Sales Development Manager

Illing Company; Town of Richfield (WI); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Illing Company is seeking a consultative, packaging-savvy Sales Development Manager to join our hybrid marketing team. You will handle complex inbound inquiries, conduct technical discovery, translate requirements into packaging solutions, and hand off well-scoped opportunities to outside sales.

You will research target accounts, prepare briefs for outside sales, and serve as the packaging subject-matter expert, supporting content, sales enablement, and training for the Inbound Sales & Marketing

Qualifications

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Engineering, or a related field preferred.
• Equivalent professional experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of experience in packaging, industrial distribution, manufacturing, or a comparable technical B2B environment. Packaging experience strongly preferred.
• Experience in inside sales, technical sales, account management, sales support, or customer-facing solution development.

Responsibilities

• Handle complex and higher-value inquiries escalated by the Inbound Sales & Marketing Coordinator, responding within established response-time standards.
• Qualify inbound leads from marketing-qualified to sales-qualified using agreed criteria; document rationale in HubSpot.
• Route sales-qualified opportunities to the correct outside sales representative by territory, segment, and capability with a consistent handoff standard.
• Gather feedback from outside sales on accepted and rejected leads to improve qualification criteria and routing rules.
• Maintain accurate and complete HubSpot records for all contacts, companies, requirements, and dispositions.

Skills

Packaging knowledge

Discovery skills

Qualification & escalation

CRM proficiency

Written communication

Organization & follow-through

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree (Business/Marketing/Engineering/related)

Tools

HubSpot

ERP

Job description

Job Summary:

We are looking for a consultative, packaging-savvy professional to join our marketing team as the Sales Development Manager. In this hybrid role (on site four days a week, one remote day), you will handle the complex and higher-value inbound inquiries that come through our website, digital advertising, and directory listings. You will conduct technical discovery, translate customer requirements into viable packaging solutions, and hand the outside sales team a well-scoped opportunity they can act on immediately.

You will also research target accounts and prepare account briefs for outside sales representatives, who continue to own outreach so each customer relationship stays with one person. As the team’s packaging subject-matter expert, you will be the product and process resource for the Inbound Sales & Marketing Coordinator and support content and sales enablement. Consistent in-person presence is an essential requirement of the position.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• This position has no direct reports.
• Provides day-to-day product guidance and coaching to the Inbound Sales & Marketing Coordinator. Hiring, scheduling, performance evaluations, and discipline remain with the Director of Marketing.

Duties/Responsibilities:

Inbound Qualification and Handoff

• Handle complex and higher-value inquiries escalated by the Inbound Sales & Marketing Coordinator, responding within established response-time standards.
• Qualify inbound leads from marketing-qualified to sales-qualified using agreed criteria (deal potential, company profile, decision-maker involvement, and timeline), and promptly disqualify those that do not fit, documenting the rationale in HubSpot.
• Route sales-qualified opportunities to the correct outside sales representative by territory, segment, and capability, using a consistent handoff standard (requirement, volume, timing, incumbent supplier, and decision process).
• Gather feedback from outside sales on accepted and rejected leads, and use it to recommend improvements to qualification criteria, routing rules, and the handoff process.
• Maintain accurate and complete HubSpot records for all contacts, companies, requirements, and dispositions.

Technical Discovery and Solutions

• Conduct technical discovery on container type and size, material and resin, closure and fitment, product compatibility, fill and line requirements, regulatory considerations, and volume.
• Translate customer requirements into viable packaging solutions using ILLING’s manufacturer relationships and in-house decoration capabilities.
• Identify decoration, stocking, and tolling opportunities on every qualified inquiry, and coordinate decoration opportunities with the decoration sales leader.
• Escalate custom, mold development, and non-standard sourcing requests to the appropriate internal resource with a complete requirement summary.

Account Research and Enablement

• Research and profile target accounts, map buying teams (Operations and Plant Management, Procurement, Quality and EHS, and the economic buyer) in HubSpot, prepare account briefs, and alert the assigned representative to trigger events such as expansion, supplier disruption, or regulatory change.
• Build and maintain contacts at packaging providers without in-house decoration to support the decoration partnership channel.
• Serve as the product and process resource for the Inbound Sales & Marketing Coordinator, helping develop their product knowledge, discovery skills, and qualification judgment.
• Review marketing content, product data, and sales collateral for technical accuracy, and support development of sales enablement materials such as application guides and decorated sample kits.
• Track lost and no-quote inquiries and recurring customer questions, and share insights in regular sales and marketing meetings to inform stocking, pricing, and content decisions.

Other Duties

• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Practical knowledge of rigid containers, closures, materials, and decoration methods, sufficient to advise a customer credibly on a first call.
• Strong discovery skills and a consultative, customer-first communication style.
• Sound judgment on qualification and escalation, including the willingness to disqualify opportunities that do not fit.
• Proficiency with CRM systems and a commitment to accurate data (HubSpot experience preferred; ERP experience a plus).
• Strong written communication for handoff notes, account briefs, and CRM records.
• Ability to manage a high volume of inquiries with strong organization and follow-through.
• Comfortable working to activity and conversion goals within a defined process.
• Collaborative working style across outside sales, customer service, decoration, and marketing, with the ability to coach less experienced colleagues.

Education and Experience:

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Engineering, or a related field preferred
• Equivalent professional experience will be considered
• 5+ years of experience in packaging, industrial distribution, manufacturing, or a comparable technical B2B environment. Packaging experience strongly preferred.
• Experience in inside sales, technical sales, account management, sales support, or customer-facing solution development.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.