Industrial Automation Sales Representative (SMC) - Indianapolis, IN

Job Description

Job Description

Industrial Automation Sales Representative – SMC

Location: Indianapolis, IN – Remote sales; must reside within a 75-mile radius of Indianapolis

Schedule: Full-Time, Territory-Based Field Sales; customer appointments and territory activity vary based on customer needs

Salary Range: Negotiable – Competitive base salary plus performance-based variable compensation

Travel: Regular travel throughout the assigned territory

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Industrial Automation Sales Representative to drive territory growth by developing new business, expanding existing customer relationships, reactivating dormant accounts, and converting competitive applications to SMC products.

This opportunity is ideal for a technical sales professional with a strong background in pneumatics, motion control, fluid control, electrical automation, and engineered solutions . You'll leverage your industry expertise and consultative sales approach to identify customer challenges, recommend effective automation solutions, and deliver profitable revenue growth.

Working remotely within the Indianapolis market, you'll manage an assigned sales territory with support from application engineers, product specialists, and customer service teams. This role offers the opportunity to develop long-term customer partnerships while representing a recognized industrial automation product line.

What You'll Do

• Develop and execute territory sales strategies to achieve revenue, gross-margin, product-growth, and account-development objectives.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities through prospecting, customer visits, referrals, networking, and targeted account development.
• Expand SMC product penetration within existing accounts by identifying additional applications, equipment, facilities, departments, and decision-makers.
• Reactivate dormant accounts and recover business from competing industrial automation suppliers.
• Identify competitive-conversion opportunities based on product performance, reliability, energy efficiency, lead times, total cost of ownership, and overall application value.
• Build strategic account plans that identify key decision-makers, opportunity values, timelines, and actionable next steps.
• Manage the complete sales cycle, including prospecting, qualification, technical discovery, solution development, quotations, negotiations, closing, implementation, and follow-up.
• Meet or exceed established sales quotas and performance objectives.
• Conduct consultative discussions with maintenance, engineering, operations, procurement, and executive stakeholders to understand technical and commercial requirements.
• Apply technical knowledge of pneumatic components, motion control, fluid control, electrical automation, and sensing technologies to recommend appropriate solutions.
• Collaborate with application engineers, product specialists, and other technical resources on complex applications, product selection, demonstrations, proof-of-concept activities, and engineered solutions.
• Develop compelling technical presentations and value propositions demonstrating measurable operational and financial benefits.
• Support product launches, customer training, plant surveys, energy-efficiency initiatives, and application-conversion programs.
• Maintain current knowledge of SMC products, industrial automation technologies, competitive solutions, industry trends, and customer applications.
• Maintain accurate customer records, sales activities, quotations, opportunities, and forecasts using Selltis or the designated CRM platform.
• Track opportunity stages, customer interactions, expected close dates, revenue potential, gross-margin opportunities, and follow-up activities.
• Participate in pipeline reviews, territory planning, sales coaching, forecasting, and business-development meetings.
• Analyze territory performance and customer data to identify untapped opportunities, declining accounts, cross-selling potential, and areas requiring corrective action.
• Complete required customer calls, visits, reporting, and administrative activities in accordance with company expectations.
• Build lasting relationships with customers while delivering responsive, knowledgeable, and professional service.
• Coordinate with customer service, operations, supply chain, engineering, finance, and leadership to support quotations, product availability, implementation, issue resolution, and customer retention.
• Communicate market trends, competitive intelligence, customer needs, pricing considerations, and product opportunities to internal stakeholders.
• Follow established pricing, contract, account-ownership, crediting, confidentiality, and approval procedures.
• Represent the organization professionally at customer facilities, industry events, trade shows, training sessions, and partner meetings.

What You Bring

• Professional sales experience with pneumatic products and industrial automation applications is required.
• Proven success generating sales growth through new-account acquisition, competitive conversions, dormant-account recovery, or expansion of existing customer relationships.
• Working knowledge of pneumatics, motion control, fluid control, electrical automation, sensing technologies, and related industrial automation products .
• Ability to discuss technical applications confidently and collaborate with engineers or technical specialists when additional expertise is needed.
• Experience managing an assigned geographic sales territory, customer portfolio, sales pipeline, or comparable book of business.
• Demonstrated ability to prospect, conduct productive customer visits, develop opportunities, negotiate, and close sales.
• Experience using CRM platforms to manage customer activity, opportunities, sales forecasts, and pipeline reporting.
• Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, relationship-building, organizational, and time-management skills.
• Self-motivated approach with the ability to work independently while collaborating with sales, engineering, and operational teams.
• Ability to travel regularly throughout the assigned territory and meet customer-site access and safety requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, engineering technology, industrial distribution, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• Certified Fluid Power Pneumatics Specialist (CFPPS) certification.
• Established customer relationships within the Indianapolis territory or relevant industrial markets.
• Experience selling through or alongside industrial distributors, automation integrators, machine builders, OEMs, or manufacturers.
• Experience using Selltis or a comparable sales-focused CRM platform.
• Background selling engineered solutions alongside application specialists, controls engineers, or other technical professionals.

What's Offered

• Competitive base salary plus performance-based variable compensation.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage.
• Life insurance benefits.
• Wellness discount program and safety shoes/glasses stipend.
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match of 50% up to 6%.
• Paid time off (PTO).
• Tuition assistance and ongoing professional development opportunities.
• Product training, technical resources, and opportunities for career advancement.
• Dedicated support from application engineers, product specialists, and customer service professionals.
• Vehicle reimbursement program to support territory-based sales activities.
• Opportunity to represent SMC products while building lasting customer relationships in the industrial automation market.