Business Development Representative is responsible for proactively generating new business, engaging existing customers to expand account revenue, and driving outbound sales activity across two product lines within a manufacturing environment. Must have manufacturing experience.

Position Title: Business Development Representative

Reports To: Sales Director

Location: Chicago Area

Position Purpose:

The Inside Sales Representative is responsible for proactively generating new business, engaging existing customers to expand account revenue, and driving outbound sales activity across two product lines within a manufacturing environment. This role focuses on identifying opportunities, building strong customer relationships, preparing quotes, and coordinating with production, engineering, management and customer service to ensure a seamless sales process. The ideal candidate is energetic, self-motivated, and comfortable making outbound calls to uncover new opportunities and grow revenue. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Initiate outbound calls to prospective and existing customers with the goal of securing new orders, upselling existing accounts, and reactivating dormant accounts.
• Qualify leads from marketing campaigns, trade shows, referrals, and online inquiries.
• Maintain ownership of the customer relationship from first contact through initial order, ensuring a high-quality handoff to ongoing customer support.
• Provide accurate and timely quotes, product recommendations, and account support.
• Follow call plans and sales cadences to ensure consistent outreach and follow-up.
• Record all call activity, contact information, and opportunity updates in CRM.
• Collaborate closely with sales management, customer service and operations to ensure alignment on messaging, pricing, and customer service standards.
• Respond to inbound customer calls and emails regarding product availability, pricing, order status, and general inquiries.
• Participate in regular sales meetings, pipeline reviews, and ongoing training.

Additional Responsibilities

• Perform other duties as assigned; responsibilities may be modified or expanded as business needs evolve, and this job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list.

Success Metrics:

• Outbound call volume and connect rate
• Number of new accounts opened or reactivated
• Sales revenue generated from outbound activity
• Conversion rate of leads to opportunities
• Customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores for interactions
• CRM accuracy and data hygiene

Required Skills & Competencies:

• Bachelor’s degree from accredited university
• 5-10 years in inside sales, telemarketing, or lead generation
• Strong verbal communication and phone presence
• Sales-minded with excellent persuasion and negotiation skills
• High attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks
• Proficiency in CRM tools (e.g., HubSpot) and MS Office Suite
• Ability to work independently and stay self-motivated
• Comfortable working in a metrics-driven, performance-focused environment
• Prior experience in B2B sales or working in a manufacturing/distribution environment, a plus