Business Development Manager - Southeast Region

Build the future of independent retail.

As a Business Development Manager at Emery Jensen, you'll play a critical role in expanding our footprint across the Northeast by winning and converting high-value Pro Lumber, Paint, and Hardware customers. This is a true hunter role for a relationship-driven sales professional who thrives on opening doors, closing full conversions, and building long-term, profitable partnerships. You'll focus on full-conversion opportunities , positioning Emery Jensen as the primary distributor and shaping the customer's long-term success from day one.

We currently have (1) opening and ideally, we are targeting candidates who live in close proximity to Albany, New York, Portland, ME and Providence, RI.

The Job

As the Business Development Manager (BDM) for New England, you will be responsible for finding and signing new high-value customers for Emery Jensen across our key customer channels: Pro Lumber, Pro Paint and Hardware Stores/Home Centers. This position identifies prospects, develops a pipeline, determines the needs of specific prospects and shares the Emery Jensen value proposition to meet those needs.

The Business Development Manager is an ambassador for Emery Jensen, developing relationships with industry organizations, vendor partners, and prospective customers. This position will also work closely with the Emery Jensen sales team, helping new customers transition to their Territory Managers during the early months after signing customers.

What you will do…

The BDM will have responsibilities for the account throughout the full 12 month sales cycle and will need to communicate effectively with the local Territory Manager to insure the growth of the account to its full potential over this period. The focus of the BDM will be on full-conversion opportunities in which Emery-Jensen will become the primary distributor of hardware, paint and/or fastener products to the prospective retailer.

• Increase top-line sales for Emery-Jensen Distribution but will also be required to target prospective customers and develop a sales approach with company profitability in mind as well. Understanding the return on investment, customer life time value and the basic fundamentals of Emery-Jensen's financial model will be critical in successfully targeting and signing new business
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of the 'levers' that create a profitable customer relationship and develop sales approach around optimizing these 'levers'.
• Actively research, pursue and open prospective customers within defined sales channels by clearly articulating and executing on the Emery-Jensen value proposition.
• Maintain a weekly prospect pipeline with measurable results.
• Present Pre/Post Call plan showing measurable and manageable improvement towards conversion of customer:
• Pre-Call: Decision Maker, Business focus, competition, what needs to be accomplished
• Post-Call: Opportunity, plan for solution, ROI on customer conversion, customer life time value
• Utilize EJD marketing and merchandising material/initiatives to strategically present solutions to prospective customers.
• Participate in national industry organizations; NRLA, NLBMDA, etc.; attend industry events (shows, roundtables, etc.) with an established approach/communication plan aimed at signing prospective customers; proactive build relationships with field sales teams from national partners: LMC, LBMA, Ben Moore.
• Actively communicate with Territory Managers and develop a plan for transition of newly opened accounts over to appropriate Territory Manager.
• Manage expenses relating to travel, meetings, membership to organizations and conversion resources in accordance with overall expense budgets set by Emery-Jensen
• Attend industry trade shows with a 'show plan' to further business development efforts

What you need to succeed…

• College degree or equivalent required.
• Minimum of 3 years in new business development or territory manager position.
• Comfortability with cold calling and a track record for success.
• Knowledge/experience in the hard-lines industry preferred.
• Existing book of business highly preferred.
• Intermediate experience with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Business Intelligence system, CRM tools
• Travel 60-75% of the time, and should reside in one of the following areas listed above.
• Preferred residence: Atlanta, GA, Charlotte, NC, within close proximity to a major airport.