Account Executive - Public Sector (Cincinnati, OH)

Office Depot / ODP; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 65,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Office Depot is seeking an Account Executive to identify, qualify, and acquire new customers within the greater Cincinnati region. This regional, field-based role emphasizes prospecting, networking, relationship-building, and strategic cold-calling to build a robust sales pipeline and grow revenue.

You will collaborate with implementation, sales support, and product specialists to drive customer acquisition, revenue growth, and long-term account success, with regular in-office collaboration at

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Strong relationship-building, negotiation, and closing skills.
• Experience in consultative selling, needs analysis, and solution recommendations.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office; Salesforce.com experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• New Account Acquisition: identify, prospect, and close new business in the local market.
• Relationship Building & Market Development to grow the customer base.
• Territory & CRM Management: maintain territory, activity, and pipeline in Salesforce.
• Sales Leadership & Collaboration with internal teams to resolve issues and drive revenue.

Skills

Sales & Business Development

Consultative selling

Relationship building

Prospecting

Cold calling

Networking

Communication

Presentation skills

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

This role is regional and field-based, with local travel across greater Cincinnati and regular in-office collaboration in our Hamilton, OH 45011 office.

The Account Executive is responsible for identifying, qualifying, and acquiring new customers within an assigned local market territory, targeting small to mid-sized organizations across your vertical/segment. This outside sales role focuses on building a robust pipeline through prospecting, networking, relationship development, and cold-calling activities while positioning ODP Business Solutions' products, services, and solutions to maximize customer value and market penetration. The Account Executive works collaboratively with implementation, sales support, and product specialists to drive customer acquisition, revenue growth, and long-term account success. Success in this role requires strong territory planning, consultative selling skills, pipeline management, and the ability to build trusted relationships with key decision makers throughout the local market.

Primary Responsibilities:

• New Account Acquisition: Engage in outside sales activities to identify, prospect, and close new business opportunities within an assigned local market territory. Develop relationships with decision makers, influencers, end users, and buyers through in-person meetings, networking events, referrals, and cold-calling efforts. Leverage customer profiles, business needs assessments, and strategic pricing programs to present compelling solutions that secure new customer partnerships and drive profitable revenue growth. The expectation is that this role spends the majority of the time actively engaging customers and prospects within the assigned territory.
• Relationship Building & Market Development: Build and expand relationships with customers by utilizing consultative selling techniques and industry knowledge to uncover business challenges and opportunities. Develop a deep understanding of the local market, assigned industries, and competitive landscape to identify opportunities for growth. Forecast business activity, maintain an active sales pipeline, and consistently achieve or exceed assigned sales and revenue objectives. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to maximize customer value and support long-term account success.
• Territory & CRM Management: Take ownership of territory planning, business development strategies, and execution of sales initiatives. Maintain accurate customer, prospect, activity, and pipeline information within Salesforce and other sales systems to support forecasting, reporting, account planning, and overall data integrity.
• Sales Leadership & Collaboration: Serve as a resource on customer requirements, market insights, and effective selling strategies. Share best practices and collaborate with internal partners, sales support teams, and subject matter experts to resolve customer issues, support organizational goals, and drive sales success across the local market.

Education and Experience:

• Level of Formal Education: Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• Area of Study: High School diploma or equivalent, Bachelors preferred
• Minimum Years of Experience: 2
• Type of Experience: Demonstrated relationship building, negotiation, and closing skills (through work experience, internships, or other relevant activities)
• Experience or aptitude in consultative selling, needs analysis, and solution recommendation
• Ability to work in a deadline driven, fast paced environment, managing multiple priorities and adapting to change
• Experience working in a team environment and collaborating to achieve shared goals

Technical Competencies & Information Systems:

• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Working knowledge of CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce.com) preferred
• Ability to learn and effectively use internal systems, sales tools, and reporting platforms

Skills & Abilities:

• Sales & Business Development: Proven ability or strong potential to be an impactful member of the sales team through achievement of monthly sales and revenue goals
• Ability to conduct consultative analyses with customers and provide tailored product and solution recommendations
• Capability to develop long term client relationships that support renewals, upsell, and cross sell opportunities
• Experience or comfort driving the sales process by securing and conducting face to face meetings with key decision makers
• Networking & Prospecting: Ability to build an expansive network through persuasive sales calls, customer visits, industry events, and internal referrals
• Comfort with cold calling and initiating contact with new prospects
• Communication & Professionalism: Effective written and spoken English communication skills with all levels of customer and internal stakeholders
• Strong presentation and interpersonal skills; able to communicate value propositions clearly and confidently
• Organization & Execution: Strong time management, organizational, and follow up skills
• Ability to mainta