Sales Manager - Utility

Be part of a growing, successful company in an exciting and challenging field. Border States is 100% employee-owned, which means you’re empowered to make decisions, find solutions and receive rewards for your hard work.
 
This position will be located in: Omaha , NE or Grand Island, NE, or Fremont, NE or Lincoln, NE or Scottsbluff, NE or Ames, IA or Cedar Rapids, IA 

 

*Position can be located anywhere in Iowa or Nebraska

Job Summary

Creates, communicates, and implements a strategic sales and marketing plan that provides significant competitive differentiation, bottom and top-line growth, and long-term sustainability.  Provides coaching & development to Branch Managers and Account Managers. Develops strong professional relationships with high-level influencers and decision-makers at key and target customers.  Establishes strong relationships with key manufacturers and their representatives. 

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Builds strong relationships with key vendors and suppliers to achieve growth objectives.
• Builds relationships with key customers within the segment.
• Drives a culture across the area that builds momentum for the segment and overall business.
• Works across the entire area and each branch to grow business in the segment and the company.
• Works to gain a complete understanding of a customer’s industry; understands the issues and opportunities they face and their key success factors.
• Builds, communicates, and implements a segment strategy to support customers’ needs through services and solutions that provide for their overall profitability and success; the strategy should offer competitive differentiation and advantages over competition while contributing bottom-line results. 
• Defines and supports sales training programs that enable staff to achieve their full potential and support company objectives.
• Works closely with strategic manufacturing partners to facilitate close working relationships with regional and local sales teams.
• Directly responsible for the gross margin growth, gross margin %, and market share within the segment.
• Identifies, monitors, and communicates key performance metrics to the organization.
• Creates and monitors measurements to ensure the annual budget is achieved.
• Defines and oversees incentive compensation programs that motivate the sales team to achieve company and segment objectives.
• Works closely with IT in customizing and implementing customer technology.    
• Manages co-op and AD (Affiliated Distributors) marketing programs.
• Monitors customer, market, and competitive activity and provides feedback to company leadership team and other company functions.
• Works closely with the marketing function to establish successful supplier relationships and partner programs.
• Achieves financial objectives by preparing an annual budget; scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; and initiating corrective actions. 
• Drives the use of TCCM documentation and use of formal customer business reviews.
• Develops executive relationships with top customers in the area.
• Delivers bottom-line results, while supporting and inspiring other stakeholders in the business (fellow associates, suppliers, or customers). 

Non-essential Functions

• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; and participating in professional societies.
• Encourages participation in professional leadership and training courses and events.
• Encourages industry participation on advisory boards or supplier councils.
• Provides opportunities to network and be exposed to new ideas in the industry at sanctioned functions.
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor or other designate.

Qualifications

• Ten years of electrical industry experience.
• Five years of sales management experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in marketing or related field. 
• Experience in coaching and managing processes, marketing plans, market research, statistical analysis, developing budgets, financial planning, and strategy.
• Proven leadership skills. 
• Firm grasp of database management software and Excel.
• Competent in reviewing and interpreting basic financials.

Skills and Abilities

• Self-motivated and customer-focused.
• Effective presentation skills in front of diverse audiences.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work under pressure.  
• Analytical ability and sound judgment.
• Ability to attain t