at all levels.
High-level interpersonal and negotiation skills.
A successful history of achieving strategic and sales targets.
Self-motivation and the ability to learn and adapt quickly.
Ability to travel by airplane.
Valid driver’s license and ability to travel by automobile for up to six hours at a time.
Ability to lift a minimum of 50 lbs.
Ability to travel overnight 20–25% as dictated by the assigned territory.
Compliance with company dress code guidelines.
Punctuality and regular, on-time attendance.

Nice To Haves

Four-year degree in a technical discipline or equivalent experience.
Experience working with distribution.

Responsibilities

Meet or exceed sales quotas established by the RSM and/or Vice President—Field Sales.
Use BASE selling skills to build strong customer relationships.
Lead strategic planning and implementation of initiatives for assigned regional strategic accounts, focusing on account share, revenue growth, profitability, stakeholder relationships, product mix, and Phoenix Contact brand growth.
Develop account roadmaps that provide direction and insight on revenue-generating locations.
Develop detailed knowledge of customer culture, needs, supply chain, and key metrics, and recommend plans, initiatives, or corrective actions to deliver strong customer service.
Lead and coordinate business reviews with assigned strategic accounts, monitor competitive activity, and recommend improvements to the Phoenix Contact team.
Organize and lead cross-functional Phoenix Contact teams to build and maintain trusting relationships with assigned strategic accounts.
Support preparation of proposals, presentations, and sales materials.
Maintain accurate client information in CRM systems and use CRM for communication, reporting, measurement, and tracking.
Collaborate with the Phoenix Contact team and communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
Track and report business development activities and performance metrics.
Differentiate Phoenix Contact from other component vendors by building partner relationships with customers.
Use sales tools to support local markets and proactively use available resources to maximize productivity, responsiveness, and customer satisfaction.
Work with Harrisburg Product teams to develop field presentations and application notes.
Continue personal development through a skill-building program determined by the RSM, Director of Sales, and/or Harrisburg Training Department.
Demonstrate technical competence in products and solutions within the area of focus and maintain working knowledge of all Phoenix Contact products and solutions.
Provide forecasts and reports to the RSM as required.
Deliver presentations and hands-on demonstrations of Phoenix Contact products, applications, and technology to support sales.
Qualify and follow up on all opportunities within assigned strategic accounts.
Follow up on all quotations within the assigned strategic account portfolio.