Sales Director

Our client in South Elgin is seeking a Sales Director to lead the sales function and drive revenue growth within the manufacturing business. This individual will oversee all aspects of sales strategy, customer acquisition, account management, and market expansion. In a small-company environment, the Sales Director will work hands-on with customers, collaborate closely with operations and engineering, and help build the scalable processes needed to support growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the company’s sales strategy to achieve revenue growth goals across core product lines and new markets.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a small sales team, including inside sales, account managers, and external reps or distributors.
• Set clear performance targets, KPIs, and sales forecasting processes; monitor results and adjust plans as needed.
• Identify new customer opportunities within key manufacturing verticals, distributors, and OEM partners.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline through prospecting, networking, and industry engagement.
• Lead sales presentations, negotiate contracts, and close deals with new accounts.
• Maintain and deepen relationships with existing customers to expand revenue and ensure long-term partnerships.
• Serve as a senior-level point of contact for strategic accounts and complex customer needs.
• Work closely with customer service, operations, and engineering to ensure product quality, delivery performance, and customer satisfaction.
• Partner with production, engineering, and supply chain to align customer demand with manufacturing capacity.
• Support new product development through market insights, customer feedback, and competitive analysis.
• Collaborate with marketing on sales materials, campaigns, trade shows, and digital lead generation.

Qualifications

• 7 years of sales experience, with at least 3–5 years in a leadership role; manufacturing or industrial experience required.
• Bachelors Degree preferred
• Proven track record of driving revenue growth and building successful sales teams.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing workflows, production lead times, and supply chain dependencies.
• Excellent negotiation and customer-facing communication skills.
• Experience working in a small-company or entrepreneurial environment is strongly preferred.
• Proficiency with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and data-driven performance management.
• Ability to travel as necessary to customer sites, trade shows, and partner locations.