SALES- Manager Strategic Accounts

The Sherwin-Williams Company; Cleveland (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The Sherwin-Williams Company in Cleveland is seeking a Manager to drive growth opportunities within the MSO and Dealership MSO segments. You will operate between a direct territory representative and the Strategic Accounts Director, owning opportunity development and pursuit execution.

Responsibilities include building opportunity plans, maintaining CRM and forecast accuracy, and coordinating cross-functional resources to deliver value to customers. Travel is expected at 50% or more.

Qualifications

• High School or GED required.
• Bachelor's Degree in a business-related field preferred.
• Deep understanding of industry issues and customer needs.

Responsibilities

• Identify, research, qualify, and develop MSO and Dealership MSO opportunities in assigned markets.
• Lead pursuits from discovery through proposal and close with cross-functional collaboration.
• Maintain disciplined CRM, pipeline, forecast, and activity records; surface risks and recommendations.
• Develop relationships with executive and location-level stakeholders to expand access.
• Engage in coaching and development planning with the Strategic Accounts Director.

Skills

Industry knowledge

Executive communication

Conflict resolution

Education

High School or GED

Bachelor's Degree in business-related field

Job description

Candidates must reside in the Western region, with California strongly preferred.

This position is accountable for developing and advancing profitable growth opportunities within the MSO and Dealership MSO segments. The Manager operates between a direct territory representative and the Strategic Accounts Director: it owns assigned opportunity development and pursuit execution, coordinates cross-functional resources, and builds the strategic capabilities needed for broader enterprise-account leadership under the Director's coaching.

Job duties include contact with other employees and access confidential and proprietary information and/or other items of value, and such access may be supervised or unsupervised. The Company therefore has determined that a review of criminal history is necessary to protect the business and its operations and reputation and is necessary to protect the safety of the Company's staff, employees, and business relationships.

Opportunity Development and Pipeline Creation

• Identify, research, qualify, and develop MSO and Dealership MSO opportunities in assigned markets and target accounts.
• Build opportunity plans that define customer potential, decision makers, business needs, competitive position, value hypothesis, next actions, and probability of conversion.
• Maintain disciplined CRM, pipeline, forecast, and activity records; surface risks, resource needs, and recommendations to the Director.

Strategic Pursuit Execution

• Lead assigned pursuits from discovery through proposal and close, operating within the segment strategy, qualification standards, and delegated commercial parameters established by the Director.
• Conduct executive and operational discovery, coordinate site and business assessments, and translate customer priorities into differentiated Sherwin-Williams solutions.
• Develop presentations, proposals, account management plans, and value-added program recommendations in collaboration with the Director and internal partners.

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Coordinate Directors of Sales, Area Sales Managers, Vehicle Refinish Sales Representatives, Marketing, Operations, Division Staff, branches, and technical resources for assigned opportunities.
• Clarify roles, commitments, timelines, and follow-through across pursuit teams; ensure commitments align with branch and Company capabilities.
• Support implementation handoffs for newly won business and monitor early execution to protect customer experience and growth expectations.

Customer and Market Development

• Develop relationships across customer ownership, executive, operational, and location-level stakeholders, with focus on expanding access and influence over time.
• Maintain knowledge of competitive activities, customer business models, industry trends, and Sherwin-Williams competitive advantages.
• Participate in relevant industry associations and market activities as directed to generate insight, relationships, and qualified opportunities.

Professional Development

• Actively engage in coaching, joint calls, pursuit reviews, and development planning with the Strategic Accounts Director.
• Build greater capability in financial analysis, executive communication, multi-location account strategy, negotiation, and enterprise selling.
• Apply feedback and lessons learned to improve opportunity quality, conversion, forecast accuracy, and strategic account readiness.

EDUCATION:

Required:

• High School or GED

Preferred:

• Bachelor's Degree in a business-related field

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE:

Required:

• Incumbent is required to have and to exercise a deep understanding of industry issues and trends, of the various business segments as they specifically relate to opportunities and needs of the customer.
• Communicating with customer's Senior Management on specific details relating to all relevant issues, as they expect the incumbent to know their industry, business model strategy and key individuals.
• Provide innovative and creative guidance and conflict resolution.
• Responsible for intervention and problem resolution for issues that are escalated beyond authority.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS: (TIME SPENT AWAY FROM HOME OR OTHER TYPICAL OFFICE LOCATION)

• 50+%