Sales Representative - B2B Manufacturing Company

Sales Representative

Client: Japanese B2B Manufacturing Company

Work Location: Cincinnati, OH 45242

Work Style: Hybrid (On-site during training period)

Employment Type: Permanent / Full-time

Salary: DOE (Base $50,000–$70,000+) + Full Benefits

Language Requirement: English

Business Travel: Occasional

Position Overview: Although classified as Inside Sales, this role goes far beyond basic appointment setting or scripts. You will engage marketing-generated leads in meaningful conversations to uncover real customer needs and improve the quality of sales opportunities. Over time, you will also help define sales approaches and best practices, making this a key front-line role within the sales organization.

Key Responsibilities:

• Respond to inbound and outbound leads on the same business day
• Follow up and nurture marketing-generated leads, including early-stage or low-intent leads
• Conduct customer discovery and needs assessment (industry, application, equipment scale, objectives, budget, location, etc.)
• Identify underlying challenges and context beyond surface-level requests
• Evaluate product fit (Dry Fog humidification systems, nozzles, etc.)
• Filter out low-probability opportunities appropriately
• Convert Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) to Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs)
• Hand off leads to Field Sales with organized context, discussion points, and customer expectations
• Enable Field Sales to focus on high-value activities
• Manage and close small or standardized transactions (nozzles, simple systems, replacement parts)
• Prepare quotations and handle order processing
• Manage leads, opportunities, and tasks using Salesforce
• Track progress through the sales funnel: Lead → MQL → SQL → Opportunity
• Contribute to improving lead quality and conversion rates
• Work closely with Marketing to improve lead quality
• Support trade shows and industry events (approx. quarterly)
• Accompany Field Sales during initial training and short-term business trips as needed

What We Expect from This Role:

Uncover hidden customer challenges, not just respond to explicit requests

Prioritize understanding over selling to build a strong foundation for proposals

Experiment and iterate, even when the "right answer" is unclear

Serve as a catalyst for future sales style and process transformation

Ideal Candidate Profile:

Skills:

• Strong customer discovery and interview skills
• Ability to organize and clearly articulate customer issues
• Effective communication via phone and online meetings
• Fundamental sales skills (lead management, opportunity creation, pipeline management)
• Strong collaboration with marketing and sales teams

Mindset:

• Proactive and self-driven
• Customer problem–oriented thinking, not product-focused
• Flexible and willing to experiment in uncertain situations
• Motivated to learn new sales approaches and methodologies

Culture Fit:

• Positive attitude toward sharing information within the team
• Open to new methods and not overly attached to past practices
• Interested in building scalable sales processes
• Aligned with Sales Handbook principles

Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience in Inside Sales, Sales Support, Customer Success, or similar roles
• Experience using CRM tools such as Salesforce (preferred)
• Willingness to develop technical knowledge of industrial/B2B products
• Business-level English communication skills (reading, writing, speaking)
• Ability to travel as needed (trade shows, training, accompanying Field Sales)