Regional Sales Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Job Title: Regional Sales Manager

Department: Methods Automation – Sales

Methods Machine Tools was established in 1958 with three employees and a handful of refurbished machines. Since then, the company has become one of the largest privately owned machine tool importers in North America.

Position Summary

The Regional Sales Manager is responsible for driving revenue growth through a strong and strategic teamwork with machine tool salespeople and dealer networks, developing strategic customer relationships, and expanding market share within an assigned geographic territory. This role focuses on identifying, developing, and closing opportunities for robotic automation systems, with a primary emphasis on CNC machine tending solutions for manufacturers across industries such as aerospace, automotive, medical device, defense, energy, and general industrial manufacturing.

The successful candidate will possess a strong understanding of manufacturing operations, CNC machining environments, industrial automation, and consultative solution selling. The Regional Sales Manager serves as a trusted advisor, helping customers improve productivity, increase machine utilization, reduce labor challenges, enhance quality, and achieve measurable return on investment through automation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Business Development

• Develop, mentor and nurture machine tool sales relationships to drive automation adoption as well as revenue and gross profit targets.
• Develop and execute a territory sales strategy aligned with company growth objectives.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities within targeted manufacturing accounts.
• Generate and qualify leads through prospecting, networking, referrals, trade shows, and industry events.
• Build and maintain a robust sales pipeline capable of meeting or exceeding annual sales targets.
• Develop relationships with key decision-makers, including plant managers, operations managers, manufacturing engineers, continuous improvement leaders, and executive leadership.
• Monitor market conditions, competitive activity, and emerging automation trends.

Consultative Selling

• Work strategically and collaboratively with machine tool sales engineers to educate, mentor, and train on a team winning strategy.
• Conduct customer site visits to evaluate manufacturing processes and automation opportunities.
• Identify labor-intensive, repetitive, and bottleneck operations suitable for robotic machine tending solutions.
• Understand customer business objectives and develop automation recommendations that align with operational goals.
• Present technical and financial value propositions include productivity gains, labor savings, quality improvements, and ROI.
• Serve as the primary customer contact throughout the sales cycle.

Solution Development

• Collaborate with Application Engineering, Project Management, and Engineering teams to develop customer solutions.
• Assist in defining project scope, requirements, assumptions, and performance expectations.
• Participate in concept development, system reviews, and solution presentations.
• Ensure proposed solutions meet customer requirements while maintaining profitability objectives.
• Support preparation of technical proposals, quotations, and commercial agreements.

Account Management

• Develop long-term relationships with strategic customers and key accounts.
• Maintain regular communication with customers regarding project opportunities and business objectives.
• Identify opportunities for repeat business, system upgrades, and additional automation investments.
• Conduct quarterly business reviews with major customers.
• Support customer satisfaction initiatives and issue resolution efforts.

Sales Forecasting and Reporting

• Maintain accurate CRM records and sales activity documentation.
• Develop and manage sales forecasts for assigned territory.
• Provide regular updates regarding opportunities, risks, competitive activity, and market conditions.
• Track pipeline performance and revenue projections.
• Participate in sales meetings, business reviews, and strategic planning sessions.

Industry Representation

• Represent the company at trade shows, automation expos, technical conferences, and industry events.
• Promote company capabilities and establish strong brand recognition within manufacturing markets.
• Serve as an industry resource regarding automation, robotics, and CNC machine tending best practices.
• Develop partnerships with machine tool builders, distributors, and manufacturing organizations.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Manufacturing Technology, Industrial Technology, or a related field preferred.
• Equivalent combination of education and industrial sales experience will be considered.

Experience

• 5+ years of successful sales experience in industrial automation, robotics, machine tools, manufacturing equipment, or related technical industries.
• Proven record of meeting or exceeding sales quota objectives.
• Experience selling capital equipment, automation systems, or manufacturing solutions.
• Experience working with CNC machining operations or manufacturing production environments preferred.

Technical Knowledge

• Understanding of manufacturing processes and production operations.
• Familiarity with CNC machining and machine tool applications.
• Knowledge of industrial robotics and factory automation technologies.
• Ability to understand and communicate technical concepts and system capabilities.
• Proficiency with CRM systems and Microsoft Office applications.
• Previous experience selling robotic automation solutions is preferred.
• Understanding of industrial controls, vision systems, and manufacturing software.
• Knowledge of machine tending applications, palletizing, material handling, and flexible automation systems.
• Familiarity with ROI calculations and business case development for capital equipment projects.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong consultative selling and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation abilities.
• Strong negotiation and closing skills.
• Ability to engage in executive leadership as well as technical stakeholders.
• Strategic thinking and territory management expertise.
• Strong business acumen and financial understanding.
• Ability to identify customer pain points and develop value-driven solutions.
• Self-motivated with a high level of initiative and accountability.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple opportunities and priorities simultaneously.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Annual sales revenue attainment.
• Gross margin performance.
• New customer acquisition.
• Sales pipeline growth.
• Opportunity conversion rate.
• Proposal-to-order win rate.
• Territory market share growth.
• Strategic account growth.
• Customer satisfaction and retention.
• Forecast accuracy.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk in production environments for extended periods.
• Occasional lifting of demonstration equipment or marketing materials up to 25 pounds.

Travel Requirements

• Expected travel of approximately 50% within the assigned region.
• Occasional overnight travel for customer visits, trade shows, training, and company meetings.
• Ability to travel extensively within assigned territory.
• Ability to visit manufacturing plants and industrial facilities.

Compensation Structure

Competitive base salary plus performance-based commission

Vehicle allowance plus fuel reimbursement

Health, dental, and vision benefits.

401(k) with company match.

Paid vacation and holidays.

Professional development and training opportunities.

Success Profile

The ideal Regional Sales Manager is a driven hunter with a strong manufacturing background who can effectively engage customers at every level—from machine operators and manufacturing engineers to plant managers and executive leadership. They are passionate about helping manufacturers solve labor shortages, increase machine utilization, and improve operational performance through innovative robotic CNC machine tending solutions. Their ability to build trusted relationships, uncover opportunities, and deliver measurable business value makes them a key contributor to the company's growth and success.

Additional Information

This job description is designed to provide an overview of basic skills, experiences and education required to perform the job and is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee to perform the essential functions of the job. In instances where educational degrees are required, the company will take into consideration factors such as additional experience, training, or certifications in lieu of specific educational requirements .

Methods Machine is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. 

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