MATERIALS
Company: Shell Lumber & Hardware
Department: Sales / Lumber & Building Materials
Position Type: Full-Time
Compensation: Base Salary + Commission
Position Summary
Shell Lumber & Hardware is seeking an experienced Outside Sales Representative – Lumber & Building Materials to develop new business, grow existing contractor accounts, and increase sales of lumber, building materials, and related products throughout the South Florida market.
This is a results-driven outside sales position for an experienced salesperson who understands the lumber and building-materials industry and knows how to build relationships with professional contractors and construction customers.
The Outside Sales Representative will be responsible for actively prospecting for new business, developing contractor and builder relationships, identifying upcoming projects, preparing and following up on quotes, and growing sales and gross profit within assigned accounts.
The successful candidate will combine strong knowledge of lumber and building materials with proven outside-sales ability, excellent customer service, consistent follow-through, and the drive to develop and close new business.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
· Develop new lumber and building-material business for Shell Lumber & Hardware.
· Actively prospect for new contractor, builder, remodeler, developer, and professional trade accounts.
· Conduct regular outside sales calls and in-person customer visits.
· Visit contractors, construction companies, jobsites, offices, and other prospective customers throughout the assigned territory.
· Develop and maintain strong relationships with general contractors, builders, remodelers, developers, carpenters, property managers, maintenance companies, and other professional customers.
· Identify upcoming construction and remodeling projects and position Shell Lumber & Hardware as a preferred supplier.
· Grow sales and gross profit within existing customer accounts.
· Reactivate inactive and underperforming accounts.
· Develop a strong pipeline of prospective customers, projects, quotes, and sales opportunities.
· Identify customer needs and recommend appropriate lumber, building materials, hardware, and related products.
· Prepare and present customer quotes and proposals.
· Follow up consistently on quotes, estimates, projects, and outstanding sales opportunities.
· Negotiate and close sales within established company pricing and margin guidelines.
· Maintain regular contact with customers to identify upcoming projects and material requirements.
· Coordinate customer orders with Inside Sales, Purchasing, Lumber & Building Materials, Receiving, Yard/Warehouse, and Delivery personnel.
· Monitor important customer orders and projects to help ensure materials are available and delivered according to customer requirements.
· Address customer concerns professionally and coordinate solutions with the appropriate internal departments.
· Maintain accurate customer, prospect, quote, project, and sales information in company systems.
· Monitor competitive products, pricing, services, and market activity.
· Communicate significant customer opportunities, competitive information, and market trends to Management.
· Meet or exceed established sales, gross-profit, new-account, and customer-retention objectives.
· Represent Shell Lumber & Hardware professionally in the field and throughout the South Florida contractor and construction community.
New Business Development
A primary responsibility of this position is actively generating new business.
The Outside Sales Representative is expected to develop the market rather than rely primarily on incoming customers or existing accounts.
Responsibilities include:
· Identifying and contacting prospective contractors and construction customers.
· Making outbound sales calls and scheduling customer appointments.
· Visiting active construction and remodeling jobsites.
· Developing relationships with contractors, builders, developers, remodelers, and purchasing decision-makers.
· Identifying projects during the planning, bidding, and construction stages.
· Generating leads through jobsites, referrals, networking, existing customers, industry relationships, and market activity.
· Following up consistently with prospective customers.
· Converting prospects into active Shell Lumber & Hardware accounts.
· Reactivating former customers and dormant accounts.
· Increasing Shell Lumber & Hardware’s share of each customer’s total material purchases.
· Building long-term relationships that generate recurring and profitable sales.
Lumber & Building Materials Experience
Previous lumber and building-materials industry experience is strongly preferred for this position.
The successful candidate should have working knowledge of products commonly purchased by professional contractors and builders, including:
· Dimensional lumber.
· Pressure-treated lumber.
· Plywood and sheathing.
· Engineered wood products.
· Framing materials.
· Decking and exterior products.
· Moulding and millwork-related products.
· Doors and related building products.
· Concrete and masonry-related materials.
· Roofing and construction materials.
· Fasteners and connectors.
· Construction hardware.
· Building materials and related accessories.
The Outside Sales Representative should understand common construction terminology, lumber dimensions and grades, product applications, quantities, and the expectations of professional construction customers.
Contractor & Project Sales
The Outside Sales Representative is expected to understand the needs of professional customers, including:
· Competitive and accurate quoting.
· Product availability and lead times.
· Project scheduling.
· Jobsite delivery requirements.
· Special-order products.
· Material substitutions and alternatives.
· Large-volume purchases.
· Customer credit considerations.
· Accurate and timely communication.
