Sales Manager — Tallgrass Industrial Supply

## Mission Keep our customers' plants running with the right part, the right advice and a truck that shows up. ## Vision The distributor every maintenance manager in the region has on speed dial. ## Core Values - Do what you said you would do - Know the customer's plant, not just their account number - Earn the next order - Share what you know - Win together

Mission Tallgrass keeps customer plants running with the right part, the right advice and a truck that shows up. Why this hire matters now The President has been running sales on top of running the company. The reps are good, but each one sells their own way. Our top accounts buy a lot from us in some product lines and nothing in others. What success looks like in 12 months Gross profit up 12%. Top 50 accounts planned and growing. Reps coached every week. The President spends time on the business, not on every quote. Stakeholders aligned on this - President: Sponsor and direct boss. Sits on Rounds 1 and 2. - Branch managers: Partners on pricing and service. One sits on Round 3. - Senior outside rep: Most respected voice on the team. Sits on Round 3. - Controller: Owns the margin reports. Informal chat with the finalist.

Two profiles fail here. The top rep promoted into management who keeps selling their own accounts and never coaches. The corporate sales leader who manages by dashboard and never meets a maintenance manager. The first team plateaus. The second team stops listening.

Sales Manager, Tallgrass Industrial Supply Reports to: President Location: Wichita, KS, with travel to branches in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma (about 40%) Direct reports: 8 outside sales reps, 2 inside sales reps About Tallgrass We are an independent industrial distributor with nine branches. Bearings, power transmission, fluid power, safety and MRO supplies. Our customers are manufacturers, food plants, grain handlers and oil field service companies. We have grown steadily for 25 years on service. The next stage of growth needs a real sales system. The role You lead the outside sales team. The number is gross profit dollars, up 12% in the next 12 months, and most of it will come from customers who already buy from us. You coach the reps, plan the top accounts with them, protect margin and get the CRM used for real. What you will own - The sales plan and the gross profit number for the outside team - Weekly 1:1s and monthly ride alongs with every outside rep - Account plans for the top 50 accounts - Pricing guidance and margin review with the branch managers - Hiring new reps as territories open up - The weekly sales meeting and the monthly report to the President You will love it here if you are: - Most useful in the field, next to a rep, in front of a customer - A coach who makes good reps better, not a star who needs the spotlight - Comfortable with numbers and comfortable with people who do not love numbers What you will not be doing: - Carrying a full personal territory. You will have a handful of key accounts, not a book. - Running operations or purchasing. The branch managers own their branches. Requirements - 5+ years selling in industrial distribution or to manufacturers - 3+ years leading outside sales reps - Working knowledge of MRO, bearings, power transmission or fluid power - Regular CRM user who can get a team to adopt one Compensation Base $110k to $130k. Bonus up to 35% tied to gross profit growth and margin. Company vehicle or allowance. Full benefits. 401(k) with match. If interested Send a short note about a rep you coached who got a lot better. What did you change about how they sold?

30 days. Ride along. - Two full days in the field with every outside rep - Visit all nine branches and meet every branch manager - Pull 24 months of sales and margin by account, rep and product line - Meet at least 10 of the top 50 customers in person - One page memo to the President: "Where our growth is sitting" 60 days. Set the rhythm. - Weekly 1:1 with every rep, same day and time each week - Top 50 account plans started, rep by rep - CRM setup cut to the few fields the team actually needs - Margin review with each branch manager. Agree the pricing rules for quotes. 90 days. Show the first gains. - Every rep logging planned visits in the CRM each week - Top 20 account plans complete and reviewed with the President - First new accounts landing from the target list - Gross profit trending up versus the same quarter last year 6 months. Build the bench. - Top 50 account plans complete - 15 new accounts buying $10k+ annualized - One struggling rep coached up or moved out - Hiring plan for the next open territory approved 1 year. Hit the number. - Gross profit dollars up 12%, margin at 27% or better - 30 new accounts buying $10k+ - Team intact with no regretted loss - Next year's sales plan written with the reps, not handed to them

Where this person exists Industrial distribution and manufacturer sales teams in the region. Look at: - Sales managers and senior reps at national distributors like Grainger, Fastenal, MSC Industrial, Motion Industries and Applied Industrial Technologies - Independent bearing, power transmission and fluid power distributors - Regional sales managers at manufacturers who sell through distribution Title patterns to search - "Sales Manager" or "Outside Sales Manager" + industrial distribution - "Branch Manager" with a strong outside sales record - "Territory Manager" or "Senior Account Manager" at manufacturers, ready to lead a team Signals worth a closer look - Promoted from rep to manager inside the same company - Stayed 3+ years in each role - Talks about customers and reps, not only quota Avoid - Leaders from pure inside or e-commerce sales teams. This team lives in the field. - Candidates who have never sold a technical product

