District Sales Manager

District Sales Manager

Mechanical Power Transmission | Industrial Gear Reducers & Gearmotors

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced, results-driven District Sales Manager to drive profitable growth through a combination of direct OEM account management and independent distributor/channel partner development. The successful candidate will be responsible for expanding market share, developing strategic customer relationships, identifying new business opportunities, and executing regional sales strategies.

This position requires a strong technical sales background, excellent relationship-building skills, and experience selling industrial gear reducers, gearmotors, power transmission components, or similar industrial products.

Primary Responsibilities

OEM Business Development

• Develop and execute regional sales strategies focused on OEM customers.
• Identify and secure new OEM opportunities in key industrial markets.
• Manage strategic OEM accounts from concept through production.
• Work closely with engineering teams to develop application-specific solutions.
• Lead commercial negotiations including pricing, contracts, and long-term supply agreements.
• Maintain regular contact with engineering, purchasing, operations, and executive management at customer locations.
• Manage project pipelines and forecast future production opportunities.

Channel Partner Management

• Develop and strengthen relationships with industrial distributors and manufacturer representatives.
• Increase distributor engagement through joint sales calls, product training, and business planning.
• Identify and recruit new channel partners where market coverage is insufficient.
• Support distributors with application engineering assistance and competitive conversions.
• Establish annual growth objectives with key partners.
• Monitor distributor inventory, sales performance, and market penetration.

Business Development

• Identify opportunities to convert competitive installed equipment.
• Develop market penetration strategies for key industries including:
• Material Handling
• Food & Beverage
• Packaging
• Aggregate & Mining
• Water & Wastewater
• Metals
• Automotive
• Forestry
• Bulk Material Handling
• General Manufacturing
• Generate new business through prospecting, networking, trade shows, and customer visits.

Customer Relationship Management

• Build long-term strategic relationships with OEM decision makers.
• Become the trusted technical and commercial advisor within assigned accounts.
• Resolve customer issues by coordinating with engineering, customer service, operations, and quality.
• Deliver outstanding customer experience throughout the sales cycle.

Technical Sales Support

• Understand customer applications and recommend appropriate gearbox, gearmotor, and drive solutions.
• Support sizing, product selection, and competitive replacement opportunities.
• Coordinate with applications engineering on custom solutions.
• Present technical product training to customers and channel partners.

Sales Planning & Reporting

• Develop annual territory business plans.
• Maintain accurate opportunity pipeline using CRM.
• Prepare monthly sales forecasts.
• Analyze competitive activity and market trends.
• Provide regular reports on territory performance and strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

Desired

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Industrial Technology, or related field preferred.
• 5–10+ years of industrial B2B sales experience.
• Proven success selling through both OEMs and industrial distribution.
• Experience within one or more of the following:
• Industrial Gear Reducers
• Gearmotors
• Mechanical Power Transmission
• Electric Motors
• Motion Control
• Industrial Automation
• Bearings
• Couplings
• Conveying Equipment
• Industrial Drives
• Strong understanding of industrial manufacturing processes.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel approximately 50–70% throughout assigned territory.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with gearbox sizing and application engineering.
• Existing relationships with OEM manufacturers and industrial distributors.
• Experience selling engineered industrial products.
• Familiarity with CRM systems such as Zoho, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, or HubSpot.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Account Management
• OEM Sales
• Distributor Development
• Territory Management
• Consultative Selling
• Business Development
• Negotiation
• Technical Aptitude
• Forecasting
• Market Analysis
• Relationship Building
• Presentation Skills
• Time Management
• Problem Solving

Performance Metrics

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Annual sales growth
• Gross margin performance
• New OEM account acquisition
• Distributor sales growth
• New product adoption
• Opportunity pipeline development
• Customer retention
• Territory market share growth
• CRM utilization and reporting quality

What We Offer

• Competitive base salary plus uncapped incentive compensation
• Company vehicle or vehicle allowance
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid vacation and holidays
• Professional development and technical training
• Opportunities for career advancement within a growing industrial organization

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal District Sales Manager is a highly motivated industrial sales professional who combines strong technical aptitude with exceptional business development skills. This individual is equally comfortable calling on design engineers at OEMs, developing executive relationships, and coaching distributor sales teams. They thrive in a consultative sales environment, understand the value of long sales cycles, and are driven by growing market share through strategic partnerships and customer-focused solutions.