Inside Technical Sales

Location: Daytona Beach, FL 

Job Type: Full-time, Exempt 

Reports To: Sales Manager 

Direct Reports: None 

With over 30 years of manufacturing expertise, Miller-Leaman, Inc. is a recognized leader in innovative filtration solutions, driven by a mission to deliver quality products and results-driven service. We foster a collaborative, entrepreneurial culture where integrity and empowerment are paramount, enabling our team to solve complex technical challenges with agility and precision. Committed to continuous improvement and excellence, we combine our rich history with a forward-looking vision to design standard and custom systems that consistently exceed the expectations of diverse industries worldwide

We are seeking a proactive and technically proficient Inside Sales Representative to manage the high-volume transactional business that sustains our manufacturing operations. While our Outside Sales team focuses on securing major accounts, you will be responsible for the "Run Rate" business, encompassing the management of inbound inquiries, application sizing, and the generation of quotations.

This is an active and essential role. You serve as the initial point of contact in our sales process, accountable for ensuring both velocity (speed to lead) and technical precision. Your core role is to convert inquiries into "Clean Orders", ensuring that every file transferred to Operations is accurate, technically feasible, and prepared for the shop floor.

Core Responsibilities

1. Inbound Lead Qualification and Preliminary Assessment

• Responsiveness Protocol: All electronic inquiries, including web leads, emails, and voicemails, must be acknowledged within our levels of service metrics.
• Technical Due Diligence: Transcending a purely transactional role, the incumbent must initiate critical "Sizing Questions" (e.g., Required Flow Rate, Operating Pressure, Acceptable Particle Size) or custom spec’d requirements at the initial contact to ensure the proposed quotation accurately reflects the customer's complete request, not merely the initial request.
• Escalation and Routing: Promptly evaluate the complexity of each opportunity. Leads necessitating bespoke engineering solutions or on-site consultation must be formally qualified and subsequently transitioned to the designated Sales or Service team members. 

2. Technical Quotation and Solution Formulation

• Proposal Generation: Generate precise and professional sales proposals utilizing the integrated ERP/CRM platform. Strict adherence to the approved pricing structure (Delineated by Distributor, OEM, and End User categories) is mandatory.
• Product Configuration: Employ proprietary configurator tools for optimal model selection for standard products and collaborating with the Engineering team for non standard configurations. .
• Value Enhancement: Consistently identify opportunities for incremental sales. Proactively recommend complementary products, such as spare gasket kits, mesh screens, or necessary accessories, to maximize the value of each transaction.

3. Pipeline Management and Follow-Up Strategy

• Quotation Follow-Up: Implement a rigorous follow-up schedule. Contact every customer within two business days of proposal submission to address technical clarifications and ascertain the status of the interest level.
• CRM Integrity: Meticulously document all sales activities, including calls, emails, and internal notes. In the event of a lost opportunity, record the precise Reason Code to provide actionable market intelligence.
• Opportunity Revival: Systematically engage with quotations that have remained inactive for a period exceeding 30 days to resuscitate potential sales opportunities.

4. Order Processing and Seamless Operational Transition

• Order Integrity Standard: The role serves as the critical control point for Operations. Ensure the capture of all requisite data prior to the order's introduction to the engineering design queue or the manufacturing schedule. 
• Purchase Order Reconciliation: Verify that all incoming Customer Purchase Orders are in precise alignment with the corresponding Quote details. Scrutinize for any disparities in pricing, part numbers, or shipping stipulations before entering the order into the ERP system.

Required Qualifications and Attributes

• Education: A Bachelor’s degree is preferred (Business, Communications, or Engineering); however, this requirement may be waived for candidates demonstrating exceptional aptitude coupled with 10 years of experience in sales.
• Tech Savvy and Experience: Microsoft Office Professional and CRM proficiency 
• Professional Experience: 3-5 years of experience in Technical Sales, Inside Sales, or Customer Service, preferably within a manufacturing or industrial sector environment.
• Interpersonal Savvy: Demonstrated ability to relate well to people at all levels—from peers to senior executives—building appropriate rapport and constructive, effective relationships to drive cross-functional collaboration
• Technical Proficiency: Demonstrated capacity to rapidly assimilate concepts related to fluid dynamics and filtration. While an engineering background is not a prerequisite, comfort in discussing specifications, flow, and pressure parameters is essential.
• Dynamic Role Adaptability: Proven ability to fluidly transition between diverse functional modes:
• Consultative Advisor: Evaluating complex applications and providing expert recommendations to clients.
• Proactive Business Developer: Initiating contact with previous clients and prospecting when inbound activity is subdued.
• Supply Chain Specialist: Efficiently managing logistical inquiries, such as tracking numbers, without allowing administrative tasks to impede core sales activities.
• Customer Service Agent: Quickly triaging customer problems and questions, providing solution based options, and actively managing until resolution. 
• Performance Orientation: A documented history of achieving stringent activity metrics (e.g., 40 customer interactions per day) and maintaining superior conversion rates.
• System Competency: Demonstrated proficiency with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is highly desirable.