· Coordination between Sales, Purchasing, Yard/Warehouse, and Delivery.
The representative should develop a thorough understanding of each major customer’s business, projects, purchasing habits, product preferences, and future opportunities.
Epicor Eagle
Experience with Epicor Eagle is strongly preferred.
The Outside Sales Representative will use Epicor Eagle and other company systems as appropriate to:
· Research customer accounts and sales history.
· Review products, pricing, and inventory availability.
· Enter and review customer orders.
· Research quotes and previous purchases.
· Monitor order status.
· Review customer purchasing activity.
· Assist with order and transaction research.
Candidates with experience using Epicor Eagle in a lumberyard, hardware, building-materials, or contractor-sales environment are highly desirable.
Qualifications
· Previous outside sales experience required.
· Lumber, building materials, construction supply, or related industry experience strongly preferred.
· Demonstrated success developing new accounts and growing an outside-sales territory.
· Experience selling to general contractors, builders, remodelers, developers, or professional trades strongly preferred.
· Existing relationships within the South Florida contractor, construction, or building community are highly desirable.
· Strong working knowledge of lumber and building materials.
· Ability to understand construction terminology and customer material requirements.
· Proven prospecting, relationship-building, negotiation, and closing skills.
· Strong customer-service orientation.
· Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and manage a sales territory.
· Strong organizational and follow-up skills.
· Ability to manage multiple customers, quotes, projects, orders, and sales opportunities simultaneously.
· Comfortable working toward measurable sales and gross-profit objectives.
· Strong verbal and written communication skills.
· Epicor Eagle experience strongly preferred.
· Valid driver’s license and ability to travel throughout the assigned sales territory as required.
Key Competencies
Hunter Mentality
Actively identifies and pursues new business instead of relying solely on established accounts or incoming opportunities.
Lumber & Building Materials Knowledge
Understands the products, terminology, applications, and purchasing requirements of professional construction customers.
Contractor Relationship Building
Develops credibility and long-term relationships with contractors, builders, remodelers, and other professional customers.
Sales & Closing Ability
Identifies customer needs, develops solutions, presents competitive quotes, handles objections, follows up, and asks for the business.
Account Development
Continuously identifies opportunities to increase sales and expand Shell Lumber & Hardware’s share of a customer’s material purchases.
Gross-Profit Awareness
Understands that successful sales performance requires both revenue growth and appropriate profitability.
Follow-Through
Consistently follows up on quotes, customer requests, orders, deliveries, problems, and future opportunities.
Customer Service
Provides the responsiveness, product knowledge, accuracy, and reliability expected by professional construction customers.
Communication & Teamwork
Works effectively with internal departments to ensure customer commitments are properly communicated and executed.
Performance Expectations
Successful performance will be measured through established sales and account-development objectives, which may include:
· Total sales.
· Gross-profit dollars.
· Gross-margin performance.
· New contractor and professional accounts opened.
· New accounts converted into active purchasing customers.
· Sales growth within existing accounts.
· Reactivation of dormant accounts.
· Customer retention and repeat business.
· Number and quality of outside sales calls and customer visits.
· Quote activity and quote-to-sale conversion.
· Development of new projects and sales opportunities.
· Growth of the active sales pipeline.
· Achievement of monthly and annual sales goals.
· Customer account management in accordance with Company credit and collection policies.
Compensation
This position offers a competitive base salary plus commission, providing significant earning potential based on sales performance.
The compensation program is designed to reward the Outside Sales Representative for developing new business, growing existing accounts, generating profitable sales, and building long-term customer relationships.
Specific commission rates, calculations, eligibility requirements, payment schedules, adjustments, and other terms are governed by the applicable Shell Lumber & Hardware Sales Commission Plan.
Working Relationships
Internal: Inside Sales, Lumber & Building Materials, Purchasing, Credit, Receiving, Yard/Warehouse, Delivery, Accounting, and Management.
External: General contractors, builders, remodelers, developers, carpenters, property managers, construction companies, professional trades, architects/design professionals as appropriate, vendors, and other industry contacts.
Work Environment
This position requires a combination of outside field sales and in-store/office activity.
The Outside Sales Representative will regularly travel throughout the assigned territory to visit customers, prospects, offices, construction sites, and other locations.
The position may require walking active construction sites and lumberyard/warehouse environments and attending customer or industry events.
General Statement
This job description describes the general nature and primary responsibilities of the Outside Sales Representative – Lumber & Building Materials position at Shell Lumber & Hardware. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every duty, responsibility, qualification, or working condition.
Duties and responsibilities may be modified or assigned by Management based on the needs of the business.
Pay: $17.00 - $20.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
