Inside Sales & Applications Specialist – Commercial HVAC/Hydronics
Location: East Syracuse, New York
Position Type: Full-time
Work Arrangement: Primarily in-office with potential hybrid flexibility after training
Compensation: $85,000-$120,000 annually. Depending on experience.
Schedule: Monday through Friday. Exact work hours are flexible.
About Syracuse Thermal Products, Inc.
We are a commercial HVAC and plumbing manufacturers’ representative specializing in engineered hydronic, steam, heating, cooling, and plumbing equipment.
Our product lines include commercial hydronic pumps, heat exchangers, boilers, steam and water heating equipment, plumbing specialties, tanks, engineered pressure vessels, valves, expansion and compression equipment, and related commercial and industrial products.
Our customers include plumbing and HVAC wholesalers, mechanical contractors, service contractors, engineers, facility personnel, and other commercial equipment professionals throughout the region.
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced and technically capable Inside Sales & Applications Specialist to support our aftermarket and day-to-day customer sales activities.
This position will serve as a primary point of contact for customers requesting quotations, product availability, replacement equipment, lead times, technical information, and order assistance. The successful candidate will answer incoming calls, monitor shared email inboxes, prepare quotations, communicate with manufacturers, and coordinate with our warehouse and internal sales team.
This is not a high-volume call-center or retail counter-sales position. Most customers contact us remotely by telephone and email and expect knowledgeable, responsive assistance with commercial HVAC, hydronic, steam, and plumbing equipment.
The ideal candidate will have experience with an HVAC or plumbing manufacturer’s representative, mechanical-equipment distributor, plumbing or HVAC wholesaler, pump company, boiler company, industrial-equipment supplier, mechanical contractor, or similar technical organization.
The position requires strong customer-service and communication skills, but it also requires the ability to understand technical equipment, ask appropriate application questions, interpret product information, and identify suitable replacement or crossover options.
Primary ResponsibilitiesCustomer Communication and Sales Support
- Answer incoming customer telephone calls professionally and promptly.
- Monitor multiple shared email inboxes for quotation requests, product inquiries, order questions, and technical-support requests.
- Review customer requests and determine the information needed to prepare an accurate response.
- Ask appropriate follow-up questions regarding application, system conditions, equipment requirements, materials of construction, electrical characteristics, operating points, connection sizes, and other relevant details.
- Communicate clearly with wholesalers, contractors, service technicians, engineers, facility personnel, and manufacturer representatives.
- Maintain a friendly, helpful, and professional approach, including when handling urgent requests or frustrated customers.
- Provide timely status updates when quotations, availability checks, or technical answers require additional research.
- Develop long-term relationships with repeat customers by becoming a responsive and reliable point of contact.
Quotations and Aftermarket Sales
- Prepare quotations for replacement equipment, aftermarket products, repair parts, accessories, and new commercial equipment.
- Review incoming requests for completeness and technical suitability.
- Identify available products that meet the customer’s requested specifications.
- Obtain current pricing, availability, and lead-time information from manufacturers and suppliers.
- Prepare clear and accurate customer quotations using company systems and standard quotation formats.
- Include appropriate qualifications, exclusions, freight terms, lead-time information, and technical notes.
- Follow up on open quotations when appropriate.
- Assist customers with replacement-equipment crossovers, discontinued products, and alternate manufacturers.
- Identify opportunities to provide associated accessories, controls, trim, valves, tanks, or other related equipment.
- Help protect company margins while remaining responsive and competitive.
- Maintain organized records of quotations, correspondence, manufacturer responses, and customer commitments.
Technical Product Support
- Perform basic hydronic-pump selections using flow, head, fluid, temperature, system, and electrical information.
- Assist with identifying replacement pumps, pump parts, seals, motors, impellers, and accessories.
- Review pump nameplates, schedules, submittals, photographs, specifications, and existing model numbers.
- Assist with basic troubleshooting involving commercial hydronic and steam equipment.
- Identify likely replacement products based on existing equipment information and application requirements.
- Perform basic product crossovers between manufacturers.
- Review manufacturer literature, technical data, selection software, submittals, and installation information.
- Obtain assistance from manufacturers or senior sales personnel when an application exceeds the position’s technical authority.
