Sales Representative, Industrial Wood Coatings

Company: The Sherwin-Williams Company
Location: Cleveland
Posted on: April 16, 2024

Job Description:

Sales Representatives initiate and manage relationships with customers and serve as the point of contact for the Company. This position will be responsible for developing Wood coating sales in a specific geographic territory. In this position, you will secure new accounts while maintaining existing customer accounts. You will utilize professional selling tools for pre-call planning and documenting sales calls. You'll develop a territory market strategy, as well as conduct product demonstrations and competitive product comparisons.
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

• 
  
• Achieve or exceed sales budget.
  
• Achieve or exceed margin contribution budget.
  
• Maintain expenses at or below budget.
  
• Increase gallon growth.
  
• Grow opportunity account sales.
  
• Collect reliable customer/territory information and estimate individual customer potential.
  
• Conduct competitive product testing and comparisons to S-W and identify current competitors' strengths and weaknesses and S-W's competitive advantage.
  
• Develop territory market development plan and obtain approval.
  
• Develop a strategy to sell target customers and identify items or product categories that require specific attention in support of this strategy.
  
• Develop weekly selling plan and conduct sales calls accordingly, occasionally in conjunction with servicing Store/Facility Manager.
  
• Determine where customer is in the overall selling process and what steps are necessary to move the process along.
  
• Conduct product demos to support the selling process.
  
• Obtain information necessary to open a new account and communicate to credit office.
  
• Access product/technical information to support customers' application requirements.
  
• Complete required call and expense reports on a timely basis.
  
• Identify sources of sales leads and follow through on leads provided by store/Facility personnel as appropriate.
  
• Understand servicing store/Facility's strengths and weaknesses and communicate effectively with staff members to ensure that commitments made are within the store's capabilities.
  
• Identify products and quantities that must be carried in inventory to support customer needs and communicate this to store/Facility.
  
• Identify potential problems and work with Store/Facility Manager to resolve.
  
• Handle customer complaints within lines of authority and manage process to resolution.
  
• Assist Store/Facility Manager in resolution of product supply problems.
  
• Conduct customer surveys.
  
• Assist in servicing stores/Facilities' physical inventory.
  
• Service existing accounts to insure continued loyalty.
  
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  FORMAL EDUCATION:
  Required:
  
  • 
    
  • High school education or equivalent is required.
    
    Preferred:
    
    • 
      
    • Bachelor's degree in a business-related field.
      
      KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE:
      Required:
      
      • 
        
      • Strong communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work with all levels of internal and external contacts. Ability to interface effectively with sales, technical and manufacturing management required. Training and utilization of project management techniques, value selling, and six sigma tools required.
        
        Preferred:
        
        • 
          
        • Knowledge of the wood adhesives market.
          
        • Ability to identify specific wood adhesives users, knowledge of wood coatings (surfacers, stains, pigmented finishes, sealers) used in this marketplace, and applications of these coatings as well as different wood species and the preparation of these surfaces.
          
          PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
          
          • 
            
          • Must be able to sit, stand, hear, and see on a constant basis.
            
          • Must be able to walk, write, and type on a frequent basis.
            
          • Must be able to lift and carry up to 75 pounds.
            
          • Must be able to climb and descend stairs.
            
          • Must be able to bend, carry, reach, push, and pull on an occasional basis.
            
          • Must be able to communicate verbally and in writing.
            
          • May work indoors and outdoors as needed. Exposure to heat up to 120 degrees and cold to 0 degrees.
            
          • May work in areas where noise level is such that hearing protection is required.
            
          • May work in areas where toxic, flammable, and hazardous materials are present.
            
          • May be exposed to varying amounts of dust and dirt.
            
          • Work surfaces may include concrete.
            
          • Employee must be able to tolerate non-toxic paint odors and be able to wear a respirator as required.
            
          • Employee must be able to operate a computer and communicate via telephone.
            
          • Some travel to other locations, meetings and/or seminars is required.
            
            TECHNICAL/SKILL REQUIREMENTS:
            Required:
            
            • 
              
            • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Applications
              
              Preferred:
              
              • 
                
              • Proficiency with
                
                TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS: (TIME SPENT AWAY FROM HOME OR OTHER TYPICAL OFFICE LOCATION)
                
                • 
                  
                • 25%
                  

Keywords: The Sherwin-Williams Company, Cleveland Heights , Sales Representative, Industrial Wood Coatings, Sales , Cleveland, Ohio