What are the responsibilities and job description for the Outside Parts Sales position at Matheny Motors?
Role Summary
As an Outside Parts Sales Representative, you will be the face of Matheny Bus Sales of Ohio Thomas Built Buses parts department across Southwestern Ohio. Your primary mission is to maintain and grow parts sales by building consultative relationships with school districts (transportation directors and fleet mechanics), commercial bus fleets, municipalities, and private transit companies within your designated territory.
Key Responsibilities
•Territory Management: Systematically travel throughout the assigned counties to manage and grow the existing customer base.
•School District & Fleet Account Management: Act as the primary point of contact for K-12 school district garage operations, providing them with reliable OEM Thomas Built Buses parts, all-makes bus components, and seating/safety accessories.
•Consultative Selling: Identify customer needs, conduct inventory reviews for fleet garages, present product updates, and offer cost-saving maintenance solutions or bulk ordering programs.
•Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with internal parts counter staff, inventory managers, and service departments to ensure prompt fulfillment, accurate deliveries, and seamless customer service.
•Market Intelligence: Monitor local competitor activities, tracking school board budget cycles and fleet replacement schedules to position Matheny Bus Sales of Ohio as the preferred parts vendor.
•Perform other duties as assigned.
Territory Geography & Route Dynamics
This territory offers a diverse mix of rural school districts and dense municipal/industrial hubs:
•Higher-density school districts and commercial fleets requiring high-frequency touchpoints and rapid parts turnaround.
•A mix of mid-sized municipal fleets and rural school systems where establishing trust and long-term reliability is paramount.
•Geographically vast stretch along the I-70 and Ohio River corridors. Success here relies heavily on strategic route planning to maximize face-to-face customer visits while managing windshield time efficiently.
Position Requirements
•Experience: Previous outside sales experience in heavy-duty truck parts, automotive parts, or specifically school bus fleet maintenance/parts distribution.
•Product Knowledge: Familiarity with Thomas Built Buses, Freightliner chassis, Cummins engines, Detroit components, and common school bus body/safety configurations is highly preferred.
•Travel: Ability to travel daily within the designated assigned territory, requiring excellent self-motivation and autonomous time management.
•Skills: Strong relationship-building skills, proficiency with parts catalog software (like Thomas/Freightliner's PartsPro), and clear communication skills to effectively negotiate fleet contracts.