Sales Development Specialist

Position type: Full-time, on-site in Athens, GA About Athens Bioscience At Athens Bioscience, the proteins we make help move healthcare forward. Our customers use them to develop diagnostic tests, manufacture biologic medicines, and run the research that becomes tomorrow's standard of care. Founded in 1985 in Athens, Georgia, we manufacture 170+ native human and animal proteins entirely in-house. The catalog spans serum proteins, blood fractions, enzymes, and immunoglobulins, with the lot-to-lot characterization that diagnostic and cell-culture customers require. Our Athens Pure™ Immunogen Grade line sets a quality benchmark for the industry, and our products have supported more than 2,700 peer-reviewed publications. IVD manufacturers, cell culture media producers, and research institutions around the world rely on what we ship from Athens. The Role The Sales Development Specialist creates the top of the sales funnel. The role prospects new accounts, works the phone and email at high volume, follows up on every lead that comes in through the website, content marketing, webinars, and trade shows, qualifies those leads, and hands the qualified ones to the Director of Sales and Business Development to close. Reporting to the Director of Sales and Business Development, the role is measured on activity volume, qualified opportunities created, and pipeline contribution, and keeps every interaction current in HubSpot. No prior experience with proteins or antigens is required. We will teach the science; you bring the discipline to pick up the phone forty times a day. Core Responsibilities Identify and prospect high-potential target accounts — IVD manufacturers, cell culture media producers, and biotech and academic research laboratories — using HubSpot, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, publication and grant databases, and industry research. Build and maintain target lists by application area and protein category and keep them current. Reconnect with lapsed and one‑time buyers to identify repeat demand. Make 40 or more outbound calls a day, supported by personalized email sequences and social selling. Reach the people who decide: laboratory directors, R&D and assay development managers, product development leads, and procurement. Follow up on every inbound lead from the website, content marketing, webinars, and trade shows within one business day. Meet defined targets for calls, emails, qualified opportunities, and pipeline created. Qualify Leads and Set Meetings Assess each prospect's application, protein of interest, volume, timeline, budget, and decision process to determine fit. Schedule qualified introductory calls and technical discussions for the Account Manager. Hand off with a written summary of what the customer needs, and stay with the account until the meeting takes place. Keep HubSpot Current Maintain accurate customer, contact, and opportunity records in HubSpot daily. Log every call, email, and lead disposition the day it happens. Support pipeline reporting, KPIs, and sales metrics. Partner with Marketing on campaigns, and report back on which content, lists, and messages produce conversations. Pass order, shipping, pricing, and invoicing questions to Customer Service and Order Processing. Represent Athens at trade shows, customer meetings, and company events. Qualifications Required Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, communications, biology, life sciences, or a related field; equivalent practical experience considered. Interest in life science and the ability to learn technical product information quickly. No prior experience with proteins, antigens, or reagents is required. One to two years in a sales role, with outbound calling experience required. A record of sustained call volume and of handling rejection without losing momentum. Familiarity with Hubspot CRM, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and email automation tools. Exceptional verbal and written communication, with the ability to build rapport quickly by phone; highly organized with close attention to detail. Self‑motivated, with sound problem‑solving skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities. Preferred Comfort communicating with scientific researchers, purchasing professionals, and distributors. Experience selling into laboratories, diagnostics, or life science research. On‑site at our Athens, Georgia facility; hybrid considered for the right candidate. Desk‑ and phone‑based, with occasional travel to trade shows and customer meetings. Collaborative environment working across Sales and Production. Athens Bioscience is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. #J-18808-Ljbffr