The posting
Business Title: Sales Director – OEM Trailer & Body Builder Reports to: VP of Sales & Marketing Leadership Scope: Individual Leader Company Info: With a heritage of nearly 120 years, we aren’t just a company; we are a brand of trust. But more than anything, we are a collection of individuals who, together, give Grote Industries a decisive competitive advantage. At Grote, our shared vision is clear – to meet the needs of the customers we serve. We accomplish that mission every day by following a set of core values that makes us who we are. Innovation has been the hallmark of Grote Industries from the start. From durable, easy to see stop lights to the latest in LED lighting technology, Grote has been leading the way in advanced vehicle system solutions from early in the last century right up to today. With these innovations, Grote has helped millions of people throughout North America and the world benefit from the innovation and design excellence of Grote products. Position Summary: The Sales Director for OEM Trailer and Body Builder divisions serves as the leader responsible for setting the sales strategy and driving results in their assigned markets. Reporting directly to the VP of Sales and Marketing, this role is responsible for leading a team of direct and agent sales professionals, that drive revenue, margin, and market share growth. This role is responsible for the developing and managing the systems within their division(s) that ensure organizational, team, and customer experience goals are met. Directly interacts with partners and strategic customers to cultivate key opportunities and understand the voice-of-customer so it can be translated into Grote. Serving on the Grote Sales Leadership Team, this role works directly with other sales leaders, marketing, product and business development, operations, and executive team members to drive results. Position Duties: - Team Leadership: Directs, develops, recruits, and coaches the direct and agency sales team in order to create and foster a high performing team environment and a culture that generates results and delivers a best-in-class customer experience. - Generates Results: Prioritizes and directs the activities that achieve sales, margin, program wins, and KPI goals. - Strategic Planning: Develop and execute market, pricing, and product strategies that position Grote to grow revenue, margin, and market share. Skilled at managing activities using an opportunity pipeline to link strategy to results. - Sales Processes: Establishes and oversees the processes used within the division(s) that deliver high quality and repeatable success, delivers a high level of customer satisfaction, and fosters continuous improvement of the selling process. - Customer Interaction: Engages directly with partner and strategic customers, and key prospects to understand customer needs, ensure a positive customer relationship, and develop business opportunities. Represents Grote at trade shows and industry events. - Cross-Functional Collaboration: Works as an integral part of the Sales Leadership Team to coordinate activities that span selling functions across Grote business units. Injects the voice of customer into department initiatives and processes. - Financial Management: Accountable for driving P+L level results of assigned areas. Analyze and direct activities based on financial statements, project evaluations, and capable of building analysis tools to evaluate proposals and business situations. - Budget Management: Establishes and maintains oversight of the selling expense budget for division resources and ensures lean and impactful allocation of resources. - Communication: Oversees and manages clear and concise communication from the sales team and market into the organization at a functional and executive level. - Supervision: Directs the activities of assigned personnel in accordance with company policies. Requirements: The ideal candidate will possess a bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a technical discipline related to the assigned markets. An MBA or other relevant master's degree is preferred and considered a plus. Candidates should also have direct experience working with original equipment manufacturers in the trailer and truck body markets along with at least 10 years of progressive sales management experience, including a minimum of three years leading multiple sales territories, managing direct reports, and/or overseeing independent sales agency relationships. A strong understanding of the assigned markets is essential, along with an established network of customer and industry relationships that supports business growth and strategic market development. The successful candidate will also have experience using customer relationship management (CRM) platforms—such as Oracle CX, Salesforce, or similar systems—to effectively manage customer relationships, sales pipelines, marketing campaigns, account activities, and sales team performance. Proficiency in leveraging CRM tools to drive data-informed sales strategies and improve customer engagement is highly valued. Travel: Extensive. 50% - 90% depending on required activities.
