Central Regional Sales Manager at Vode Lighting LLC in Chicago, IL

Company Description

Vode Lighting is an international manufacturer of minimalistic architectural lighting systems that responsibly enhance public, commercial and educational interior spaces.

Our business is predicated on helping designers realize their vision for the built environment while being mindful of Earth’s environment. From these considerations, we engineer lighting solutions that are at once beautiful and practical, elegant and efficient.

Every aspect of building design is being challenged by energy initiatives, so we design products that consume fewer resources and are themselves highly recyclable.

We strive to maximize the good materials (aluminum) and minimize the bad (lead, mercury, plastic, paint). As a small company, the environmental impact of our products is negligible, but the impact of our beliefs need not be. We believe the earth is it.

And because our aim is to unify spaces with light, not decorate them with fixtures, our lighting systems – be they ambient, display or task – are minimalist in design.

At Vode, minimalist design isn’t a slavish devotion to Cool. It is a direct and highly engineered response to the architectural marketplace. We’ve been asked for low-profile, high-performance, energy-efficient, scalable, durable luminaires.....And that’s what we make.

We are looking for smart leaders with a strong work ethic, who work well in teams and individually, are well organized and highly self-motivated. Working for Vode is a great opportunity in a fun environment in an exciting industry undergoing dynamic change!

Job Description

Regional Sales Manager – Central U.S.

Reports to: VP Sales

General Summary: The CRSM will be responsible for growing sales and profits in existing and new markets in the Region by actively supporting the needs of our market partners (reps) and the specifiers they call on (lighting designers, architects, engineers, interior designers). S/he will ensure consistent, profitable growth by setting appropriate short to long-term objectives, strategies and action plans in line with core company goals and principles.

CORE FUNCTIONS:

• Sell as an individual contributor and as a team player throughout Region to establish and maintain empowering relationships with market partners and constituents.

• Exceed mutually agreed to sales goals and work effectively as a sales team member; promote camaraderie, share best practices, provide assistance, and be an uplifting influence.

• Interact with people in all departments in a manner that helps create a dynamic and cohesive culture.

• Continually improve; stay current with industry trends, help refine sales and service processes, develop and learn new sales skills, and work to increase personal productivity. Be seen by market partners and specifiers as having leading industry knowledge and solutions.

• Proactively participate in meetings, trade-shows, and Company sponsored events with a positive attitude and a mindset towards sales process improvement, sales and profit growth and fulfillment of Vode goals and mission.

• Be a driving force at effectively troubleshooting, addressing and eliminating issues with reps, specifiers, electrical and national account distributors.

• Record, analyze and maintain relevant sales data in CRM and other shared reporting platforms and provide territory specific reporting as required.

DETAILS OF FUNCTION:

• Perform rep and specifier visits on a scheduled basis, visiting every market at least once a year, visiting Sonoma home office multiple times a year.

• Attend site visits as requested, to help support the client and/or troubleshoot an issue.

• Recommend, attend and analyze local, regional and national industry trade shows and related events.

• Provide annual sales goals for the Central region and proactively tracks/manages them on a monthly basis.

• Support product launches.

• Recommend rep/specifier factory visits and coordinates these with Marketing.

• Provide market feed back on product and service related issues and identifie new project/product opportunities.

• Collaborate with management team to establish and maintain budgets for travel & entertainment, promotion and trade event expenses.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 7 years lighting industry experience in sales.

• Extensive experience in outbound phone prospecting and developing integrated sales partners.

• Must be detail-oriented, with effective organizational skills, including strong time-management, the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines in a fast-paced, deadline, and data-driven environment.

• Excellent verbal and communication skills.

• Must have sense of urgency and ability to thrive in a metrics driven culture.

• Must be a self-starter, with the ability to work independently with limited supervision, work well under pressure, and have solid problem-solving skills.

• Computer proficiency specifically with MS Office, Google Docs, and CRMs.

• Willing to travel minimum 60%.

• Experience managing a sales territory to develop new customers.

• Proven track record of selling with a demonstrated ability to forecast and negotiate.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to identify key sales metrics, measure sales processes and drive profitable revenue growth.

• Process oriented mindset with the ability to be a change agent.

• Positive, passionate and uplifting person who enjoys being part of dynamic team environment.

Additional Information

Benefits and Compensation

Commensurate with experience. To include the following components: Base salary, incentive plan, and employee benefit program. Reimbursement of all company-approved business and travel-related expenses.

• Salaried position
• Vacation and sick leave
• Yearly bonus
• Health and Dental plans
• 401K plan with matching funds

Ready to join us? Email your cover letter and resume with "Central Region Sales Manager" in the subject line.