- Clearly communicate when additional engineering review or field information is required.
- Avoid making unsupported assumptions or commitments regarding product performance, compatibility, availability, or delivery.
- Continue developing knowledge of pumps, heat exchangers, boilers, water heaters, tanks, valves, plumbing specialties, and related engineered equipment.
Manufacturer and Supplier Coordination
- Communicate with manufacturer customer-service departments, application engineers, inside-sales representatives, and factory personnel.
- Request pricing, selections, drawings, submittals, availability, shipment status, and technical clarification.
- Follow up with suppliers to keep customer requests moving.
- Document manufacturer responses and communicate the information accurately to customers.
- Escalate urgent, unusual, or high-value requests to the appropriate internal salesperson or manager.
- Maintain productive working relationships with the company’s manufacturers and suppliers.
Order and Shipping Coordination
- Work with the warehouse and internal team to coordinate customer orders and outgoing shipments.
- Confirm product availability and anticipated ship dates before making commitments to customers.
- Provide the warehouse with clear shipping instructions, customer information, order documentation, and special requirements.
- Coordinate customer pickups, common-carrier shipments, local deliveries, and expedited shipments when required.
- Communicate shipment status and tracking information to customers.
- Help resolve shortages, damaged shipments, incorrect products, and other order-related issues.
- Assist with returns, warranty requests, and replacement orders in accordance with company and manufacturer policies.
- Review orders and related documents for accuracy before release.
- Maintain communication between customers, suppliers, sales personnel, and warehouse staff.
Customer and Account Development
Depending on experience and demonstrated ability, the employee may also:
- Manage relationships with selected contractor or wholesale accounts.
- Proactively follow up on open quotations and recurring aftermarket opportunities.
- Contact existing customers regarding replacement products, maintenance items, and related equipment.
- Visit local customers to strengthen relationships or assist with product questions.
- Make occasional local deliveries or pickups.
- Support outside salespeople with account information, quotation follow-up, and customer requests.
- Identify potential project, replacement, retrofit, or service opportunities.
- Transition into additional account-management or technical-sales responsibilities as experience grows.
Required Qualifications
- At least two years of experience in inside sales, customer service, estimating, quotations, order support, technical support, or a similar business-to-business role.
- Strong verbal communication skills and a professional telephone manner.
- Strong written communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear and professional emails.
- Ability to manage multiple telephone calls, email requests, quotations, supplier questions, and customer priorities simultaneously.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Comfortable working primarily on a computer throughout the workday.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Word.
- Basic proficiency with Microsoft Excel.
- Ability to work with PDF documents, including reviewing, marking up, combining, and editing files.
- Ability to learn quotation, order-entry, CRM, ERP, product-selection, and manufacturer software.
- Ability to interpret model numbers, equipment schedules, technical literature, submittals, and basic mechanical information.
- Willingness to learn commercial hydronic, steam, HVAC, and plumbing equipment.
- Ability to work independently while also coordinating closely with salespeople, warehouse personnel, manufacturers, and management.
- High school diploma or equivalent.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience in one or more of the following areas is strongly preferred:
- Commercial HVAC or plumbing manufacturers’ representative
- Plumbing, HVAC, or industrial wholesaler
- Commercial pump distributor or manufacturer
- Boiler or water-heating equipment company
- Mechanical contractor
- Industrial-equipment distributor
- Hydronic-system service or technical support
- Commercial HVAC estimating or applications
- Pump, heat-exchanger, boiler, tank, valve, or plumbing-specialty sales
- Replacement-equipment or aftermarket-parts sales
Additional preferred qualifications include:
- Familiarity with hydronic heating and cooling systems.
- Familiarity with steam and condensate systems.
- Experience selecting commercial pumps.
- Experience identifying replacement equipment from nameplates or existing model numbers.
- Experience preparing technical quotations.
- Experience using manufacturer-selection software.
- Ability to read equipment schedules, mechanical drawings, specifications, and submittals.
- Familiarity with purchase orders, sales orders, freight coordination, and warehouse operations.
- Associate degree, trade-school training, manufacturer training, or other relevant technical education.
- Existing relationships with local wholesalers, mechanical contractors, service companies, or commercial HVAC customers.
