Sales ManagerLocation: Waterloo, Iowa
Reports To: President/CEO
Job Status: Full-Time
Department: Sales
Position SummaryThe Sales Manager is responsible for leading PEM's Sales Department, strengthening Account relationships, improving sales-process discipline, and driving growth in incoming orders, pipeline strength, and repeatable New Business.
This position leads both day-to-day sales execution and PEM's structured Account-development work. The Sales Manager is expected to manage the Sales team, personally model disciplined sales behavior, and serve as the primary accountable lead for selected strategic Accounts where PEM is intentionally working to develop long-term, repeatable business.
PEM designs, manufactures, rebuilds, and reconditions heavy-duty gearboxes for demanding industrial applications. This role requires a business-minded sales leader who can understand customer needs, coordinate with Engineering and Operations, and help turn technical problems into commercial opportunities.
Primary ResponsibilitiesSales Leadership & Department Management:- Lead, coach, support, and hold accountable the Sales team, including Inside Sales and Outside Sales.
- Set expectations for sales activity, follow-up, Salesforce usage, customer communication, Quote management, and Account ownership.
- Lead regular Sales meetings, pipeline reviews, Quote follow-up reviews, and team alignment discussions.
- Help team members prioritize based on Account importance, Quote value, opportunity timing, win probability, and strategic fit.
- Promote ownership, urgency, professionalism, disciplined execution, and continuous process improvement.
Account Development & New Business Growth:- Drive proactive New Business development with existing and prospective Accounts, especially OEMs and other repeatable heavy-duty gearbox opportunities.
- Help PEM identify the right Accounts, contacts, equipment families, problems, and opportunities to pursue.
- Move the Sales team beyond transactional quoting toward deeper Account understanding and solution-based selling.
- Support Account visits, customer meetings, technical discussions, and disciplined follow-up plans.
- Coordinate with Engineering to shape customer-facing solutions that clearly communicate PEM's technical value.
Strategic Account Focus / Priority Account Leadership:- Serve as the lead for strategic Accounts where PEM is intentionally investing time to grow repeatable New Business.
- Lead PEM's structured Account Focus work: the process of focusing Sales and Engineering time on Accounts with strong long-term growth or repeat-business potential.
- Maintain current Account-development plans covering key contacts, decision makers, equipment families, applications, known or believed Account problems, PEM solution ideas, next actions, and follow-up ownership.
- Coordinate Sales and Engineering early enough to understand the Account's problem, shape the solution, and improve PEM's chance of winning the work.
- Lead by example through disciplined Account engagement, documentation, follow-up, and opportunity development.
Salesforce, Pipeline & Sales Process Discipline:- Ensure Salesforce is used as the primary system of record for Accounts, Contacts, Leads, Opportunities, Quotes, customer communication, tasks, meetings, and supporting documentation.
- Ensure Sales team members keep Salesforce records accurate, current, documented, and actionable.
- Monitor Opportunity quality, Quote follow-up, activity logging, customer communication history, opportunity stages, projected timing, and Quote status/expiration management.
- Review open Quotes and Opportunities regularly to confirm next steps, customer status, timing, risk, and ownership.
- Coordinate with internal teams so Salesforce, Made2Manage/M2M, Quote records, sales orders, and customer-facing documents remain aligned where applicable.
Quote, Opportunity & Order Communication:- Oversee timely, professional, and persistent Quote follow-up and help decide when Quotes should be revised, extended, canceled, escalated, or converted into orders.
- Support clear Account communication regarding pricing, lead time, technical scope, delivery expectations, revised information, and customer-sensitive issues.
- Ensure lost Opportunities are documented with clear reasoning so PEM can learn from the outcome.
- Support repeat-business Quote cycles and periodic pricing updates for Accounts that regularly buy the same or similar products.
- Support communication around late orders, estimated ship date changes, delivery risks, and other Account-facing issues.
Recruiting, Training & Team Development:- Support Sales recruiting through role-definition input, interview participation, and candidate evaluation.
- Help onboard and train Sales team members on PEM's sales processes, Salesforce expectations, Quote follow-up, customer communication, and Account development approach.
- Encourage practical use of Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, Copilot/AI tools, Salesforce, reporting dashboards, and other available technology.
- Reduce single points of failure by documenting Sales processes, training team members, and making role responsibilities visible.
Desired Characteristics- Ownership: Takes responsibility for results, processes, follow-up, and team execution without waiting to be told what to do.
- Accountability: Holds self and team members accountable in a professional, constructive, and consistent manner.
- Proactive mindset: Looks for opportunities, risks, and next steps before they become urgent.
- Technical curiosity: Wants to understand customer equipment, applications, problems, and how PEM can provide value.
- Customer focus: Communicates professionally and protects long-term Account relationships.
- Discipline: Documents work, follows processes, uses systems correctly, and expects the same from the team.
- Leadership by example: Models the behaviors expected from the Sales team.
- Coachability and adaptability: Learns new processes, tools, and business models quickly.
- Collaborative style: Works well across Sales, Engineering, Operations, Quality, Finance, and HR.
- Persistence: Follows up with customers and internal team members until questions are answered and next steps are clear.
- Professional communication: Writes clearly, speaks effectively, and can present information in a way customers and internal teams understand.
- Business judgment: Understands that not every Quote or Account deserves equal effort and can prioritize based on strategic value.
Required Qualifications- Strong customer relationship-building, written communication, and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to understand technical products, customer applications, drawings, specifications, or engineered solutions.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, follow up consistently, keep work organized, and use sound business judgment.
- Relevant experience in sales leadership, account management, business development, or sales process management.
- Experience leading, coaching, or coordinating a team.
- Comfortable using CRM systems, Microsoft Office/Microsoft 365, Teams, SharePoint, and reporting tools.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with Engineering, Operations, Quality, Finance, HR, and executive leadership.
Preferred Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, engineering, technical sales, or a related field; or equivalent experience.
- Experience in manufacturing, industrial equipment, OEM sales, engineered products, gearboxes, machining, power transmission, or related industries.
- Experience with Salesforce or another CRM system and ERP/business systems such as Made2Manage/M2M.
- Experience developing Account plans, customer action plans, pipeline reviews, Quote follow-up processes, or sales dashboards.
- Experience using AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, or similar tools to improve research, documentation, planning, communication, and process execution.
Work Environment & Physical Requirements- Primarily office-based role with regular interaction with Sales, Engineering, Operations, Quality, and Production.
- Requires walking through manufacturing areas and interacting with shop personnel.
- Requires domestic travel to visit Accounts and Prospects as needed to accomplish objectives.
- Must be able to use a computer, phone, Microsoft 365 tools, Salesforce, and other business systems for extended periods.
- Must be able to wear required personal protective equipment when entering production areas.
Benefits- Free medical and dental insurance on single and family plans after one full month of employment.
- Vision/eye insurance available for a small premium.
- 401(k) and profit sharing after one full month of employment.
- Additional benefits may be available according to current PEM policies and plan documents.
