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National Account Manager

IL - Chicago

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Take Ownership of a New Nationwide Sales Role Focused on the Hospitality, Government & Healthcare Verticals

Promote an Innovative, Growing Pipeline of Cordless Products to New & Existing Dealers & Clients

This newly created, unique hybrid role offers you the opportunity to make an impact in multiple high profile strategic areas, including:

Leading our expansion of innovative, cordless products (including our LXT Cordless Outdoor Power Equipment) in the Hospitality, Government and Healthcare verticals
Developing new customers by building relationships with dealers and end-users Quick question for you - click here
Supporting National Account Managers and interacting with corporate contacts in leading major accounts, particularly in Hospitality (major hotels, resorts and casinos), and Government (including higher education)
And more

This is a diverse role that will allow you to stretch your skills, including relationship building, direct sales and marketing/messaging. You'll work with a pipeline of innovative products that are shaking up the industrial tools market. You will pursue major national accounts, but also have the opportunity to make an impact in the local Chicagoland market where you will be based. While you could be happy and successful in this role for years to come, once you prove yourself, you could leverage your success to pursue advancement opportunities throughout Makita U.S.A.

You'll join a great company whose commitment to quality and performance has earned us a strong reputation within the professional community. We've built that reputation of over 100 years by using the finest raw materials, the most advanced manufacturing equipment, and the most rigorous quality testing in the industry. Makita designs and manufactures innovative corded and cordless tools utilizing advanced technology that allow professionals the ability to use cordless tools on tasks previously thought to be impossible.

Video: The 18V LXT® Lithium-Ion Brushless Curved Shaft Stringed Trimmer is just one of the fine tools in the LXT Cordless Outdoor Power Equipment line you will be representing.

The Requirements

To be a good fit for the National Account Manager opportunity you should have:

A bachelor's degree Quick question for you - click here
Solid sales and/or marketing experience of hardgoods within the Hospitality, Government or Healthcare verticals Quick question for you - click here
Experience with BOTH of the following:
- Selling into the headquarters of major, complex corporations
- Presentations to and conversions of the aforementioned customer segments
Demonstrated strong consultative, solution-based sales skills
Marketing knowledge and experience with messaging
Technology savvy and the ability to explain technical differentiators
Computer skills and familiarity with MS Office
The ability to develop and execute plans at both the strategic and tactical levels

Just as important as your experience and skills will be the following characteristics and competencies:

Proven relationship-building skills
Superior communication and interpersonal skills
An entrepreneurial spirit and dedicated work ethic
The ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team
Excellent organizational and time management skills

This position is based in the Chicago area. You might work out of our office in Mt. Prospect, or out of your home office. You'll spend a fair amount of time out in the field, interacting with Grainger in Lake Forest, and other prospects in Chicagoland. You'll also travel overnight an average of 40% of the time, including interaction with Outside Sellers within targeted partner-Dealers. Quick question for you - click here

The Role

Reporting to the Vice President, National Industrial Sales, you will take on a number of responsibilities in different but overlapping areas. You'll collaborate with two National Account Managers (NAMs), one responsible for Grainger and the other for Fastenal, and you'll also be responsible for new customers that you bring on board.

While you may support the NAMs in a variety of activities, your focus will be on building out the three channels -- Hospitality, Government and Healthcare, both independently and in collaboration with the NAMs.

You'll showcase your direct sales skills in these areas by developing new customers that supply the segment. In addition, you'll work:

Within Grainger headquarters to develop messaging and target audiences.
With dealer National Accounts leadership to uncover opportunities to position Makita as a leader in these verticals.

You'll drive opportunities out to the verticals, initially focusing on Hospitality, including major hotels, resorts and casinos, and Government. You will also target industrial/commercial and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) teams as appropriate, and, depending on the situation.

Other responsibilities with regard to Grainger will include:

Engaging multiple corporate departments, both broadly and deeply
Pushing out to National Accounts groups associated with the verticals
Sharing and driving messages out to MRO field teams

Regarding Fastenal, you also will:

Work within their National Accounts leadership to recruit opportunities to position Makita as a segment leader
Drive opportunities out to their MRO teams

Your responsibilities will include marketing activities, such as working closely with Grainger and Fastenal marketing and segmenting teams. In this area you will:

Coordinate product detail and availability with National Account management on target models
Generate the value contribution the category represents
Work with creative teams to build out messaging
Launch marketing efforts with key channel dealers
Measure the impact of marketing tactics on sales, and review, revise and relaunch as necessary

Note: this description is intended to give you a general overview of the position and is not an exhaustive listing of duties and responsibilities.

Pictured above: 18V LXT® Lithium‑Ion Cordless Floor Blower. Below: 18V X2 LXT® Lithium‑Ion (36V) Cordless Hedge Trimmer Kit (5.0Ah).

