Early Career Sales Rep -Los Angeles, CA

Smurfit Westrock; Lincoln (NE); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Corporate culture

Training programs

Competitive salary

Global presence

Job summary

Smurfit Westrock is seeking an Early Career Sales Representative in Lincoln, NE to develop new business and manage customer accounts in the small to mid-size segment. This role focuses on remote communication—teleconferencing, phone, and email—while advancing to outside sales within 12–14 months.

The ECSR will build strong customer rapport, coordinate orders, resolve issues, and work with management to expand the customer base across Smurfit Westrock divisions.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of B2B inside or field sales experience preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience using Salesforce.com or similar CRM software.
• Excellent phone presence, verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop new business and manage assigned accounts, primarily small to mid-size businesses.
• Coordinate orders and resolve account issues with customers and internal teams.
• Expand the customer base by engaging with new potential customers and past customers.
• Meet sales targets for volume and margin, with cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.
• Collaborate with Inside Sales Manager/Director and regional plants to ensure positive customer experiences.

Skills

Inside sales

Communication skills

Negotiation

Phone sales

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Salesforce.com

Job description

Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is the go-to leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging. We are dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity and respect, we are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.

The Opportunity:

The Early Career Sales Representative (ECSR) will be responsible for developing new business and managing and growing assigned customer accounts primarily within the small to medium business segment. The ECSR will work to gain success within inside sales to secure an area outside sales role within 12-14 months. The ECSR will work with corporate and plant management and staff to coordinate orders, secure orders for new business, and to resolve any account issues. Additionally, the ECSR will work with inside sales management and plant management to expand the customer base by engaging with new potential customers and previous Smurfit Westrock customers with the goal of gaining or winning back business.

The ECSR will be expected to develop a deep rapport with customers with the goal of understanding their business, and the challenges they face, and forming relationships with the people within their organization who make or influence buying decisions. Activity will be centered on remote communication including teleconference, phone, and email communication. The ECSR will follow Smurfit Westrock’s Sales Excellence methodology to gauge interest, identify areas of business growth opportunity, and close new business.

How You Will Impact Smurfit Westrock:

• ECSRs will be dedicated to improving Smurfit Westrock customer experience while also driving value by creating both cross-selling up-selling, and new business opportunities.
• Stay up to date and well versed in the Paper and Packaging industry, Smurfit Westrock products, manufacturing challenges and retail trends by category segments
• Maintain a working knowledge of Smurfit Westrock Enterprise solutions and continue learning by studying new products and participating in educational opportunities
• Understand the business pressures effecting our customers and the relevant value of Smurfit Westrock’s solutions as well as an understanding of competitor information and trends by region to create SWOT analysis and competitive selling strategies
• Research new and current customer accounts and identifykey playersto engagethrough outbound calls and digital tools.
• Conduct complex issue resolution for customers (involving communication with both customer and appropriate Smurfit Westrock colleagues). Some examples include pricing, delivery, quality, warehousing, logistics, new product design, and margin improvement.
• Maintain and improve quality results by following established processes and methodologies.
• Collaborate with Business Unit and Plant sales teams to maintain relationships and coordinate potential overlapping business responsibilities.
• Strive to achieve individual and team established metrics and goals.
• Meet targets for volume and margin with sales including cross-selling and up-selling.
• Achieve department and organization goals by accepting ownership for completing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value.
• Generate ideas and pro-actively work with Inside Sales Manager/Director and regional area plants to ensure positive customer experiences.
• Drive cross-sell and up-sell opportunities by establishing rapport and understanding customers’ unique challenges.
• Cultivate consultative interactions with customers.
• Efficiently manage customer interactions across Smurfit Westrock divisions.
• Create and deliver on margin improvement plans for customers.
• Coach junior team members.

What You Need to Succeed:

• Minimum of 1- 3 years of B2B inside sales, field sales, or related experience strongly preferred
• Experience in fiber-based packaging industry is strongly preferred
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience is required
• Ability to manage full book of assigned accounts, spanning multiple business units
• Ability to develop and qualify new opportunities, present solutions, overcome objections, negotiate, and close business over the phone & videoconference
• Consistent track record and top performer among ECSR team
• Flexible and resilient problem solver
• Salesforce.com or similar CRM software
• Requires a home office or workspace, free of disruptions; company provided laptop and phone
• Excellent phone presence, verbal, and written communication skills
• Comfortable making dozens of calls per day
• Strong listening and presentation skills
• Ability to prioritize, and manage time effectively
• Strong negotiation skills and ability to close opportunities with customer
• Team player; works exceptionally well with others
• Adapts well to a matrix organization

What we offer:

• Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability, and excellence
• Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities
• An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies, and potential
• A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work.

Candidates are required to undergo a drug screening after receiving a conditional job offer, but before starting employment.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.