Job Summary
This role is dedicated to the sales territory/customers defined as B level accounts (Annual purchases <$100,000) and works closely with the Director of PS Americas, Technical Sales, Technology, Supply Chain and Marketing to ensure proper support and alignment. The primary focus on this role is to identify and deliver on New Business Opportunities (NBO’s) within the assigned accounts and prospects/leads whilst maintaining and growing customers in a virtual/remote environment. Additionally, the role provides general support to pricing, order fulfillment and to the Americas’ Sales team to ensure a healthy and productive business relationship for all parties.
Job Description
1. You identify and deliver NBOs in the Americas territory. This involves working to develop a deep understanding of customer needs and requirements, researching accounts, identifying key players, and generating interest through inbound lead follow-ups and cold calls. To deliver the NBOs you will also be involved in closing the sales, teaming up with channel partners where appropriate and performing effective online presentations. You work intently trying to expand your database of prospects, then transform these into new customers.
2. You nurture existing customer relations, cultivate new connections, and extend your network. Additionally, you serve as the company’s representative for products and technologies and negotiate pricing on behalf of Elementis within the established guidelines.
3. You are responsible for the creation, implementation and execution of a territory/account’s sales plan. You set and deliver on the territory growth targets (targets for volume, revenue, margin, and milestones), monitoring progress and proactively communicating forecast and deviations. Additionally, you provide analyses and recommendation on performance to management to enable the maximization of sales, contribution margin and operating profit.
4. You help resolve customer issues, serving as the primary customer contact for technical and business issues for assigned accounts within an assigned territory. The role involves collaborating with customers to ensure they understand our products and technologies, while also working closely with internal teams such as Technology, Finance, Customer Service, and Supply Chain to swiftly resolve customer issues and align goals.
5. Your role involves identifying market trends and opportunities in the Americas region by conducting market research and collaborating with Sales Managers and Distributors. This includes analyzing existing sales, understanding market needs, and developing a full understanding of the added value that the existing Elementis product portfolio is delivering. Additionally, you generate ideas for new product developments, collaborating closely with internal teams to deliver proposals addressing prospect concerns. You then present a comprehensive business case for any identified opportunity.
6. You conduct sales-related analytics to enable informed decisions across the Sales team and other functions. For example, supporting marketing by gathering customer usage of key products and developing monthly sales forecasts for Supply Cain. Additionally, you gather and report information about competitors, products, and practices and where possible, obtain literature and samples and provide this information to management.
7. You attend trade shows, seminars and sales meetings.
Job Competencies
Communicates effectively: Effective communication enables you to translate complex and technical issues at a level that is understandable to a non-technical audience. This is crucial to help win new customers as well as solving customer issues through working with the technical teams and Supply Chain.
Customer focus is required to build strong customer relationships, deliver customer centric solutions and drive sales.
Drives results: Having a strong hunter mentality and profile is required to continuously drive high performance, deliver on sales commitments, and improve processes.
Plan and align: Planning, aligning and the ability to prioritize is crucial in this multi-task and high-pressure changing environment.
Persuades: Leads others through change and can deal with resistance, using compelling arguments to gain the support and commitment of internal stakeholders and external customers. Being influential at all levels enables you to engage and motivate others and create-buy in for ideas.
Collaboration: Effective collaboration ensures you can harness the collective expertise and insights of various stakeholders including the R&D teams, Marketing, Regulatory Affairs, and external research partners. This helps facilitate the exchange of ideas, align diverse perspectives, promote synergies, and accelerate the product development process.
Action orientated: Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy and enthusiasm, showing dedication and passion to drive sales and increase profits.
Decision making
The role has decision making authority around new business opportunities - for example, when to close an opportunity as won or lost, pricing decisions previously set within guidelines and frameworks and when to transfer an account to Distribution or pursue as a Direct account.
Technical Knowledge and Skills
Recognized as an astute, customer focused commercial manager with a global outlook.
Proven track record in developing and growing commercial relations, successfully selling new products.
Strong experience with customer value propositions and value adding sales
Experience in the chemicals space, paints, or coatings
What will it take
Education: Bachelor degree preferred but not required.
Experience: Minimum 5 years’ experience in an international company in the chemical space or within paints & coatings. Minimum 3 years’ experience in Sales, Technical Sales or Business Development.
IT Skills: Proficient in the Microsoft Office Suite of products, including Outlook and Teams, Salesforce.com (or similar CRM)
Language Skills: Fluent in English, other languages are a plus.
Working arrangements: Minimum three days a week in the Porto office.
Traveling required: The position requires minimal domestic and/or international travel.
Please submit your application in English.
