Inside Sales Representative in Champaign, Illinois at Clifford Jacob Forging Company

For nearly a century Clifford-Jacobs Forging has been a leader in their space providing quality services to the Mining, Gears, Aerospace, Energy, and Defense industries. We set the industry standard for quality, performance, craftsmanship, and customer service.

We’re currently looking for an Inside Sales Representative to join the team!

Why Join Us?

In addition to being part of a dynamic team, our full-time employees enjoy an impressive benefits package, including:

• No Cost Benefits: STD, LTD, Life/ADD
• Excellent Health, Dental, Vision
• 401(k)
• Vacation
• Paid Christmas Leave
• Paid Holidays

Salary

• $20 to $30 per hour

General Description

• Responsible for coordinating inside sales activities, customer inquiries, RFQs, quotation preparation, sales reporting, and customer support. Serves as a key liaison between customers, Engineering, Customer Service, Accounting, Estimating, Outside Sales, and other IMT business units. Supports process improvement initiatives, customer relationship activities, and sales team objectives.

Requirements

• Associate degree in business, sales, marketing, or related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• Two or more years of inside sales, sales coordination, customer service, or related experience;

Preferred Skill Requirements

• Manufacturing and B2B experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Answer and direct incoming customer calls, emails, and inquiries to the appropriate departments or personnel.
• Manage incoming sales leads, requests for quotation (RFQs), quote requests, and business opportunities from customers and prospects.
• Coordinate RFQ activities with Engineering, Estimating, Customer Service, Operations, Quality, and other internal departments to ensure timely and accurate responses.
• Coordinate ITAR-related RFQs and customer requests in accordance with company policies and regulatory requirements.
• Prepare, review, issue, and maintain customer quotations while ensuring pricing accuracy and compliance with company guidelines.
• Monitor quotation activity, follow up with customers as appropriate, and support efforts to improve quote conversion and order attainment.
• Enter, maintain, and update customer, quote, lead, and opportunity information in designated systems and CRM platforms.
• Maintain accurate customer records, sales activity data, and business opportunity information.
• Coordinate customer visits, plant tours, trade shows, marketing events, and related sales activities.
• Collaborate with Outside Sales Representatives and other commercial team members to support customer relationships and business development initiatives.
• Participate in sales process improvement initiatives and recommend enhancements to increase efficiency, responsiveness, and overall effectiveness.
• Proactively follow up on quotations, customer opportunities, and inquiries to support order conversion, customer retention, and revenue growth.
• Maintain and apply knowledge of company capabilities, manufacturing processes, materials, pricing practices, and customer requirements to support customer solutions.
• Support management of designated customer accounts through routine communications, opportunity tracking, and coordination of customer needs.
• Participate in customer visits, business reviews, sales planning activities, and business development initiatives to strengthen commercial and relationship management skills.
• Identify opportunities to expand existing customer relationships and support cross-selling of company products and services.
• Maintain and report sales activity metrics and assist management in tracking quote activity, opportunity pipelines, conversion rates, and business growth performance.
• Assist customers with inquiries regarding pricing, delivery, order status, product capabilities, and other commercial matters.
• Coordinate communication and information flow between customers and internal departments to support customer satisfaction and issue resolution.
• Support new order and project handoff activities by coordinating information transfer among Sales, Engineering, Operations, and Customer Service teams.
• Prepare and distribute sales reports, activity summaries, customer updates, and related business analytics.

• Assist in the preparation of customer presentations, proposals, and sales support materials.