Key Account Specialist-US

WIDIA; Reading (Berks County); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Kennametal is seeking talented machinists and programmers who want to transition into a professional sales role.

The position drives metal-cutting tool sales growth with new and established customers by managing relationships and providing technical direction, while working 80% in the field and a company vehicle is provided as part of a top-tier compensation package with base salary plus performance bonus and day-one benefits.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of CNC machining industry experience.
• 1-2 years of technical sales and/or application experience preferred.
• Proficient in product knowledge; can tailor solutions to meet customer needs.
• Solid grasp of industry dynamics; aligns product solutions with customer needs.
• Competent in a range of sales techniques, including closing strategies.
• Independently executes strategic sales plans; meets targets through planning.
• Excellent communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.
• Customer-focused mindset with problem-solving focus.
• Detail-oriented to manage contract review and project specs.
• Collaborative team player across departments.

Responsibilities

• Meet or exceed revenue targets by providing metal cutting solutions and understanding market trends.
• Generate, qualify, and manage sales leads and new customer accounts.
• Proactively manage the complete sales process from prospecting to pricing and negotiations.
• Develop and execute strategic territory plans to deliver revenue goals.
• Provide timely pre-sales technical and commercial responses to customers.
• Maintain up-to-date CRM records for a healthy pipeline.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure a positive end-to-end customer experience.
• Conduct online/onsite demonstrations of metal cutting products.
• Lead pre-sales workshops, webinars, and events in the territory.
• Represent Kennametal at tradeshows and conferences within the territory.
• Deliver cost savings through analysis of complex applications and testing.
• Prepare and present progress, status, and forecasting reports.

Skills

CNC machining

Technical sales

Product knowledge

Solution tailoring

Sales techniques

Strategic planning

Communication

Customer focus

Detail orientation

Team collaboration

Education

Technical degree

Engineering degree

Business degree

Job description

About Kennametal

With over 85 years as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc. delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling and wear-resistant solutions. Customers across aerospace and defense, earthworks, energy, general engineering and transportation turn to Kennametal to help them manufacture with precision and efficiency. Learn more at kennametal.com. Follow @Kennametal: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About Kennametal

With over 85 years as an industrial technology leader, Kennametal Inc. delivers productivity to customers through materials science, tooling and wear-resistant solutions. Customers across aerospace and defense, earthworks, energy, general engineering and transportation turn to Kennametal to help them manufacture with precision and efficiency. Learn more at kennametal.com. Follow @Kennametal: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

CNC Machinist Sales and Application Engineer

Location – South-Eastern Pennsylvania - Employee must be located in territory supported. Ideal locations include Allentown, Philadelphia, Redding, Lancaster or Exton.

Job Summary

Kennametal is seeking talented machinists and programmers looking to transition their career off the floor day to day into a professional sales role. If you are currently working as a machinist or have previous hands on machining and cnc programming experience, we would be very interested in speaking to you! This position is responsible for driving metal-cutting tool sales growth with new and established customers, both direct and indirect, by managing customer relationship, providing technical direction/support, and increasing productivity for our customers. This role combines technical knowledge and sales skills to achieve sales targets, build strong territory presence and pipeline. This role will partner with multiple internal sales and support professionals to support the customers’ initiatives and technical needs. Sales and Application Engineers work on unique challenges related to cnc machining, milling, and lathe applications. The role is based from a home office within the assigned territory, but 80% or more of the week is spent out in the field at customer locations. A company vehicle is provided as part of top of market compensation package which includes a base salary plus bonus based on performance, and benefits starting day 1.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Meet or exceed revenue targets by:
• Effectively providing metal cutting solutions, by understanding current and future market trends, to meet customers’ key needs and objectives in a professional manner.
• Generating, qualifying, and managing all sales leads, prospects, and new customer accounts.
• Proactively managing the complete sales process, including prospecting, qualification, consultative sales meetings, product demos, pricing, terms negotiations, and sourcing.
• Developing and executing strategic territory plans to deliver revenue goals with a focus on new product sales.
• Providing timely answers to pre-sales technical and commercial queries from customers.
• Maintaining up-to-date customer and project records in CRM to ensure a clean and healthy pipeline
• Actively collaborating with internal sales and support professionals, such as Application Engineers, Channel Partner Reps, Inside Sales, and others to provide value and a positive end-to-end customer experience.
• Performing online and/or onsite demonstrations of metal cutting products tailored to customers’ needs.
• Conducting pre-sales workshops, webinars, and other online/onsite events within the territory.
• Representing and promoting Kennametal at tradeshows, conferences, and other events within the territory.
• Delivering cost savings through analysis of complex application needs and providing recommendations to support customer business need through tooling and application testing.
• Preparing and presenting progress, status, and forecasting reports.

Requirements

• Technical degree or Degree in Business, Manufacturing and/or Engineering preferred
• 3+ years of related cnc machining industry experience, 1-2 years of technical sales and/or application experience preferred
• Proficient in product knowledge, including applications and troubleshooting; can taylor solutions to meet customer needs
• Solid grasp of industry dynamics; effectively aligns product solutions with customer needs and industry trends
• Competent in a range of sales techniques, including advanced objection handling and closing strategies; adapts approach to various customer types
• Independently executes strategic sales plans; contributes to the development of strategies and meets targets through insightful planning
• Possess solid critical thinking, presentation, and administrative skills
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Customer-focused mindset with a passion for problem-solving and delivering exceptional service
• Detail-oriented to manage contract review and discuss project specifications
• Creative and persuasive with the ability to think at both tactical and strategic levels
• Collaborative team player with the ability to work effectively across all departments

Kennametal Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.