Sales Manager - Industrial Components

Keller Executive Search is recruiting for a profitable, growing industrial manufacturer serving processing and manufacturing markets. Our client sells application-specific physical products through OEM, reseller, and end-user channels. Increased production capacity has created a strong platform for profitable commercial growth.

This is a high-impact opportunity for a hands-on B2B seller who wants autonomy, direct access to senior leadership, and the chance to shape a sales function. You will personally prospect, open accounts, expand existing relationships, visit customer facilities, and manage opportunities from application discovery and quoting through closing and follow-through. Success means generating growth while protecting margin and customer profitability.

The role also supports a planned leadership succession, providing time to learn established customer relationships, technical applications, and pricing practices. Initially, this is an individual-contributor and functional-lead position with no direct reports. It offers a credible path to Sales Director and the opportunity to build a sales team as results support further investment.

Key Responsibilities

• Generate new business through targeted prospecting, field activity, trade shows, and disciplined follow-up.
• Expand existing accounts through additional products, applications, and customer locations.
• Own the full sales cycle, including discovery, site assessment, quoting, negotiation, order handoff, and follow-through.
• Build relationships with OEMs, resellers, distributors, end users, and key accounts.
• Conduct plant visits, investigate applications, take accurate measurements, recommend specifications, and train customers.
• Apply sound pricing, discount, gross-margin, complexity, and cost-to-serve judgment.
• Create territory and account plans using sales, margin, product-mix, and pipeline data.
• Maintain accurate customer, opportunity, quote, and order records in ERP or CRM tools.
• Plan efficient multi-day customer trips and represent the business at industry trade shows.
• Coordinate with the external marketing agency on campaigns, lead generation, and trade-show activity.
• Partner with customer service, production, purchasing, and technical resources to ensure deliverable commitments.
• Establish scalable sales processes and pipeline discipline for future growth.

Requirements

Essential

• At least 5 years of successful B2B sales experience with full-cycle responsibility.
• Recent personal success prospecting, opening accounts, and expanding existing business.
• Experience selling technical, engineered, application-specific, or consultative products or solutions.
• Understanding of pricing, gross margin, discounting, customer profitability, and cost-to-serve.
• Ability to learn technical products, assess applications, record measurements, and explain specifications.
• Strong analytical, mathematical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Experience using an ERP and/or CRM, plus working knowledge of Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint or equivalent tools.
• Fluent English with effective written, spoken, presentation, and customer-instruction skills.
• Self-directed, ethical, accountable, and collaborative working style.
• Ability to travel approximately 40 to 50%, including overnight and occasional weekend travel.
• Ability to navigate industrial facilities and perform site assessments, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Reliable transportation to the office and customer locations.

Preferred

• Experience selling industrial equipment, components, MRO products, engineered materials, or similar technical products.
• Sales exposure to food, chemical, pharmaceutical, plastics, paper, fertilizer, or related processing industries.
• Familiarity with OEM, reseller, distributor, end-user, or multi-channel sales.
• Experience managing a regional or multi-state territory and visiting manufacturing facilities.
• Success building sales processes while retaining personal selling responsibility.
• Leadership, coaching, or mentorship experience.
• Bachelor's degree or related education in business, engineering, or industrial technology.
• DELMIAWorks/IQMS experience or Spanish proficiency.

Ideal Candidate Profile

You are a commercially disciplined technical seller who enjoys creating opportunities, understanding real-world applications, and earning trust on the plant floor. Self-directed, ethical, low-ego, and data-minded, you can succeed without extensive support and want to build profitable business and a scalable sales function.

Benefits

• Base salary of $80,000 to $110,000 annually in USD, based on experience and fit.
• Commission, incentives, and MBO rewards tied to profitable growth, with target total compensation of approximately $130,000 to $145,000 and performance upside.
• 75% company-paid employee health, dental, and vision coverage.
• Company-paid life, short-term disability, long-term disability, accident, and critical illness benefits.
• 3% 401(k) match plus 3% profit sharing.
• Two weeks of vacation, one week of sick/personal leave, and 13 paid holidays.

Agency statement

Keller is a recruitment agency that provides services to clients ranging from startups and non profits to multinational corporations. Keller emphasizes ethical search processes, attentive candidate care, and leadership placements that support long-term client outcomes.

To learn more about the firm and about our candidate services - please visit our website

Equal Employment Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Policy

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement: Both Keller Executive Search and our clients are Equal Opportunity Employers. For all positions, whether with Keller Executive Search or our clients, qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, skin color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disab