Touch 1. Phone call, no pitch. Sales leaders in distribution answer the phone. Ask for ten minutes to compare notes on growing inside existing accounts. Touch 2. Short email the same day. "Tried you earlier. We are a nine branch industrial distributor building out a real sales system. Would value your view, whether or not the timing is right." Touch 3. LinkedIn connect (day 3). One line. Reference a product line or market they know. Touch 4 to 6. Spaced 5 to 7 days apart. Share the honest picture: the team, the CRM, the gross profit goal, the travel. Ask what they would want to know. Touch 7 to 8. Offer a ride along. Invite them to spend a morning with one of our reps and the President. Good sales leaders decide in the field. Touch 9. Referral ask. If it is not them, ask who the best sales manager they have worked for is. Touch 10. Closing the loop. "Last note from me. We are meeting finalists in two weeks. If the timing is wrong, thank you for the time." Touch 11. Check back in 90 days. Put it on the calendar. Plans change after a bonus is paid out.

Round 1. Recruiter plus President (60 min). Goal: Is this a coach who can lead a field team? Questions: 1. Tell me about the best rep you ever coached. What were they like when you started, and what changed? 2. Walk me through a normal week. How many days are you in the field? 3. Tell me about a deal where you held the price and lost. Would you do it again? 4. How do you get a team to use a CRM when they do not want to? Round 2. Ride along plus working session (half day). Goal: Watch them in front of a customer and in front of the numbers. 1. Morning ride along with one of our reps to two customer plants. The rep gives feedback afterward. 2. Afternoon: give them 12 months of sales and margin for five of our top accounts. Ask for a 30 minute read out on where the growth is. 3. Role play: a rep wants to cut price 8% to keep a large account. What do they say? Round 3. The team (60 min, no President). Goal: Do the reps want to work for this person? Three outside reps plus one branch manager. Open agenda. Their feedback carries real weight.

Two from former direct reports. Non negotiable. Questions: 1. What did they teach you that you still use? 2. How often were they in the field with you? 3. Where did they fall short as a manager? 4. Would you work for them again? One from a former boss. Questions: 1. Did the team number go up while they led it? 2. How did they handle a rep who was missing target? 3. Would you hire them again? One from a customer, if the candidate can offer one. Questions: 1. What did they do for your plant that other suppliers did not? Red flags to listen for - Every win described as a personal sale - Reps who cannot name one thing they learned from them - Vague answers on margin

Offer Base: $122,000 Bonus: up to 35% of base, paid quarterly, tied to gross profit growth and margin Vehicle: Company vehicle, fuel card Benefits: Medical, dental, vision from day one. 401(k) with 4% match. Three weeks PTO. Start date: Monday, November 9, 2026 Counter offer prevention We have already addressed: - Scope. Leads the whole outside team across nine branches. - Autonomy. Sets the sales plan with the reps and reports to the President directly. - Upside. Bonus has no cap on the gross profit portion.

Sales managers get countered on money, so be ready. Step 1. Before the offer, ask: "If you resign, what will they offer you?" Write the answer down. Step 2. Win on what they cannot match. Scope across nine branches, a direct line to the President, an uncapped gross profit bonus. Step 3. Keep the window short. Five working days to decide. Step 4. When the counter lands, call the same day. Ask what changed about the job, not just the pay. Step 5. Plan week one with them before they accept. A first week with real customers and a clear plan is hard to turn down.

Day 1 handover By end of day 1, the new Sales Manager has: - CRM and ERP access with sales and margin reports by rep, account and product line - The top 50 account list with the last 24 months of sales - Ride alongs booked with every outside rep in the first 30 days - A 1:1 booked with every direct report in week 1 - A standing weekly slot with the President for the first 90 days

30 / 60 / 90 review cadence Day 30. President plus new Sales Manager. One question: "Where is our growth sitting that we are not going after?" One page, written. Day 60. Same, plus: "Which rep needs the most help, and what help?" Day 90. President and controller. "Are we on track for +12% gross profit? What do we need to decide now?" Day 180. Check point. If gross profit is not trending to plan, the President hears why from the Sales Manager first, with a plan.

Week 1 to 2. Build the search. Kit complete. Role posted. Phone outreach started. Week 3 to 5. Screen. Recruiter plus President screen weekly. Top 5 advance. Week 6 to 7. Ride alongs and working sessions. 3 finalists. 2 advance to the team round. Week 8. Team round plus references. Week 9. Offer. Counter offer plan agreed before the offer goes out. Week 10 to 12. Notice period and start.