Sales Specialist

Smithbucklin; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee ownership

Hybrid work model

OTE $60k-$80k

Job summary

Smithbucklin, a 650-person, employee-owned professional services company, seeks a Sales Specialist in Chicago to drive membership growth for association clients. You will manage the sales cycle from prospecting to close, building relationships with leaders and delivering value through tailored membership programs.

The role emphasizes consultative selling, pipeline management, and collaboration with marketing and operations to support recruiting and retention.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent experience required.
• 3–5 years of membership sales, business development, account management, customer success, or related sales role.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and CRM tools like Salesforce.

Responsibilities

• Drive membership growth by identifying, prospecting, and converting new members across association clients.
• Own and manage membership sales pipelines, consistently meeting recruitment and revenue goals.
• Conduct outbound prospecting through phone, email, LinkedIn, referrals, conferences, and other lead generation strategies.
• Execute consultative sales conversations that communicate the value of membership and recommend best options.
• Develop and maintain relationships with prospective, current, and lapsed members throughout the lifecycle.
• Collaborate with client team, marketing, and operations to execute recruitment and retention campaigns.
• Provide input on new membership recruitment strategies and referral programs to drive growth.
• Utilize CRM tools to manage opportunities, forecast revenue, document activity, and maintain pipeline reporting.

Skills

Membership sales

Lead generation

Prospecting

Relationship building

Sales forecasting

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Salesforce

CRM platforms

Microsoft Office

Job description

Smithbucklin, a 650-person, employee-owned professional services company with more than 70 years of success serving the association market, with primary offices in Chicago and Washington, D.C., is looking for a Sales Specialist to join our Sales Services Unit in Chicago.

Our sales professionals manage every facet and detail of the sales process to drive growth for our client organizations through the sales of their assets. Our goal is to work closely with a client organization's leaders to identify the proper sales strategies to ensure that the organization has a diversified revenue stream that grows annually. Among our services are sales of exhibits and sponsorships at tradeshows; year-round partner programs; and Advertising (print/electronic advertising; website ads; webinars; podcasts; video; regional conferences; and other products as identified by the organization).

At Smithbucklin, we embody a culture driven by optimism, ambition, expertise, and thoughtfulness, where every team member is empowered to exceed expectations and deliver exceptional results for our clients. Join us in shaping the future of association management, where our values serve as the cornerstone of our success.

• Consistently achieves or exceeds membership sales and recruitment goals
• Passionate about building relationships and helping organizations grow
• Thrives in a consultative sales environment focused on delivering value
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, ensuring an exceptional member experience
• Leverages a proven sales process to generate leads, nurture prospects, and close memberships
• Motivated by solving unique business challenges, and being rewarded for performance[

What You Will Do

• Drive membership growth by identifying, prospecting, and converting new individual and organizational members across association clients
• Own and manage membership sales pipelines, consistently meeting or exceeding recruitment and revenue goals
• Conduct outbound prospecting through phone, email, LinkedIn, referrals, conferences, and other lead generation strategies
• Execute consultative sales conversations that communicate the value of membership and recommend the best membership options
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with prospective, current, and lapsed members throughout the membership lifecycle
• Collaborate with client team, marketing, and membership operations to execute recruitment and retention campaigns
• Provide creative input on new membership recruitment strategies, referral programs, promotional campaigns, and member value propositions to drive growth
• Utilize Salesforce and other CRM tools to manage opportunities, forecast revenue, document activity, and maintain accurate pipeline reporting
• Analyze sales performance and membership trends to identify new business opportunities and improve conversion rates
• Represent client organizations at conferences, webinars, and networking events to promote membership opportunities
• Partner with membership coordinators and support staff to ensure a seamless onboarding experience and outstanding member service

This Role Might Be for You If…

• Passion for consultative sales and relationship building
• Energized by achieving ambitious revenue and membership growth goals
• Proven ability to prospect, generate new business, and expand existing relationships
• Creative, resourceful, and proactive in identifying opportunities to increase membership
• Outstanding communication, presentation, negotiation, and organizational skills
• Ability to thrive in a collaborative team environment while taking ownership of individual sales goals
• Analytical mindset with the ability to leverage data to drive decisions and improve sales performance
• Ability to effectively balance multiple priorities while maintaining exceptional attention to detail

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year institution or equivalent experience
• 3–5 years of experience in membership sales, business development, account management, customer success, association membership, or a related sales role

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency with basic computer programs, including the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Proven success in lead generation, prospecting, and consistently achieving or exceeding sales goals
• Experience selling membership programs, professional services, subscriptions, or other recurring revenue offerings
• Experience engaging executive-level decision makers and cultivating long-term client relationships
• Experience using Salesforce or similar CRM platforms to manage sales pipelines and forecasting
• Experience in selling to independent insurance companies
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Where Do You Fit?

Whether you are just beginning your career or are a mid- or senior-level professional, working at Smithbucklin will offer you countless opportunities to develop transferrable skills, acquire meaningful knowledge and gain rich experiences at an accelerated pace. By working collaboratively with smart, ambitious, multi-talented, genuine and hardworking colleagues, you will build meaningful, deep and enduring relationships that will serve you well throughout your career, regardless of your chosen path. In addition, as a 100 percent employee-owned company, Smithbucklin offers all of our people – regardless of position or compensation – an equal chance to experience the fulfillment and reap the benefits of ownership. As owners, our employees control the destiny of Smithbucklin and are unified in the goal of building a great, enduring company.

Smithbucklin is a hybrid work environment with in-office days established as Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Employees will work a standard 40-hour week, with the possibility of additional hours based on project deadlines.

Smithbucklin considers several factors when determining compensation, including a candidate's recent coursework, training, experience, and certifications, among other considerations. The expected compensation for this role is $60,000–$80,000 in On-Target Earnings (OTE).

At Smithbucklin, Equal Employment Opportunity is our commitment and goal. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, or any other protected status designated by federal, state, or local law. Applicants are encouraged to confidentially self-identify when applying. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a reference and background investigation based on position.

Smithbucklin will not sponsor applicants for work visas and as a precondition of employment, you must be authorized to work in the United States permanently