Account Manager - Electrical/Automation

Overview:

CBT is one of the most innovative Industrial Distribution companies in Cincinnati and the tristate region. Our mission is to be recognized by our customers and our suppliers as their best business partner. Our success comes from recruiting, hiring, and training the best people in the industry. We invest in our people and our business.

The Account Manager is responsible for developing customer relationships, understanding our customer’s business, and actively pursuing and developing sales opportunities in each of the 5 Strategic Business Units within the CBT market.

This position will be located in Lexington Ky.

Responsibilities:

Communication. All CBT associates should master effective and efficient communication skills.

• Listening, speaking, asking questions, writing, interpretation, interaction, avoiding assumptions, and receiving and providing feedback are basic elements of communication that must be mastered.
• Involves internal customers, external customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders.
• Vehicles for communication include face to face, phone, mobile phone, text, letter, fax, email, EDI, SharePoint, CRM, ERP system notes.
• Understanding the stakeholders preferred methods of receiving and sending communications and adapting to their needs.
• Timeliness of communication
• Formal versus informal means and methods of communication and the associated grammar, punctuation, and level of professionalism.

Documentation. CBT associates are expected to maintain records of the services they perform, the value that they provide, and a chronology of events associated with a particular account or subject. It is important to have these available as they can provide reference for new or future customers regarding CBT’s performance and protocol, provides testimony to who said what, when, and where, and offers a means to meet new management/ownership at an account and provide evidence to our relationship.

• Cost Saving reports written and stored electronically on SharePoint for others to access. The report documents the before and after situation, the suggested solution, identifies how it provides savings or improved profitability, and then ideally is acknowledged and signed by the customer.
• Event Chronology- All activities at an account need to be recorded. Sales calls, opportunities, project work, issues, and documents can be maintained within CRM.
• Verbal communications need to be acknowledged and documented by follow up emails to insure nothing has been misinterpreted or misconstrued.

Account Call Planning. CBT’s expectations are for Account Managers and Specialists to make 20 sales calls per week with an average of $1,200 of gross margin per call. To achieve this, careful planning is required in advance. Reality in this industry dictates that one must be flexible and be able to react to situations which come up. As such, the Account Manager and Specialists are expected to have 2 calls (1 in the morning and 1 pm) at a minimum planned per day with an agenda of what is to be accomplished or covered on the call. By Monday morning, 10 calls should be locked in, and the balance worked as needs arise by customers. There is also a geographic component to additional call making based on the location of the structured and scheduled calls.

• To keep track of an Account Managers performance and success, the individual receives a monthly call report summary showing: YTD sales calls per customer, gross margin sales dollars per call, YTD sales, YTD gross margin, the percentage of your total sales calls that you spend at that account, and the percentage of sales to your total sales that the customer represents. Management reviews this as well and then works with and suggests behavioral changes as needed such that a call ratio closely resembles a relationship to customer sales. Ideally, top ten accounts represent 30% to 35% of total sales and time, top 20 accounts at 50% of sales and time spent, top 50 accounts represent 75% to 80% of the individual’s total sales and time.

Time Management. Effective time management is critical to the role of an Account Manager. Account Managers time will be spent on tasks and calls and the efficiency and effectiveness of the time spent. Additionally, time management requires the delegation of tasks and functions to members of the account team. As sales, strategic plans and goals are developed for an account, the Account Manager must assign areas of responsibility and a timeframe for various tasks to be performed. Some events or activities require a very short-term horizon by day or week, while others focus on quarterly and annual installments. The Account Manager must be able to coordinate and keep track of various activities, marshal resources as needed, and follow up with the team and receive communication and feedback from them regarding the outcome of activities.

Relationship Management. One of the few constants in business revolves around the value of a personal relationship. Trust, confidence, personality, enthusiasm, sincere care and concern, politeness, professionalism integrity, intelligence, communication skills, adaptability, approachability and friendliness are all key ingredients needed to develop successful relationships. Understanding your customer as a person and understanding your customer’s business are just a part of the relationship management challenge. One’s ability to successfully manage relationships is closely tied with their ability to handle the previous four mandates. Relationship management is not limited to the external customer, but rather all account team members, co-workers, internal customers, suppliers, and other key stakeholders.

Product, Service, and Application Knowledge. Account Manager’s must comprise a knowledge of each CBT SBU product and service group and how they are applied to our customer’s industrial applications. Knowledge of competitive situation and assessing need or interest in alternate products or options.

Job Specific Skills:

• Knowledge of Electricity; Low Voltage is a plus.
• Industrial Lighting
• Power Distribution
• Knowledge of Electrical Mfg/Reps
• Ability to identify and apply automation products and solutions within industrial, OEM, or panel shop type accounts.
• Understanding of automation technologies and the capability to recommend and implement appropriate solutions to meet customer needs.
• Provide technical assistance to customers.

Critical Skills:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to handle a fast-paced work environment, customer focused friendly, outgoing personality, ability to interact efficiently and effectively with internal departments.
• Technically competent in area of product specialty
• Proficiency with multiple customer and manufacturers’ web site formats and portals
• Ability to learn and adapt to changing technologies and customer/supplier requirements.
• Computer literacy
• Letters/Spreadsheets/Proposals/Sales Presentations
• CBT specific product and systems knowledge

Requirements:

• High School Diploma or Equivalent required
• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 2+ years in a similar role with field experience. Preferable in a distribution company, contractor, or manufacturing environment
• 3 – 5 years outside sales experience in industry. Track record of success in business-to-business sales. Excellent verbal and written communications skills including the ability to convincingly persuade others. Ability to clearly and effectively set and meet goals.
• Must have a stable work history, no more than two jobs within the past three years.

Critical Skills:

• Knowledge of or willingness to learn inventory principles, material management concepts and inventory control methods.
• Negotiation skills a plus.
• Familiarity with spreadsheet programs (i.e. excel, word perfect).
• Proficient with Internet

Additional Responsibilities:

MRO Specialist (VMI)

• Co-Create Business Plan for each MRO opportunity with MRO Specialist.
  • Business potential across all SBU’s
  • Target products, Services, Key relationships, Identify competition.
• Identify Mutual Goals and Objectives
• Execute coordinated plan with MRO Specialist
• Communicate Activities to Account Team
• Bi-Annual MRO Plan review
• Metrics: To Be Determined

• Working Environment:

• Work is performed within a general office environment and traveling to and from businesses. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, walk and use hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse and telephone to talk and hear. This position will require regular travel utilizing a personal vehicle and may result in long periods of sitting.