Account Specialist

Position Summary:

Vallen's Account Specialist is an individual contributor responsible for business to business sales. Incumbents will develop, implement and manage account strategy, focusing on growth, profitability and customer satisfaction. ARs operate within an assigned sales territory with a strategic focus on increasing Vallen's market share and profitability. This role sells solutions by presenting broad based consultative insight into key solutions, services, products or combinations of each in accordance with Vallen's Solution Selling sales strategy. ARs create solutions to solve customers' real - world challenges and concerns. Associates advance sales activities and strategies, identifying leads and opportunities, while developing and fostering long-term customer relationships.

Essential Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Customer Development:

• Building and strengthening relationships with a key customer while identifying growth opportunities, developing cost-saving initiatives, and supporting the customer's business objectives and strategic initiatives.
• Creates added value for the customer and Vallen, ensures the successful outcome of transactions, contracts and proposals by using effective sales techniques.

New Business Development:

• Proactively identifying, pursuing, and securing new customers and market opportunities to drive long-term revenue growth. Successful growth in this area will generate ongoing commission income and create increasing earning potential over time.
• Performs market research and identifies prospective customers; accurately forecasts opportunities; develops and manages a prospect pipeline; follows-up on sales leads and moves potential customers through the sales cycle to generate revenue for the company.
• Establishes and maintains effective customer relationships to understand customer needs, promote customer understanding of full solutions/services/products offering, and align to provide a solution. Ensures a positive customer experience throughout the sales process.
• Meets and exceeds both qualitative and quantitative sales goals on a consistent basis.
• Partners with sales enablement teams and business development teams; using marketing tools to identifying leads and opportunities, develop sales campaigns to grow Vallen's market share and profitability through sales.
• Monitors competitors' activity with the account and ensures that appropriate response strategies are formulated and implemented. Gives input on market price developments.
• Prepares quotations, credit terms, and sales/service contracts. Prepares offers in coordination with the bid and proposal department and/or marketing. Ensures appropriate technical and financial aspects of offers, including prices and trading conditions.

Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field (e.g., Business, Supply Chain Mgt, Marketing, Finance, etc.) and 3+ years of outside or inside experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience in supply chain management, wholesale distribution, industrial distribution, manufacturing, or a similarly applicable industry (indirect materials a plus).
• The ideal candidate will be equally comfortable managing executive-level customer relationships and aggressively pursuing new business opportunities in the marketplace.
• Strong ability to develop and cultivate customer relationships.
• Demonstrate strong communication, planning, organizational, time management, problem solving and customer service skills.
• Demonstrated knowledge of product and solution-based sales life cycles and best-in-class processes.
• Proficiency with MS-Office products (Excel, Word & PowerPoint) and the technical aptitude to learn all company specific programs and software applications.

Work Environment & Physical Demands:

Reasonable accommodations will be evaluated and may be implemented to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions of this position.

• The work environment may not be temperature controlled; must have the ability to work in extreme hot or cold environments; must be able to work in dusty environments.
• Long periods working on a computer and performing repetitive keyboarding activities.
• Extended day, evening, and weekend work may be required as job duties demand and may include little to no advanced notice.
• May be required to handle hazardous materials and wear various forms of protective equipment (shoes, gloves, protective eyewear, etc.).
• May be required to drive a forklift and/or operate other standard warehouse equipment.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• May be required to pass forklift and/or other warehouse equipment certifications (written and/or driving).
• Must be able to handle and work physical inventory; required to lift up to 25 lbs or greater with assistance following standard operating and safety procedures. Other physical requirements including, regularly being required to stand, walk, kneel, bend, crouch, crawl, climb, and balance.
• Close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus are required.