What are the responsibilities and job description for the Sales Development Specialist position at hand2mind?
About Hand2mind
We bring learning to life! Trusted by teachers for more than 55 years, hand2mind creates engaging, classroom-tested materials that empower children to learn by doing. We are a 150-person strong, family-owned company that's been voted one of the Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces for the last four consecutive years. In addition to building high-quality, hands-on learning materials for the classroom like VersaTiles® and Cuisenaire® Rods, we also develop educational toys for the home that make learning math, reading, social-emotional learning, and STEM fun and interactive. As a company, we are committed to our employee’s personal and professional development. That’s why we offer a competitive benefits package, a supportive culture, and a variety of training and development opportunities. We are looking for professionals who are truly just kids at heart! We hope you’ll come join our award-winning team today!
Team & Position Description
The Sales Development Specialist plays a foundational role in supporting the school sales team by identifying and qualifying leads, conducting outreach campaigns, and assisting with sales development activities. This entry-level position is ideal for individuals looking to grow their career in educational sales, with a focus on learning the business, building product knowledge, and developing core sales skills.
What You’ll Do Day To Day
Please note: This role will be filled by our internal recruitment team, so no assistance is needed from any outside staffing agency at this time.
Compensation Range: $24.44 – $28.85 per hour – Actual compensation may vary due to other factors such as: years of experience, skill set and location. Total compensation includes profit sharing bonus potential, 401k matching, and a variety of other benefits (details can be found here ).
#hand2mind
We bring learning to life! Trusted by teachers for more than 55 years, hand2mind creates engaging, classroom-tested materials that empower children to learn by doing. We are a 150-person strong, family-owned company that's been voted one of the Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces for the last four consecutive years. In addition to building high-quality, hands-on learning materials for the classroom like VersaTiles® and Cuisenaire® Rods, we also develop educational toys for the home that make learning math, reading, social-emotional learning, and STEM fun and interactive. As a company, we are committed to our employee’s personal and professional development. That’s why we offer a competitive benefits package, a supportive culture, and a variety of training and development opportunities. We are looking for professionals who are truly just kids at heart! We hope you’ll come join our award-winning team today!
Team & Position Description
The Sales Development Specialist plays a foundational role in supporting the school sales team by identifying and qualifying leads, conducting outreach campaigns, and assisting with sales development activities. This entry-level position is ideal for individuals looking to grow their career in educational sales, with a focus on learning the business, building product knowledge, and developing core sales skills.
What You’ll Do Day To Day
- Support lead generation efforts through outbound calling, emailing, and follow-up on marketing campaigns.
- Assist in building and maintaining accurate contact data in the CRM system.
- Collaborate with Sales teams to ensure smooth handoff of qualified leads.
- Conduct basic market research to identify potential prospects and gather competitive intelligence.
- Learn and apply product knowledge to support sales conversations and inbound inquiries.
- Maintain accurate records of outreach activity and opportunities in the CRM.
- Generate a consistent volume of qualified leads through daily outbound activity, maintaining a minimum of 60 touches per day across phone, email, and LinkedIn.
- Maintain 100% CRM accuracy by logging all outreach activity, contact updates, and lead status changes within 24 hours of engagement.
- Achieve a minimum 20% SQL-to-Discovery Ready conversion rate, aligned with GTM qualification criteria and Tier 1 prioritization.
- Generate a pipeline in which at least 35% of SQLs meet Tier 1 criteria, supporting GTM motions and pipeline targets.
- Collaborate effectively with assigned Education Sales Consultants (ESCs) to ensure timely and high-quality handoff of qualified leads, with a satisfaction rating of 90% on lead quality and communication.
- 0–2 years of experience in sales, customer service, or marketing.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience preferred.
- Energized by outbound calling and email outreach.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Basic proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).
- Eager to learn and grow in a sales career.
- Team-oriented and collaborative.
- Organized and detail oriented.
Please note: This role will be filled by our internal recruitment team, so no assistance is needed from any outside staffing agency at this time.
Compensation Range: $24.44 – $28.85 per hour – Actual compensation may vary due to other factors such as: years of experience, skill set and location. Total compensation includes profit sharing bonus potential, 401k matching, and a variety of other benefits (details can be found here ).
#hand2mind
Salary : $24 - $29