The Outside Builder Sales Representative is responsible for developing, maintaining, and growing relationships with residential builders, remodelers, developers, and key trade partners within the assigned territory.
This position serves as the primary point of contact between the builder and our company, coordinating plumbing, HVAC, appliances, lighting, and related products and services. The successful representative will focus on becoming a trusted business partner to the builder, not simply a salesperson.
The primary objective is to win profitable builder business, increase our share of each customer's purchases, and retain those relationships through exceptional service, communication, and execution.
1. New Business Development
- Identify and actively pursue builders, remodelers, developers, and contractors not currently doing significant business with us.
- Maintain a targeted prospect list and consistently make face-to-face sales calls.
- Develop relationships with owners, purchasing managers, project managers, superintendents, designers, and other key decision-makers.
- Present our complete capabilities across plumbing, HVAC, appliances, lighting, showroom services, delivery, and installation where applicable.
- Develop a specific conversion strategy for competitive accounts.
- Establish measurable goals for new accounts and increased customer penetration.
2. Existing Builder Account Management
- Serve as the primary contact for assigned builder accounts.
- Maintain regular jobsite, office, and purchasing-department contact.
- Understand each builder's current projects, upcoming developments, projected starts, specifications, and purchasing needs.
- Conduct regular account reviews with major customers.
- Identify service problems early and take ownership of getting them resolved.
- Build relationships at multiple levels within each customer's organization so the account is not dependent on one relationship.
3. Increase Share of Customer
The representative is expected to look beyond the initial product category and identify opportunities to expand the relationship.
For example:
Plumbing customer - Plumbing + HVAC + Appliances + Lighting
The goal is to make our company the builder's preferred single-source supplier whenever practical.
4. Quoting, Specifications & Project Management
- Work with inside sales, showroom personnel, purchasing, and management to prepare accurate and competitive quotes.
- Assist builders with product specifications, packages, alternates, and value-engineering opportunities.
- Track major quotes from initial opportunity through award or loss.
- Follow up aggressively on outstanding quotations.
- Maintain awareness of job schedules, product lead times, special orders, and potential shortages. Coordinate internally to help ensure material is available when the builder needs it.
- Communicate changes, delays, and problems before they become emergencies.
5. Showroom Coordination
- Introduce builders and their customers to our showroom sales team.
- Establish a clear process for homeowner selections and upgrades.
- Communicate builder allowances, specifications, approved products, and upgrade procedures to showroom staff.
- Maintain communication between the builder, showroom, inside sales, and purchasing.
- Identify opportunities to increase upgrade sales while protecting the builder relationship.
6. Pricing & Profitability
The Outside Builder Sales Representative is responsible for profitable sales growth—not sales volume alone.
Responsibilities include:
- Understand customer pricing structure and competitive position.
- Protect gross profit while remaining competitive.
- Avoid unnecessary price discounting.
- Sell our service, availability, product knowledge, delivery capabilities, showroom, and problem¬ solving ability.
- Review low-margin business and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Work with management on pricing agreements for strategic accounts.
- Understand freight, delivery, installation, returns, special-order, and service costs associated with each account.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $65,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Experience:
- Outside sales: 3 years (Preferred)
- Construction sales: 2 years (Preferred)
Work Location: On the road
