Now Hiring - Inside Sales Representative in West Chester, OH

The Shepherd Color Company is seeking an Inside Sales Representative to join a company who is a leader in the color industry with the continuous improvement of technical applications and a history of innovation. Shepherd Color pigments are highly engineered ceramic colorants. They are impervious to sunlight, chemicals, and thermal attack. Our products can be found everywhere, from the non-stick surface of your favorite cookware to adding color and IR reflectivity to roofing and siding to help keep buildings cool.

At Shepherd Color, you will be part of a company who brighten the lives of those on whom our work has an impact, specifically, each other, our families, our customers, our suppliers, our shareholders, and our community. In turn, our lives are brightened. Built upon our core purpose of creating value and brightening lives, Shepherd Color combines the technical and strategic business challenges of a large international corporation with a family culture where you will build long term relationships and be recognized for your unique, individual contributions. Our values are reflected in the following statements:

We demonstrate exemplary character.

• We take responsibility for our actions.
• We demonstrate humility, share knowledge freely and welcome challenges to our thinking in our work with others.

We strive for excellence together.

• We continually improve our capabilities and help others do the same.
• We focus on that which is most important to our customers and shareholders.

We work for long-term impact.

• We partner and invest with our customers for long-term value creation.
• We embrace the challenge and cost of change when it will create long-term value.

Education:

An associate’s or bachelor’s degree, preferably in a chemistry or science discipline

Experience:

One to two years of selling and/or technical service, sales or customer support preferred. Experience in coatings, plastics or glass application is desirable

Character Traits: Diligent, capable of working alone, detail-oriented, responsible, persistent, passionate, ambitious, team player, confidence

General Responsibility:

• Maintain and grow sales at designated accounts
• Contact customers and prospects on a regular basis
• Generate and follow up on leads, sample and technical requests
• Understand customer needs and identify sales opportunities
• Establish and maintain relationships across all accounts to ensure highest levels of satisfaction and cooperation

Essential Functions/Duties:

Maintain and Grow Sales

• Schedule inside sales activities to maximize use and benefit of time for customer, prospects, and sales opportunity follow-up
• Generate and qualify sales leads and opportunities through phone/video calls, e-mail, and market research
• Maintain a list and pursue all sales opportunities within accounts
• Carry out product training and education through account interaction, sales events, conference, and exhibition participation
• Build relationships with all types and levels within account and prospects to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction are maintained
• Prepare and negotiate with customers and prospects to maximize sales opportunities
• Ensure the company image is well-presented and consistent through all sales activities
• Ensure sample and technical resource requests are fulfilled and provide complete and timely feedback on results

Account Management

• Develop a sales strategy and plans for the accounts that ensures attainment of sales goals
• Responsible for execution of the sales and action plans to meet company goals and profitability
• Initiates and coordinates development of action plans to penetrate new and existing markets
• Assists in the development and implementation of marketing plans as needed
• Provides continual feedback on competitive products and pricing to enable pricing responses, strategies, new product development and marketing activities to be developed
• Maintain a list of all sales opportunities within account base
• Provide support and direction to agents/distributors within the territory if present

• Ensure effective communications, both within the company and with accounts, are in place through timely call reports, late payment reviews, product return reviews, order fulfillment requirements, quality specifications, product development and similar activities

Administration and resource support

• Build effective relationships with all departments in the company to facilitate and assist execution of sales-related tasks
• Maintains accurate records of all pricing strategies, contract negotiations, customer details and supporting documentation
• Maintain and update SAP and CRM with customer, contact, competitor information, opportunities, call reports, sales forecasts, account details & plans with all required and pertinent information
• Provides timely feedback to sales management on sales activity, account performance and associated information
• Responsible for adherence to all company safety, quality and other policies, procedures, and business ethics codes
• Maintain and enhance professional, technical and performance knowledge and skills through relevant journals and articles, attending training courses, participation in industry events and understanding of customer’s products and applications
• Ensure thorough up-to-date knowledge of company products through training, work with Technical Support, R&D, Marketing, QA and other sales people
• Assist with performing tech support lab work to support customer base as needed
• Assist customer experience team with order processing work as needed
• Assist in development of promotional activities and documentation

Required knowledge, skills and abilities:

• Exercises personal initiative and independent judgment
• Excellent listening skills
• Strong customer and market application knowledge
• Strong sales and negotiating skills
• Strong communication skills (both written and verbal)
• Ability to coordinate, cooperate and function in a team environment
• Strong planning and organizational skills
• Ability to balance multiple, competing, and high priority demands
• Detail oriented
• Professional appearance / presence

Authority:

• Carry out the above or otherwise assigned duties
• Approve purchase requisitions up to $1000
• Initiate technical support requests, color matches, sample requests, new product development requests, etc.
• Authorize return of materials that does not meet specifications
• Approves sales records

Relationships:

• Interacts with all company departments to manage the customer relationship and achieve goals and targets
• Interacts with customers as a member of the sales team
• Interacts as needed with all the global sales team, offices, agents and distributors to coordinate desired sales activities
• Interacts with the Quality Control group and the Production group to coordinate required product specifications and quality for customers
• Interacts with all the Marketing, Technical Support and R&D groups to identify new product requirements, support Marketing initiatives, solve customer problems, and otherwise communicate technical and commercial information to and from customers
• Interacts with the EH&S group to communicate information to and from the customers

Physical Demands:

• Occasional driving
• Occasional air travel
• Working out of Cincinnati is preferred

Working Environment:

• Able to perform duties and initiate action in a team atmosphere without direct authority over other members of the sales team
• Able to travel occasionally
• Able to adapt to frequently changing tasks and priorities
• Able to make quality decisions under time pressure
• Must be able to perform duties in a busy office environment
• Occasional exposure to chemical manufacturing environment
• Occasional exposure to industrial laboratory conditions

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, group term life and disability insurance
• Pre-tax healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Life Insurance
• 401(K) plan - including Profit Sharing (no employee match required)
• Tuition Reimbursement Plan
• Potential Annual Bonus
• 11 paid holidays
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellbeing Program
• Employee and Career Development

EEO Statement

The Shepherd Material Science Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age (40 or over), disability, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law.