Sauder Manufacturing was founded in 1945 as a Church furniture Company. We have a rich history in crafting solid wood into beautiful, enduring, quality furniture and today that is blended with modern technology and a strong customer focus.
Sauder Manufacturing Co. sells in four strategic markets: Healthcare Furniture for Acute Care Hospitals, Education Furniture for colleges and universities, Worship furniture for churches, synagogues, courthouses and furniture for human services markets which is a diverse network of agencies providing residential housing to many individuals. At Sauder Manufacturing, how do we do our work----new technology, new products and new ideas----changes constantly---but our values----how we treat our customers, suppliers and each other----never change.
Position Summary: The Business Development Specialist supports sales leadership, customer service, and Territory Managers in driving market growth across assigned territories. This role is responsible for coordinating business development initiatives, supporting sales rep development and ensuring consistency in sales tools, processes and territory transitions: Key responsibilities include; delivering product and sales training (new hires and in-field), supporting adoption of sales tools, managing open territory contracts and projects to support a seamless territory transition.
Sales Rep Development
- Facilitate sales and product training for internal staff and new reps
- Field visits to reps for training or account development assistance
- Perform in-field product evals for existing and potential customers
- Update and maintain sales tools and resources
- Account database management for transitioning territories; such as contacts, open quotes and order and deliveries and installs
- Cover open territories opportunistically by quoting opportunities, traveling as needed for sales calls, product evals, inside deliveries, and ensuring smooth transitioning to the new Territory Manager
Quoting
- Support Quoting questions as needed
- Review key quotes against competition
- Collect and disseminate competitive information
- Provide training and support for new quoting tools
- Quote opportunities for open territories
Additional Responsibilities:
Field and Event Support:
- Execute delivery and setup of mock-ups and shows (5-8 events per year)
- Support the warranty team as needed with in-field repairs and evaluation
Sales Operations and Support:
- Assist in execution of sales meetings
- Collect and summarize feedback from surveys or forms
- Assist with product selection for RFPs and bids
- Assist reps and customer service with technical phone support on product questions
- Be the go-to for Infor CRM Sales Support
- Work with customer service to collect incomplete order information
- Support customer service as needed to facilitate order placement and fulfillment
Product and Marketing Support:
- Support product managers during product launches
- Assist in research for new product development
- Assist Marketing with lead generation and execution
- Partner with Customer Service, Marketing and Logistics to execute the in-stock sample program
- Update spec sheets for mock-ups and bids, per engineering and marketing’s direction
Experience and Knowledge Required
- Bachelor’s degree in business or related field, or equivalent experience
- 2–4 years of experience, preferably in field sales or a sales support role with exposure to customer buying processes and competitive landscape
- Knowledge of Sauder Education product and the higher education market preferred
- Aptitude for understanding and effectively communicating furniture construction techniques
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with CRM systems
- Strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills
- Analytical mindset with solid business and math skills
- Ability to travel up to 35% (3–4 days at a time)
- Ability to obtain forklift certification
Key Attributes Required:
- Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables
- Ability to solve problems in stressful situations
- Strong attention to details
- Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form
- Self-starting, goal-oriented individual who takes personal accountability for performance
- Communicates effectively in both oral and written forms
- Individual will need to demonstrate previous success in excellent organizational, facilitation, and communication skills
- Computer skills to help with communication and quoting
- Ability to organize information to be support territory, project, and account management
Physical Demands:
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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear and frequently required to walk and sit as well as lift heavy furniture items, occasionally exceeding 80 lbs. Use of hands and fingers will be required for writing, computer use, and phone use. Work in a manner consistent with standard Sauder safety practices and expectations. The employee will also be required to walk throughout the plant at various times during a typical day. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Encompasses the full spectrum from the factory floor, to personal offices, to executive boardrooms to end user meeting rooms and delivery sites. The noise levels in these work environments are usually low to moderate. Personal protective equipment such as eye protection and ear protection may be required in the shop floor environment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While traveling for work it is expected to operate under the standard Sauder safety practices.
Sauder Manufacturing Co. is an equal opportunity employer and gives equal consideration for employment to all qualified applicants.- Medical, prescription, dental for one premium
- Vision
- Company contribution towards Health Savings Account (HSA) with HDHP
- 10 paid holidays per year
- 3 weeks paid vacation from weekly accrual
- 401(k) match and profit sharing plan
- Disability coverage
- Life insurance
- Pay for performance increases
- Tuition reimbursement
- Advancement opportunity
- Sauder Village membership
- Employee referral bonus
- And a sweet furniture discount!
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in business or a related field, or equivalent experience
- 2–4 years of experience, preferably in field sales or sales support
- Knowledge of Sauder Education products and the higher education market
- Ability to understand and communicate furniture construction techniques
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office
- Experience with CRM systems
- Strong communication, interpersonal, organizational, facilitation, and problem-solving skills
- Analytical mindset with solid business and math skills
- Ability to travel up to 35%
- Ability to obtain forklift certification
- Strong attention to detail and ability to organize territory, project, and account information
- Ability to lift heavy furniture items, occasionally exceeding 80 pounds
What We Do
Sauder Manufacturing Co. designs and manufactures quality contract furniture, combining solid-wood craftsmanship with modern technology and a customer-focused approach. Founded as a church-furniture company, it serves four key markets: healthcare, higher education, worship, and human services, with products for acute-care hospitals, colleges and universities, religious institutions, courthouses, and human-services organizations. Its portfolio spans these specialized environments through several distinct brands.
