North American Sales Leader

Lou Rich Inc; Albert Lea (MN); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in precision building machines is searching for a North American Sales Leader. This role focuses on B2B sales in the construction industry, managing and enhancing sales through distributors while providing exceptional customer support. Responsibilities include strategic planning, lead generation, and developing distribution channels. A minimum of 2 years in construction sales is required. The position offers the opportunity to shape the customer experience and drive sales growth across North America.

Qualifications

• More than 2 years of sales experience in Construction or Building Industry.
• Ability to work independently with collaborative ties.
• Professional communication skills required.

Responsibilities

• Manage existing accounts and pursue new business opportunities.
• Lead distributor training initiatives to boost sales.
• Provide customer advocacy and problem-solving support.

Skills

B2B Capital Goods Sales

Customer Relationship Management

Problem Solving

Team Collaboration

Tools

Microsoft Office 365

Dynamics 365 CRM

Epicor Kinetics ERP

Job description

Position Description

Panels Plus, a wholly owned subsidiary of Innovance, Inc. (an 100 % employee‑owned company), is seeking a proven North American Sales Leader to sell and improve share of its precision building machines that produce wall panels, cassettes, and various accessories for the building/construction industry. This B2B sales role will develop and manage sales through recognized national and global distributors that resells Panels Plus machines to structural building component manufacturers and various end‑user builders throughout North America. In addition, this leader may call on specific “factory accounts” designated to be a direct sale opportunity.

This role specializes in B2B capital goods sales and marketing of industrial OEM machines specifically built for the building and construction industry. It is a technical sales role and is the primary “architect” of Panels Plus’s customer experience, ensuring its clients have the products, services and technical support they need to succeed. The role serves as the critical link between our customers, distributors, and our internal departments, ensuring the “voice of the customer” is clear and used to develop world‑class products and services.

As the North American Sales Leader, you will own the full sales and marketing lifecycle. You will be responsible for training and developing our distribution channel to successfully sell our products and services. It includes strategic planning, generating and qualifying leads, new business development, and nurturing a robust existing portfolio of customers.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Sales & Growth: Directly manage and service existing accounts while aggressively pursuing new business to meet or exceed established sales goals.
• Focus on understanding and fulfilling specific customer needs to obtain new orders and expand our historical sales footprint.
• Lead the marketing efforts to generate demand, leads, and opportunities.
• Distribution Network Leadership: Develop and maintain a robust distribution network.
• Lead distributor training initiatives and work directly with their sales staff to move complex projects forward.
• Product Expertise & Consulting: Become a subject matter expert on all Panels Plus products, serving as a trusted resource for both long‑term customers and new prospects.
• Research the competition by gathering real‑time marketplace intelligence on pricing, products, and delivery schedules.
• Operational Excellence & Reporting: Maintain high visibility with leadership by providing weekly work plans and call reports.
• Leverage the Dynamics 365 CRM tool, ensuring all progress on leads, accounts, and opportunities are accurate and up to date.
• Customer Advocacy & Problem Solving: Function as a liaison between customers and internal departments to ensure complete satisfaction.
• Resolve customer complaints by investigating issues, developing creative solutions, and collaborating with the management team to ensure a positive outcome.
• Provide backup support for service, equipment installations, or other positions as needed to ensure team success.
• Professionalism & Versatility: Conduct all duties with diplomacy, integrity, sensitivity, and tact, ensuring the company is always portrayed in a positive light. Remain flexible and ready to pivot to market demands and changing requirements of our customers.

Position Requirements

• More than 2 years Construction/Building Industry or Capital Goods, B2B, OEM Machine Sales experience.
• Ability to work with a high level of independence while maintaining strong collaborative ties with other departments. Must be self‑starting, and capable of driving for results without daily oversight.
• Professional, frequent communication skills for all levels.
• Alignment with the Innovance mission and core values.

Desired Qualifications

• Construction, Building Industry experience.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve results through distribution partners.
• Experience with marketing, planning, and promotions. Able to execute marketing plans.
• Understanding of business financials necessary for quoting, pricing, and margin analysis.
• PC skills including Epicor Kinetics ERP, Microsoft Office 365, Dynamics 365 CRM, and various AI tools.
• A strong ability to set and prioritize goals.
• Mechanically inclined.
• Excellent problem‑solving skills and strong ability to multi‑task.
• Ability to work with the customer to solve issues in a fair & pleasant manner.
• Ability to work with limited supervision and know when to bring others into customer conversations.

Training Requirements

• Applicable training will be completed by following the syllabi (Human Resources, Safety, IFS - Timeclock, IFS - Navigation, etc.) for each new hire and that will be verified by the Employee Orientation & Job Qualification form within the first 60 days of employment.
• Applicable training will be completed by following the Planning, Customer Service, and Inventory Training Matrix (F4400-040). Effectiveness of Planning, CS, Inventory training guidelines will be determined by employee knowledge and demonstration of learned concepts. Additional training after the first several weeks of on‑the‑job training will be determined by the Supervisor in preparation for operating on their own as needed. Any follow‑up training will be evaluated and provided at the 60‑day review or as deemed necessary for the position.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands or fingers and talk and hear.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those and employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Americans With Disabilities Act

If you are a qualified individual with a disability, you have a right to request that the Authority make reasonable accommodation in order to help you accomplish your work, which must still be performed in all essential functions.

This description reflects the principal functions of the job for the purpose of job evaluation. It should not be construed as a detailed description of all work requirements of the job, nor should it be construed as giving exclusive responsibility for every function described.