ABOUT THE COMPANY
A privately held distributor of niche consumable brands serving the energy sector, with operations in Canada and a US facility just outside Houston. The US business has grown over 20% annually.
What sets them apart is the model rather than the product. Most competitors sell a catalog and ask what you need. This company sells supply chain solutions: guaranteed inventory, release POs delivered monthly or quarterly instead of in six-month bulk drops, and private and white labeling so OEM customers can put their own brand on the product and sell it under their name. In an industry where suppliers still expect a customer to buy a year's worth and warehouse it, that approach wins business.
POSITION OVERVIEW
Houston is the largest oil and gas market in the world and the company has a facility here, but the territory has never been properly worked. There are roughly 50 identified customers in the area and they are actively doing business with about 10 of them.
This role exists to change that. You will be opening doors across south Houston and the ship channel corridor, building a customer base from accounts that already know the company and accounts that do not.
This is a starting seat with a defined path. The company wants to move account representatives into business development roles within 12 to 16 months, at which point compensation moves to the BD structure with commission and a total in the $120,000 range. The last person hired into this type of role did exactly that and became their top business development rep.
The strategy is deliberate. Smaller accounts lead to the OEM relationships where the real volume sits, and that path has worked for them before. Your job is to get the base built.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
• Open new accounts across south Houston, the ship channel corridor, and greater Houston.
• Reengage existing customers in the area who have not been actively worked.
• Average 6 to 8 sales calls per day, visiting plants, production facilities, manufacturers, and supply houses.
• Present the company's product lines and proactively recommend items that fit the customer's operation.
• Identify what a customer actually uses and buys, then bring the right product and supply program to them.
• Provide pricing, availability, and delivery information, and calculate margins accurately.
• Follow up on quotes and drive conversion.
• Update the CRM daily and submit daily call reports.
• Work with the inside sales desk on day to day customer needs.
TERRITORY & TRAVEL
• South Houston and greater Houston, with the ship channel corridor as a priority area.
• Must live in the Houston area. This is a local, in-person territory.
• Regular time at the company's US facility just outside Houston.
• Travel is primarily local and daily rather than overnight.
• Pickup truck or large SUV required. No deliveries are made, everything ships.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required
• 3 to 5 years minimum in industrial distribution, oil and gas, or manufacturing sales.
• Track record selling B2B to manufacturers, OEMs, production facilities, or supply houses.
• Genuine cold calling and door knocking experience.
• Oil and gas or fluid power familiarity.
• CRM discipline and comfort with daily reporting.
• Valid driver's license and a pickup truck or large SUV.
Preferred
• Ship channel experience. This is a significant advantage for this territory.
• Existing relationships across the greater Houston industrial base.
• Background selling sealing products, consumables, fluid power, or related industrial components.
• Field experience in oil and gas, including candidates who came up through the field and want to move into sales.
• Ambition to move into a business development role. That progression is the plan, not a maybe.
WHO THRIVES HERE
This is a role for someone who wants to build a territory and grow into more, not someone looking for a comfortable book to maintain.
• Not afraid to knock on doors and start conversations with people who are not expecting the call.
• Curious about the customer's business and willing to learn the technical side over time.
• Self directed. Nobody is going to build your day for you.
• Wants the BD seat. The company is actively building a bench and promotes from within.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
• Base salary $80,000.
• Discretionary performance bonus eligibility begins after 90 days. No commission in this seat.
• Discretionary performance bonus runs between 8% and 40% of annual salary, paid twice yearly against KPIs that are discussed and selected as a group rather than handed down.
• Estimated total compensation of roughly $87,500 in year one and $95,000 in year two.
• Defined path into a business development role within 12 to 16 months, at which point compensation moves to the BD structure: $80,000 to $90,000 base plus commission and bonus, with realistic totals of $120,000 rising to $150,000 plus.
• Health insurance eligibility begins after 6 months.
• Paid time off by approval.
• Vehicle allowance plus fuel, negotiated based on the candidate.
• All business expenses covered.
• 401(k) launching at the end of the year.