Skills and Personal Qualities
The successful candidate will be:
- Personable and comfortable speaking with customers.
- Responsive and dependable.
- Technically curious and willing to research unfamiliar requests.
- Organized and able to prioritize competing demands.
- Accurate when preparing quotations and communicating technical information.
- Comfortable asking questions rather than making unsupported assumptions.
- Able to remain calm when handling urgent customer needs.
- Self-directed while working remotely or independently.
- Willing to take ownership of customer requests through completion.
- Interested in developing a long-term career in commercial HVAC, hydronics, steam, and plumbing-equipment sales.
- Able to recognize when an issue should be escalated to a more experienced salesperson, manufacturer, or engineer.
Training and Development
The employee will receive training on:
- Company product lines and represented manufacturers.
- Internal quotation and order procedures.
- Commercial pump-selection fundamentals.
- Replacement and crossover procedures.
- Manufacturer-selection tools and technical resources.
- Pricing, discount structures, freight, and quotation standards.
- Warehouse and shipping procedures.
- Customer accounts and regional market practices.
The amount and pace of training will depend on the employee’s previous industry experience.
Candidates with directly relevant hydronic, pump, boiler, HVAC, or plumbing-equipment experience may assume independent quoting and account responsibilities more quickly.
Work Arrangement
This position will initially require regular attendance at our East Syracuse office for onboarding, product training, customer introductions, and coordination with the warehouse and sales team.
After the employee has demonstrated sufficient product knowledge, responsiveness, accuracy, availability, and ability to work independently, a limited hybrid schedule may be available.
A typical hybrid arrangement may include approximately one remote workday per week. The specific schedule will depend on the employee’s experience, performance, training needs, department coverage, customer requirements, and overall business needs.
Remote work is not guaranteed immediately upon hire and may be adjusted based on operational requirements.
Schedule and Availability
- Full-time, Monday through Friday.
- Regular availability during established business hours is required.
- The employee must remain responsive to telephone calls, email requests, and internal communications while working remotely.
- Occasional overtime may be available or required during unusually busy periods.
- Occasional local travel, customer visits, deliveries, or supplier pickups may be assigned based on experience and business needs.
Physical and Travel Requirements
- Ability to work at a computer for extended periods.
- Ability to communicate regularly by telephone, email, video meeting, and in person.
- Ability to move throughout an office and warehouse environment.
- Ability to occasionally lift or handle smaller equipment, packages, documents, or product samples.
- A valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record may be required for employees assigned deliveries or customer visits.
- This is primarily an office and computer-based position and is not primarily a warehouse or delivery position.
Compensation
The anticipated base compensation range is $85,000–$120,000 annually, depending on relevant industry experience, technical knowledge, customer relationships, and ability to independently perform the responsibilities of the position.
Candidates with directly applicable experience in commercial pumps, boilers, hydronic systems, steam systems, heat exchangers, plumbing specialties, technical equipment selection, or HVAC manufacturers’ representative sales may qualify toward the upper end of the range.
The position may also be eligible for a performance-based annual incentive depending on company and individual performance.
Benefits include:
- [Health insurance]
- [Dental and vision insurance]
- [401(k) or retirement plan]
- [Employer retirement contribution or match]
- [Paid vacation]
- [Paid sick time]
- [Paid holidays]
- [Performance bonus]
- [Company-paid training]
- [Mileage reimbursement for approved business travel]
- [Cellphone or technology allowance, if applicable]
Final benefit details will be provided during the hiring process.
Measures of Success
Performance in this position will be evaluated based on:
- Responsiveness to customer calls and email requests.
- Accuracy and completeness of quotations.
- Quote turnaround time.
- Customer satisfaction and communication quality.
- Ability to independently resolve routine product requests.
- Technical-product knowledge and continued development.
- Follow-through on open requests and quotations.
- Coordination with manufacturers, warehouse personnel, and outside sales staff.
- Order and shipping accuracy.
- Development of customer relationships.
- Contribution to aftermarket sales and company profitability.
- Reliability and productivity when working independently or remotely.
Equal Employment Opportunity
We are an equal opportunity employer and consider qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, experience, performance, and the needs of the business.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $85,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Work Location: Hybrid remote in East Syracuse, NY 13057
