Customer Specialist

Richmond, VA About Kendall Group Merlo Energy, a member of The Kendall Group seeks a talented, creative, self-motivated individual for a Customer Specialist. The Kendall Group is comprised of eight divisions with 75+ locations in eleven states. Combined, we serve the Electrical, Automation, Pipe, Valve, and Fittings products, Steam, Lighting, Industrial Controls, and Instrumentation Industries. The Kendall Group is a 100% employee-owned company. Kendall offers a great opportunity for a rewarding career.

Why The Kendall Group?

Our employee ownership model is the core of who we are. You will not only own part of the company, but you will own your future. At Kendall, you’ll have opportunities to learn and grow while being coached and mentored along the way. We’re that company where people stay! We’re proud to say that more than 60% of our associates have more than 5 years of tenure, and more than 40% have greater than 10 years. At Kendall, you will be valued and supported, your ideas will be heard, your voice will matter, and you’ll work alongside incredible people who care about your success.

Role Summary:

Reporting to the Sales Manager, the Customer Specialist is a key member of the Merlo Sales team. The person in this role is responsible for establishing and nurturing relationships with distributors, engineers, and end users. This role involves promoting products or services, understanding client needs, and collaborating with internal teams to meet sales targets. Effective communication, market analysis, and strategic planning are crucial to drive business growth and ensure customer satisfaction.

Exciting work you will do:

The essential duties and responsibilities of the Customer Specialist will consist of, but are not limited to, the following:

- Generate profitable orders and meet or exceed the annual sales targets

- Create and implement sales strategies for development of the territory assigned to you

- Establish a relationship of trust and confidence between Merlo Energy, manufacturers, and customers

- Ensure that field activities, such as customer visits and walk-about surveys, are properly planned, organized, and executed to achieve maximum productivity and effectiveness

- Monitor all quotations generated, ensure that they are professionally followed-up to maximize sales

- For any unconverted quotations, be fully aware of the reasons and therefore recommend the changes required to ensure that future quotations have a higher chance of being converted to orders

- Regularly analyze your field activities, determine the improvements required, thereafter act on them, to bring about a high level of productivity and efficiency

- Continually search for new prospects, to expand your customer base and to fully exploit any sales opportunities within your assigned area

- Develop a full understanding of the customer base allocated to you and to be aware of the market activities and the competition within this segment

- Identify the sales opportunities and work earnestly to convert them into orders

- Continually upgrade oneself through company conducted or company-sponsored training and self-study to maintain a high standard of product knowledge and selling techniques

- Apply the knowledge attained by making technical proposals and highlighting the benefits as well as improvements to plant efficiency to customers and prospects

- Perform other duties as assigned

Competencies you possess:

- Service Excellence

- Results, Action Oriented

- Accountability and Responsibility

- Understanding Others, Listening

- Teamwork and collaboration

- Priority Setting

- Problem Solving

- Time management

What you’ll need:

- Experience: 3 years’ sales experience

- Education: High School diploma or equivalent

- Analytics/Computer Skills: Experience working with MS Office, especially Excel; mechanical aptitude; technical knowledge of institutional systems and applications

- Organization Skills: Highly organized and detail-oriented;

- Cross-functional skills: Ability to work well cross-functionally; provide excellent internal and external customer service; Excellent presentation skills

- Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills; strong negotiating and sales planning skills

- Physical, Mental and Visual Skills: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disability to perform the essential functions.

- Frequent sitting, driving, and getting in and out of a vehicle

- Ability to see/sit/stand/walk/talk and hear

- Ability to be on your feet for 8 hours a day

- Ability to climb stairs and step ladders, bend, stoop, crouch, and kneel

- Physical Environment: Normal office environment ; warehouse, fabrication environment and exposure to moving equipment

- Travel: Willing to travel up to 25%, minimal overnight

- Driver’s License: Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license

Qualifications we prefer but don’t require:

Work Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or business

The Kendall Group is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, military status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law.