Area Sales Manager

The role of Area Sales Manager/Sales Engineer for one of the biggest manufacturers across the UK & Ireland involves reporting directly to the Sales Manager. The ideal candidate is a technology enthusiast with strong motivation to understand the specific needs of diverse customers, ensuring the right specifications are met and a suitable solution is presented.

Location: Sales region - Bristol / Swindon & South of England

Overview:

• Assist the sales team by identifying and providing customised solutions that align with customer needs.
• Work mainly from a home office, with occasional travel to Worcester for on-site meetings and customer demonstrations.
• This role blends technical sales knowledge with a consultative approach, emphasising the development of long-term customer relationships through effective support of their material testing requirements.

Key responsibilities:

• Meet assigned sales targets for the designated region as set by the sales manager.
• Engage regularly with customers via phone, email, or in-person visits to support the technical, application, and commercial aspects of the sales process.
• Prepare and deliver technical presentations on products, including demonstrations when necessary, to address customer needs.
• Understand and analyse customer requirements, communicate directly with them to assess their needs, and recommend suitable solutions.
• Develop technical sales proposals and present them to customers for discussion and feedback.
• Maintain and update customer communications and sales activities in the CRM system, ensuring adherence to internal communication protocols and workflows.
• Close sales by conducting technical and commercial negotiations with customers.
• Foster strong, ongoing relationships with customers throughout both the sales and post-sales phases.
• Notify the marketing department within established timelines about upcoming regional marketing events (such as exhibitions, conferences, fairs, and seminars) and collaborate with the team to execute these activities.
• Participate in and organise events like exhibitions, conferences, forums, and seminars to attract and retain clients, expand the network, enhance brand presence, and raise market awareness.
• Prepare and submit weekly, monthly, and visit reports to the sales manager in line with required deadlines.
• Conduct and lead software demonstrations as needed.
• Carry out additional tasks as assigned by the sales manager.

Key selection criteria:

• A degree in mechanical engineering or a related field such as engineering, technology, or science is preferred but not essential.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to adapt messaging to suit different audiences and tasks.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, including the ability to create and edit complex Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations. Familiarity with Microsoft SharePoint, Dynamics CRM, and Microsoft Teams is beneficial.
• Experience using CRM systems, ideally Microsoft Dynamics.
• Confident in delivering both corporate and technical presentations.
• Able to work under pressure and autonomously.

This is a key area for our future business expansion plans, within a company which has experienced rapid growth within the last 5 years. Following extensive product training in the UK and Germany, the successful candidate will be responsible for sales of all testing products and be accountable for the success of all sales opportunities with the main focus on supporting the area. The successful candidate should be self-motivated, enthusiastic and able to work unsupervised and will need to be flexible. The candidate will report directly to the UK Sales Manager.

What we offer:

• A competitive base salary and uncapped commission on sales and company pension benefits.