Business Development Specialist

Midwest Fastener Corp.; Portage (MI); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Midwest Fastener Corp. is seeking a Business Development Specialist to drive growth by aligning sales strategy with execution. You will work with customers, sales teams, and leadership to move opportunities forward, build relationships, and support profitable growth.

The role emphasizes urgency, organization, and problem solving, reporting to the Sales department. Kalamazoo location with full-time hours.

Qualifications

• Associate or bachelor's degree in business or marketing preferred.
• 2+ years in sales support or customer-facing coordination.
• Proficient with CRM, ERP, and Microsoft Office.
• Familiarity with AI productivity tools.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Detail-oriented and organized with a sense of urgency.

Responsibilities

• Follow up promptly on quotes, RFQs, and leads with clear next steps.
• Build rapport with customers and support internal sales team.
• Create detailed, accurate quotes and track revisions.
• Collaborate with SMEs, track action items, and propose improvements.
• Promote products via email, LinkedIn, and campaigns.
• Translate strategy into customer-ready conversations.
• Use ERP/CRM/AI tools to improve sales workflows.

Skills

CRM proficiency

ERP proficiency

AI tools

Communication skills

Detail oriented

Education

Business/Marketing degree

Tools

CRM systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Midwest Fastener is looking for a Business Development Specialist who plays a key role in driving growth by connecting sales strategy with consistent, results-focused execution. This position works directly with customers, prospects, sales representatives, business development, leadership, and sales agencies to move opportunities forward, strengthen customer relationships, and support profitable growth. Success comes from taking ownership, keeping momentum high, communicating naturally, working with urgency, staying organized, and bringing ideas and solutions. This position will report to our Sales department.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Own timely, high-urgency follow-up for quotes, RFQs, open customer conversations, and outreach-generated leads; track opportunities with clear next steps and dates.
• Build genuine rapport with customers and prospects and serve as a relatable, responsive point of contact for Midwest's Internal Sales team.
• Produce detailed, accurate, and fast quotes; maintain quote status, revisions, and documentation, and flag pricing or margin questions before release.
• Build strong working relationships with subject matter experts, track action items to completion, and bring forward campaign, follow-up, and process-improvement ideas.
• Promote product lines across email, LinkedIn, and other channels; support prospect nurture sequences, segmented campaigns, list hygiene, and response/conversion reporting.
• Translate corporate strategy and positioning into customer-ready conversations and follow-up content.
• Use ERP, CRM, AI, and other technology tools to improve sales and marketing execution, research, communication, data cleanup, and workflow efficiency.

Qualifications

• Associate or bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related field preferred, or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years in sales support, inside sales, inside/outside industrial sales, or a similar customer-facing coordination role; industrial, hardware, or fastener industry experience is a strong plus but not required.
• Proficiency with CRM systems, ERP, and Microsoft Office Suites.
• Working familiarity with AI productivity tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot) or demonstrated ability to learn them quickly.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; comfortable on the phone and in front of customers.
• Relatable, urgency-driven, detail-oriented, organized, adaptable, and motivated by measurable results.

Where: Kalamazoo Location

Hours: Full time

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristics or status protected by applicable law.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.