Texas Iron and Metal is searching for an enthusiastic bilingual (English / Spanish) Customer Specialist - Counter Sales Person to service customers in a counter sales environment. Sales persons are expected to maintain an eager, positive attitude for their customers and their co-workers at all times. Counter Sales Person’s attitudes, especially their sense of urgency, will in large part determine how they and Texas Iron & Metal are perceived by customers and will affect the attitudes of co-workers.
· Handle customer/prospect counter sales needs immediately pricing product requests within the parameters provided by management with a great sense of urgency.
· Develop strong relationships with counter customers and with prospective accounts as opportunities allow.
· Seek to understand each customer’s business and their needs.
· Continually educate the customer in order to set achievable customer expectations. Listen for customer needs, and decide with the Sales Manager what Texas Iron & Metal can do to meet those needs.
· Ask for opportunities to quote new products and expand existing sales with current customers.
· Monitor top ten counter account’s activity. The Counter Sales person should monitor his/her top accounts notifying acting Sales Manager of problems that might arise and result in the loss of the account, sales drop offs, or anything else that happens out of the ordinary with these accounts.
· Generate new ideas and practice self-development through reading and sales training.
· Help improve processes and manage well all company resources especially inventories and buy-outs.
· Understand and sell the entire Texas Iron & Steel product line.
· Understand the competition and how to respond to and sell against them.
· Monitor and manage all orders with a high sense of urgency from the order entry stage through order processing and shipping.
· Quickly address any issues or problems that may arise to the mutual satisfaction of the customer and the company. The originating Counter Sales person will remain responsible and must communicate with urgency with the customer until resolution.
· Initiate any credit memos that may be required on a daily basis.
· Maintain current customer part number pricing in the computer system for those customers whose orders are entered in this way.
· Make joint field sales calls with management staff as required to support customer service level and to fully understand the customer’s business.
· Understand pricing, pricing levels, profit generation, and cost extras including special processing, freight and buy-outs.
· Be courteous at all times. Thank customers for doing business with Texas Iron & Metal. Apologize to customers when wrong, or perceived wrong.
· Utilization of Gold Mine software to increase business and keep in touch with customers.
· By communicating with customers, the counter sales person should make recommendations for the stocking of new products or any other ideas that could improve service.
Communication
· Share with the management, warehouse, clerical and other company personnel any information that may impact them or their ability to service our customers and assure that receipt of an order and processing won’t upset other order priorities negatively.
· Meet with the acting Sales Manager at least weekly or as needed regarding any significant orders/inquiries and any new prospect contacts.
· Work directly with the acting Sales Manager on significant quotes ($2000 and over or any inquiry from a potential new account) to ensure sound decisions are made in regard to pricing, product sourcing, and use of "Less Than Prime" if able. Work with other sales people to provide or request information on a timely basis with a sense of urgency in an efficient manner
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Needed
- Strong computer skills and the desire to use technology to improve systems
- High mathematical aptitude
- Superior telephone skills
- Superior listening skills
- Good written and verbal communications skills
- Industrial distribution counter sales experience, i.e., lumber, wholesale, auto parts, or any occupation requiring major organizational and customer
- Business-to-business interaction skills
- Strong sense of urgency and service orientation
- Ability to communicate in both Spanish and English
- Ability to ask for an order
- Communicate with co-workers if additional counter assistance is required, so customers can be assisted in an expeditious manner.
Personal Values
- Honesty
- Integrity
- Sense of urgency
- Takes responsibility for their actions
- Strong work ethic
- Makes and honors commitments
- Does what it takes
- Committed to family, community and employer
Texas Iron and Metal is a family owned business that has been serving the greater Houston area for more than seventy years. We pride ourselves on not just talking about customer service; it is part of our culture and we strive to improve in this area on a daily basis. We offer competitive wages, medical and dental insurance, paid holidays, paid personal days, and a matching 401K plan.
