National Sales Manager

The National Sales Manager – HVAC Distribution is responsible for driving national sales growth through HVAC wholesale distributors, dealer networks, and strategic channel partners. This leadership role develops and executes sales strategies to increase market share, strengthen distributor relationships, expand product penetration, and maximize revenue across commercial and residential HVAC markets.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience working with HVAC distributors, independent reps, contractors, and dealer programs, along with a proven track record of leading high-performing sales teams and achieving aggressive growth targets.

Key Responsibilities

Sales Strategy & Growth

• Develop and execute national sales strategies focused on HVAC distribution channels.
• Create annual business plans, sales forecasts, and growth initiatives to achieve revenue and profitability goals.
• Identify market opportunities, emerging trends, and competitive threats within the HVAC industry.
• Drive new business development through distributor expansion and market penetration programs.

Distributor Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with national, regional, and independent HVAC distributors.
• Develop strategic growth plans with key distributor partners.
• Conduct regular business reviews to evaluate sales performance, inventory levels, market opportunities, and joint initiatives.
• Support distributors with product training, sales programs, marketing initiatives, and business development strategies.
• Negotiate pricing agreements, rebates, annual contracts, and channel programs.

Sales Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop Regional Sales Managers, Territory Managers, and Manufacturer Representative organizations.
• Establish sales goals and performance metrics for direct and indirect sales teams.
• Conduct regular coaching, performance reviews, and talent development planning.
• Foster a culture of accountability, customer focus, and continuous improvement.

Dealer & Contractor Development

• Support distributor efforts to recruit, retain, and grow HVAC dealer and contractor relationships.
• Develop programs that increase contractor engagement, product adoption, and customer loyalty.
• Participate in contractor meetings, distributor events, trade shows, and industry conferences.

Market Development

• Increase market share through targeted growth initiatives and strategic account development.
• Identify opportunities for product line expansion within existing distributor accounts.
• Work closely with product management and marketing teams to execute demand-generation campaigns.
• Gather market intelligence and customer feedback to support product development and strategic planning.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Operations, Customer Service, Marketing, Finance, and Product Management to improve customer satisfaction and business performance.
• Support inventory planning and forecasting activities with distributor partners.
• Assist in resolving escalated customer, distributor, and operational issues.

Reporting & Analytics

• Maintain accurate sales forecasts and pipeline reporting.
• Monitor distributor sales performance, inventory movement, and market trends.
• Utilize CRM systems and sales analytics tools to identify opportunities and optimize sales effectiveness.
• Present business updates and strategic recommendations to executive leadership.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, or related field preferred.
• MBA is a plus.

Experience

• 8+ years of progressive sales leadership experience in the HVAC industry.
• Minimum 5 years managing HVAC distributor channels at a regional or national level.
• Proven experience working with wholesale HVAC distributors, dealer networks, and contractor relationships.
• Demonstrated success achieving and exceeding sales growth objectives.
• Experience managing multi-state or national territories.

Preferred Experience

• Experience working for an HVAC manufacturer.
• Strong relationships with major HVAC distributors and channel partners.
• Knowledge of residential, commercial, and light industrial HVAC systems.
• Experience with dealer development programs and distributor sales initiatives.
• Familiarity with CRM platforms such as Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, or HubSpot.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Sales Planning
• Channel Distribution Management
• Distributor Development
• Contract Negotiation
• Leadership & Team Development
• Forecasting & Financial Analysis
• Relationship Management
• Customer-Centric Selling
• Communication & Presentation Skills
• Business Development

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Revenue and profit growth.
• Distributor sales growth.
• Market share expansion.
• New distributor and dealer acquisition.
• Contractor engagement and retention.
• Forecast accuracy.
• Sales team performance.
• Customer satisfaction and account retention.

Travel Requirements

• Ability to travel nationwide up to 60%.
• Attendance at distributor meetings, customer visits, industry events, and trade shows.