CONTROL & AUTOMATION SPECIALIST

COMPETITIVE PAY

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

Responsible for supporting the sales efforts of the company for control and automation related product lines.  The specialist’s primary responsibility is to support sales growth.  They achieve this by making sales calls, participating in sales planning, providing application problem solving, customer technical support, customer training, in-house training, and marketing support.

1. Direct sales-based activities:

   • Joint and individual calls with outside salespeople to introduce new products.
   • Presentations to groups of customers to describe technical features.
   • Can break-down complex technology into simple words or simple terms.
   • Needs evaluation in order to develop “customized solutions” for the customer’s application.
   • Assist salespeople in identifying high-potential target customers as well as opportunities with current customers.
   • Regularly visit select target customers to support existing projects and discuss new opportunities.

2. Customer technical support:

   • Provide customer-based product training or seminars.
   • Assist customers with needs and application analysis.
   • Assist customers in trouble shooting activities.
   • Act as “front line” support for customer calls and emails regarding technical issues.
   • Build bills of material for technical applications.

3. Internal technical support:

   • Answer product and applications questions from inside and outside salespeople.
   • Develop and conduct product training classes for inside and outside salespeople.
   • Keep abreast of new standards and applicable government regulations.

4. Vendor interaction:

   • Attend vendor planning/review/targeting meetings.
   • Coordinate sales and technical support activities with local vendor team.
   • Identify vendor specific training opportunities.
   • Provide information to management team for vendor rating meetings as needed.
   • Assist in negotiating special pricing on sample and demos.
   • Attend manufacturer and industry led technology updates as needed.

5. Other Responsibilities

   • Assist marketing in developing the appropriate marketing materials for sale brochures, events and other promotions.
   • Review all inventory slated for scrapping for potential salability or use as demo equipment.
   • Conduct control and automation stock reviews with appropriate Viking product managers.
   • Manage catalog and support materials for sales activities.
   • Complete required continuing education.

Required Skills

• Good listening and writing skills
• Strong presentation skills (groups & 1-on-1)
• Coaching and some management skills
• Very strong computer skills
• Understands product features, applications and problem solving  
• Understands competitive positioning, market level prices, product mixes
• Manages some areas of the vendor relationship
• Seeks out new technologies and recruits suppliers
• Manages Demo and Sample budget for technology group.

Required Experience

2+ years of industrial control application experience preferred.

• Good listening and writing skills
• Strong presentation skills (groups & 1-on-1)
• Coaching and some management skills
• Very strong computer skills
• Understands product features, applications and problem solving  
• Understands competitive positioning, market level prices, product mixes
• Manages some areas of the vendor relationship
• Seeks out new technologies and recruits suppliers
• Manages Demo and Sample budget for technology group.