Manage and grow a portfolio of established small to mid-tier accounts through repeat orders, upselling, prospecting, and lapsed-account recovery. Serve as the primary customer contact, maintain CRM records and sales pipelines in HubSpot, and coordinate with engineering on specialized fastening needs. Success is measured by account ownership, retention, revenue growth, new part numbers, and quote win rates. The role is fully on-site in Vernon Hills, Illinois, with occasional client and trade-show travel.
Inside Sales Representative – Account Growth & Retention
Location: Vernon Hills, IL (100% On-site)
About Us:
We are a growing manufacturer of specialized fastener solutions. Our business thrives on engineering excellence and deep customer trust. We are seeking an Inside Sales Representative to manage, support, and expand our active portfolio of small to mid-tier repeat accounts.
Position Overview:
This is a high-touch sales role based daily out of our Vernon Hills IL facility. You will serve as the primary point of contact for our established customer base, ensuring excellent service, technical accuracy, and initiative-taking account growth.
You will manage incoming repeat orders, identify upselling opportunities, and coordinate with our engineering team when customers require specialized fastening solutions. Keeping and expanding sales with existing clients, recapturing lapsed business, and attaining new business are expectations of this role.
Key Responsibilities:
- Account Management: Serve as the main contact for a portfolio of established small to mid-tier accounts.
- Account Growth: Proactively communicate with existing clients to capture recurring revenue and expand product usage.
- Identify New Opportunities by prospecting potential users in our key vertical markets.
- Technical Liaison: Identify when a client needs specialized engineering support and smoothly bridge the gap between the client and our internal technical team.
- Data Management: Utilize HubSpot daily to log customer interactions, manage pipelines, and update account details and tasks.
- Occasional Travel: Visit key clients or attend regional industry trade shows as needed (minimal travel required).
Qualifications:
- Must have 4+ years of experience in inside sales, account management, or customer support within a manufacturing, industrial, or distribution environment.
- Proficiency with HubSpot CRM or equivalent CRM is required.
- Should have working fastener knowledge: thread types and classes, grades and property classes, materials and finishes, common nut styles (prevailing-torque, nylon-insert, all-metal locknuts) and industry standards.
- Must have excellent communication skills, including phone and email with the ability to talk comfortably with both purchasing agents and manufacturing engineers.
- Associate or bachelor’s degree, or equivalent work experience.
- Use of A.I. tools for sales opportunity identification is helpful.
- Prior use of the Sandler sales methodology is helpful.
- Must have ability to work on-site daily in Vernon Hills, IL, and travel occasionally.
TimeframeMilestoneFirst 90 daysIdentify responsible accounts (~300), everyone contacted, tiered; CRM records complete. 6 monthsCall cadence running on schedule; lapsed accounts identified with win-back plans12 monthsAccount retention rate, year-over-year revenue growth in the book, new part numbers per account and quote win rate at or above agreed targets
What We Offer:
- Competitive base salary $60,000-$75,000 plus a performance-based bonus structure.
- Ongoing sales training and coaching.
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits.
- 401(k) with company match.
- Paid time off and holidays.
- A small, collaborative work environment with room for professional growth.
HRBoost Libertyville, Illinois, USA Office
306 Peterson Road, Libertyville, IL, United States, 60048
HRBoost Chicago, Illinois, USA Office
Chicago, United States
Similar Jobs
Retail
Provides in-store, phone, and email sales support for hardware and building materials. Assists customers and contractors with product selection, quotes, orders, deliveries, installations, and service issues. Enters accurate orders in BisTrack, operates the register, supports special orders and merchandising, manages showroom inventory, and helps prevent shrinkage. Requires flexible retail scheduling, physical activity, computer and math skills, and a valid driver’s license.
Top Skills:
BistrackExcelMicrosoft WordPoint-Of-Sale Systems
Retail
Provides in-person, phone, and email sales support to homeowners and contractors in a building materials showroom. Responsibilities include product selection, quoting, order entry, register operation, customer follow-up, special orders, credits and returns, merchandising, inventory movement, and shrink prevention. The role requires learning building materials, estimating, and material takeoffs while maintaining accurate records in BisTrack and supporting store safety and customer service.
Top Skills:
BistrackExcelMicrosoft WordPoint-Of-Sale System
Retail
Sell hardware and building materials to contractors and homeowners in a showroom, by phone, and by email. Provide product selection, quotes, orders, pricing, and service support; enter accurate transactions in BisTrack; operate the register; support special orders, merchandising, inventory, and customer pickups. The role also involves learning material takeoffs, maintaining showroom areas, preventing shrinkage, following safety practices, and working flexible retail hours, including weekends and holidays.
Top Skills:
BistrackExcelMicrosoft WordPoint-Of-Sale Systems
What you need to know about the Chicago Tech Scene
With vibrant neighborhoods, great food and more affordable housing than either coast, Chicago might be the most liveable major tech hub. It is the birthplace of modern commodities and futures trading, a national hub for logistics and commerce, and home to the American Medical Association and the American Bar Association. This diverse blend of industry influences has helped Chicago emerge as a major player in verticals like fintech, biotechnology, legal tech, e-commerce and logistics technology. It’s also a major hiring center for tech companies on both coasts.
Key Facts About Chicago Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 245,800; 5.2% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: McDonald’s, John Deere, Boeing, Morningstar
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, fintech, software, logistics technology
- Funding Landscape: $2.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Arch Venture Partners, MATH Venture Partners, Jump Capital, Hyde Park Venture Partners
- Research Centers and Universities: Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Institute of Technology, Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
