Inside Sales Manager

Reports To: Director of Sales

Location: Hillside, IL or Atlanta, GA

Overview:

Our client is recruiting for an Inside Sales Manager (ISM) who will play a pivotal role in leading and evolving the inside sales and customer service organization across two key companies in their portfolio serving critical sectors such as environmental monitoring, industrial process control, energy management, and infrastructure. This role blends leadership, process ownership, and customer advocacy ideal for a hands-on player-coach who thrives in a high-volume, fast-paced environment. The ISM will oversee quoting, order management, and customer communications to drive responsiveness, accuracy, and service excellence. They will also partner closely with field sales, distributors, engineering, and operations to deliver a seamless customer experience and support the companys commercial growth strategy.

Responsibilities:

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop inside sales and customer service teams across both brands.
• Foster a culture of accountability, responsiveness, and customer-first thinking.
• Establish clear KPIs for quote turnaround time, order accuracy, and customer satisfaction.
• Deliver ongoing training on products, systems, and communication best practices.

Sales Operations & Process Management

• Manage the daily flow of quotes (400+ per month) and orders (300+ per month), ensuring all customer requests are handled efficiently.
• Review technical specifications and drawings to ensure accurate pricing and configuration.
• Implement consistent quoting and order-entry workflows to reduce errors and improve throughput.
• Partner with engineering, production, and supply chain to confirm lead times and product details.
• Ensure CRM and ERP data integrity across both divisions (Zoho, AS400, or equivalent systems).

Customer & Channel Support

• Serve as the primary internal liaison for distributors, representatives, and key accounts.
• Support outside sales with accurate quotes, documentation, and project coordination.
• Act as a secondary escalation point for resolving customer or order-related issues.
• Promote proactive communication with customers to enhance satisfaction and loyalty.

Data & Performance Management

• Analyze quote-to-order conversion, win/loss trends, and team performance metrics.
• Develop actionable insights and present sales performance reports to leadership.
• Partner with Marketing and IT to optimize CRM and digital tools for better visibility.

Collaboration & Culture

• Champion the integration of inside sales practices between two companies in our portfolio to create unified, scalable standards.
• Drive continuous improvement across quoting, communication, and fulfillment.
• Encourage collaboration between departments to create a seamless customer journey.

Experience and Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in Business, Engineering, or related field (technical degree preferred).
• 7+ years of experience in inside sales, customer service, or technical sales in industrial manufacturing or automation.
• 3+ years of experience leading a high-volume inside sales or customer support team.
• Proven ability to lead teams through change, balancing operational discipline with customer-centric focus.
• Experience working with CRM and ERP systems (Zoho CRM, AS400, Salesforce, or equivalent).
• Strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings, specifications, and customer requirements.
• Highly organized and data-driven, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.