The Sales Specialist's primary goal is to nurture our customer base and grow revenue from new and existing accounts mid-level accounts
Pay: $50,000 - $55,000 / year
Shift: M-F 9 am - 5 pm
Department: Business Development
About SparkFun
Since 2003, SparkFun has been helping turn ideas into reality – whether you’re creating a smart weather station, exploring the frontier of machine learning, building a robot for school or prototyping your first (or tenth) product. No matter your vision or skill level, our open source components, resources and online tutorials are designed to broaden access to innovative technology and make the road to a finished project shorter.
We are an equal opportunity employer that values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. SparkFun offers an abundance of opportunities to learn new skills from other Funions, in addition to many other benefits and perks.
About SparkFun's Next Sales Specialist
The Sales Specialist is focused on developing long-term relationships with accounts - they “get beyond the transaction” to understand why accounts are doing business with SparkFun and how we can better serve them...making a lasting impact on customer loyalty (and repeat business). They are team players that help SparkFun work cohesively to develop strong customer loyalty. This role is required to utilize identified systems to maintain opportunity pipeline, forecasts, sales reports, and gap analyses in collaboration with the Territory Team lead.
Essential Job Functions
1. Nurture and Grow New and Existing Mid-Level Accounts - Build long-term relationships
- Work with Territory Team Lead and the Sales & Support Manager to identify target and priority accounts - based on (for example) purchasing history, renewal time frame, adoption of retired/retiring product, relevant new release, intriguing user stories - to cross-sell, upsell, alert, or for collaboration
- Know your accounts - conduct research/data dive to uncover purchasing history, how they are using products, their values/priorities/pain points, and how we can better serve them
- Build out account analysis reports and account growth plans
- Facilitate periodic meeting with key accounts
- Develop and execute account growth plans, including but not limited to product presales, NPI collaborations, cross-selling, upselling, product road map presentations,
- Know the catalog, upcoming releases, and external trends - connect the dots between what we have and what accounts would find helpful
- Collaborate with Territory Team Lead and the Sales & Support Manager to develop and execute on account growth plans
- Know your levers of growth for particular account types and determine what would most compel an account to increase and/or continue business with us
- In collaboration with Territory Team Lead and the Marketing team, implement programs to generate leads
- Deliver formal and informal presentations to communicate proposals to accounts. This includes, but is not limited, to proactive outreach for SparkFun product launches and programs for mid-level accounts, coordinating and leading account review meetings with existing accounts, and presenting trends/growth patterns for assigned accounts internally
- Develop accurate and compelling proposals/quotes and process orders; collaborate with internal teams to most efficiently get orders out the door
- Collaborate with business development colleagues - qualify and pass along leads, close business under a particular threshold
- As the opportunity arises, support marketing efforts (for example, at trade shows and events)
2. Win new business (new accounts)
- Work with Territory Team Lead and Sales & Support Manager to identify targets for prospecting and lead gen campaigns
- Deliver formal and informal presentations that articulate a compelling value proposition and move accounts forward
- Leverage internal resources (people) to push deals over the edge or to take them to the next level on behalf of key accounts and in support of Territory Team accounts
- Leverage business levers (example: terms and other operational/financial levers) to make doing business with SparkFun easier and more compelling
- Develop accurate and compelling proposals/quotes and process orders specific to key assigned account; collaborate with internal teams to most efficiently handle the needs of those accounts
- Serve as voice of the customer in internal conversations; including bringing to light external needs and pain points (close the intel gap) on behalf of the Territory Team
3. Maintain and build working knowledge of SparkFun products, services, and story
- Be an evangelist, clearly articulate SparkFun’s value proposition, product and service offerings (features, benefits, competitive advantages)
- Be attuned to SparkFun’s future - know upcoming product/documentation releases and marketing campaigns/promos to inform selling plans
- Know your internal resources - it takes a village to sell, build bridges and know all presale and postsale resources that support account growth
- Participate in all Territory Team meetings and internal trainings; understand policies parameters for selling
- Participate in professional development opportunities to increase your product, customer, selling, and industry knowledge
4. Maintain accurate and timely sales pipeline, customer database records/activity reports, and up-to-date sales forecasts using the company CRM system
5. Collaborate with Territory Team to provide full service support to key accounts
- Attend and provide support for target key accounts led by Territory Team lead by attending all high-level business review meetings, internal high-level account meetings and maintain overall knowledge of account status
- Collaborate with Support Specialist in ensuring they are up to speed with key target mid-level accounts
- Understand, work towards and report out on key metrics
Other duties and tasks will be assigned as needed.
Required Skills and Qualifications:
- 1-3 years sales experience in growing existing accounts
- Ability to maintain accurate sales pipeline and activity reports in CRM
- Demonstrated ability to present using online presentation tools; strong receptive and expressive communication skills
- Self motivated with a high level of urgency
- Exemplary organization skills and attention to detail
- Sales experience - we are looking for someone who has a passion for building relationships, solving problems, and closing business
- Mid-to-high level of knowledge of electronics, including SparkFun products with some understanding of prototyping tools and/or hobbyist electronics
- Excellent communication and presentation skills
- Outstanding relationship management and influence capabilities
- Proficient in Microsoft Windows and Office products; experience using CRM, ERP, and collaboration/project management systems
- Bachelor’s Degree; or equivalent combination education and experience
- Ability to prioritize multiple tasks in parallel and balance workload based on priority
- Experience with working on cross-functional teams
Additional Qualifications (not Required)
- Working knowledge of the SparkFun product line
- Growing B2B accounts and/or working channels sales
SparkFun Benefits & Perks
At SparkFun, we ask a lot of our employees, and that’s why we give so much in return. Here are just some of the benefits:
- Competitive salary
- Medical/dental/vision plan
- Matching 401(k),
- A casual dress code for you
- Dogs - yes, we bring dogs to work
- Full gym with climbing wall. If that’s not your style we offer a monthly gym stipend or onsite yoga
- We have a great employee discount and opportunities to create and share content with the SparkFun community
- Paid Parental Leave
- Paid time to volunteer
- EcoPass (public transportation pass)
- Flexible Paid Time Off
- Summer BBQs, work parties, and more!
Commission opportunities are available in addition to base salary.