Sales Advisor at Custer Inc.

Custer creates personalized spaces that elevate your well-being, promote innovation and transform the communities we live in. Established in 1981, Custer now serves multiple territories reaching outside of West Michigan as a premier dealership of Steelcase furniture. Custer has offices in Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Kalamazoo, and Holland, Michigan, and in 2019, we opened our sixth showroom in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We provide full-service solutions including workplace strategy, design, flooring, integrated technology, furniture and accessories. Custer delivers spaces that support a better way of working. 

 We are currently searching for a Sales Advisor here in our Fort Wayne, IN and Kalamazoo, MI market to manage client projects and new business pursuits. The candidate for this role will be an ambassador of the Custer brand in our community and secure clients for the breadth of Custer current and expanding service lines.

We are looking for someone who has a fire in their belly to help increase Custer’s presence and grow market share. The ideal candidate will bring a client-first mindset and a collaborative attitude toward opportunities and challenges alike. They will be adept at prioritizing responsibilities and never miss deadlines. They will have solid writing and communication skills, and a natural eye for good design. They will be nimble and very comfortable navigating ambiguity, because there will be times that— together— we’ll need to build the plane while we are flying it.

This opportunity can be what you make of it— the listed duties and responsibilities are neither exhaustive nor a limitation of the role. If you are someone who wants to grow fast and go far, you can do it at Custer.

We intend to award this position to a candidate who brings with them a critical and related set of skills, knowledge, and experiences that we might not already have on the team. Simply put, we are interested in finding the best candidate for the job. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in the job description. All are encouraged to apply, even those who believe they do not meet every single one of the qualifications.

Position Overview

You will be a trusted advisor to Custer’s clients and industry partners. You will set and implement account strategy, identify new clients, and drive business development, lead project pursuits and interview presentations, oversee execution of project design and work-order activities, forge deep client relationships, and ensure customer satisfaction in all things Custer.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Create and manage plans for key account development and new prospect pursuits
• Conduct and disseminate research and intel on potential clients, project leads, funding sources, etc.
•  In a timely manner, produce detailed, accurate and professional collateral and proposals for clients in partnership with colleagues (coordinators, designers, project managers, marketing, etc.)
• Lead client interviews and project presentations
• Maintain comprehensive understanding of customer needs, corporate goals, business practices and satisfaction/performance criteria
• Sustain consistent cadence of client engagement and touchpoints
• Work collaboratively with client and project stakeholders, including A&D firms, contractors, facilities professionals, customer IT group, etc.
• Develop plans and product specifications through work with design colleagues
• Ensure that client drivers, project opportunities and constraints, and strategic account goals are communicated to the full project team
• Review work plans, schedules and logistics established for customer projects
• Manage team assignments to ensure workload activities and all deadlines are appropriately communicated and supported
• Establishes costs and sell amounts for all account products and services, based on contract pricing, gross margin guidelines and established service pricing
• Ensure documentation, process and quality standards are maintained for all account activities
• Participate in training and self-development programs to continuously improve skills and approach
• Attend industry and networking events to secure new relationships and strengthen existing relationships
• Keep current on product offering
• Stay up to date with industry trends

Qualifications:

•  Background or market experience in commercial furniture, architecture, interior design, project management, real estate, healthcare and/or education a plus
• Track record of achieving revenue goals and providing exemplary client service
• Solid writing and communication skills
• Core math skills and computer skills
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Eye for design
•  A sense of humor under pressure
• Natural sense of care and urgency
• Adept at working with any and all kinds of people
• Alignment with Custer’s core values
•  Ability to pass a drug screen, background check
• Valid driver’s license, insurance and a vehicle to conduct business
• Ability to travel frequently within Indiana and Michigan

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in architecture, interior design, project management, business, marketing or a related field preferred
•  A minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in sales, business development, account management and/or project management

Work Environment: Downtown Fort Wayne showroom, customer locations and networking events – largely an office environment with occasional customer tours and project site visits. This role requires frequent visits to the offices of assigned accounts and industry networking activities. We also do allow hybrid work from home days and flexibility.

Compensation/Benefits:

•    Competitive base salary with attractive commission structure

•    Opportunity to earn manufacture spiff checks 

•    Health/Dental/Vision insurance

•    401k with company match

•    Great company culture that values work/life balance

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