Why Makita

Steady stream of innovative new products
With strong support from Makita corporate leaders and R&D in Japan, we are expanding our cordless product line, bringing out innovative products to set us apart from the competition. For example, we recently released a canister vacuum, and we're about to introduce a backpack vacuum that we believe will be very attractive. Behind that is a robust pipeline that will provide you with the excitement of a new product every three or four months. We're also greatly expanding our outdoor product offerings, including a new blower.

Support the move to "Go Green"
In today's world, it's becoming more and more important to think green. Many companies are moving from gas-powered to cordless products across their building, maintenance and other needs, and Makita is aggressively innovating in this area. You can feel good knowing that you are supporting quality products that are better for the planet.

Visibility and impact
You will focus on market segments with tremendous untapped potential. There is plenty of room to make and impact. At the same time, leadership is heavily behind this opportunity, so your successes will be noticed.

Professional development
The goals and objectives of this role are broad and you won't be bored. In fact, our history shows that these kinds of roles tend to morph after 6 to 12 months, and you'll influence the evolution of your own position. Further in the future, you might set your sights on advancement to a National Account Manager role for a specific portfolio.

Autonomy and collaboration
While you'll benefit from the support of management, the two NAMs and others in our organization, you'll also enjoy the liberty to set your own routine and execute your strategies and tactics in ways that you believe will be most effective.

A brand professionals trust

Visit any construction site, and you're sure to encounter a variety of Makita tools. Our quality and performance has earned us a strongly respected reputation within the contractor community, which has persistently grown over decades and is certain to endure for many years to come as we continue to lead the industry with the introduction of high quality, innovative tools.

Excellent compensation
In addition to a competitive base, commission and bonus incentives, we offer one of the most generous benefits packages in our industry, including a company car; medical, dental, vision, and life insurance; a 401(k) and profit sharing plan; expense reimbursement plans; PTO; tuition reimbursement, and more.

Pictured: Makita created the industry's first 18V Lithium-Ion line-up of cordless tools in 2005 with the groundbreaking 18V LXT® Series. Today, Makita offers over 100 LXT tools with solutions for trades from concrete to commercial, automotive to residential construction, and they're all powered by one fast-charging 18V Lithium-Ion battery.

Keys to Success

To excel in this role you will have a strong entrepreneurial spirit, self-motivation and the drive to excel. You should be resourceful and take pride in achieving goals independently, but much of your success will come through collaboration. You should be adept at establishing and cultivating relationships with external customers and partners, and also contribute effectively to internal team activities.

Given the diversity of the role, you'll need to be comfortable wearing different hats; in the morning you may work on messaging with a customer's marketing team and then spend the afternoon calling on prospects. As an experienced professional in both sales and vertical management, you understand the importance of timing, knowing when to hit the gas and when to tap on the brakes.

In addition, in order to be an outstanding National Account Manager, you will:

Establish trust quickly in order to position yourself as a consulting expert
Convey clearly how our solutions can help distributors and others achieve their goals, focusing on the win-win aspects
Bring high energy and the ability to manage multiple activities and priorities
Combine creativity and analytical skills in solving problems

About Makita USA

100 years ago, it all started with the motor. Makita Corporation was founded in 1915 as an electric motor sales and repair company. Today, as a global brand in over 40 countries, Makita is an innovation leader, manufacturing best-in-class products at 10 plants operating in 8 countries. The unmatched quality and durability of Makita products is driven by the company’s strong R&D capabilities, and have earned the trust of professional users worldwide. Every day, on job sites around the world, Makita delivers the power, performance and durability that professional users demand with products that are more compact, have less vibration and feel better.

Believing that the motor is the heart of any power tool, we take great pride in our motor expertise. We spare no expense in producing the most powerful, efficient and best performing motors available for each tool, carefully selecting only the best quality raw materials, employing the most advanced manufacturing equipment in the world, and using the most stringent manufacturing processes and quality control in the industry.

To make certain that our quality standards are upheld, constant testing is performed during machining and assembly processes, including a final run-test under power before leaving the factory to ensure optimum performance.

Our success comes not only from producing top quality tools, but also from our unparalleled customer service. From our customer service representatives to our extensive sales team to our R&D group, we are dedicated to delivering complete customer satisfaction. Makita USA is headquartered in La Mirada, California.

Pictured above: Makita's product line is quite diverse; this 64 cc gas-powered chainsaw, for example, features a rugged cast cylinder and low-noise operation. Below: The tools in this four-piece combo kit take advantage of an advanced LXT lithium-ion battery; the 30-Minute Rapid Optimum Charger communicates with the battery's built-in chip throughout the charging process to optimize battery life.