Sales Specialist

Job Summary

The Sales Specialist is a key partner to the Commercial team as Tilley Distribution accelerates its commercial growth, builds a growth-focused sales organization and enhances the customer experiences. This role drives revenue by advancing opportunities through the pipeline, strengthening customer relationships, and bringing discipline and consistency to how we sell. 

Working at the center of customers, sales representatives, suppliers, and internal teams, the Sales Specialist turns information into action – identifying growth opportunities, removing friction from the customer experience, and helping the team close more business, faster. The ideal candidate is commercially minded, highly organized, with the agility to manage competing priorities and the curiosity to improve how things get done in a fast-moving environment.

Essential Functions / General Accountabilities

Pipeline & Opportunity Management 

• Generate pipeline reports, sales activity reports, and opportunity summaries for sales leadership. 
• Maintain and update the sales pipeline within the CRM system, ensuring opportunities are current, accurate, and properly staged. 
• Monitor open opportunities and proactively follow up with sales representatives on key next steps, project updates, and customer activities. 
• Support account managers in developing opportunity plans and tracking progress toward revenue goals. 
• Identify stalled or inactive opportunities and work with the sales team to develop action plans. 
• Track sample requests, evaluations, and project milestones through the sales pipeline. 
• Assist in forecasting activities by maintaining accurate opportunity data and expected timelines. 
• Coordinate internal follow-up actions required to advance customer projects from qualification through commercialization. 

General Sales Team Support 

• Support Corporate/Territory/Technical Account Managers in managing customer opportunities and day-to-day sales activities. 
• Prepare quotations, pricing documents, presentations, and customer communications. 
• Assist with account reviews, pipeline management, and sales reporting. 
• Maintain accurate customer and opportunity information within CRM systems. 
• Track and follow up on open opportunities, projects, and customer requests. 
• Assist with forecasting and commercial planning activities. 

Customer Service & Relationship Management 

• Serve as a primary point of contact for customer inquiries and support requests. 
• Respond to requests regarding product information, specifications, SDSs, certifications, and other documentation. 
• Coordinate communication between customers and internal departments to ensure timely resolution of issues. 
• Build and maintain positive customer relationships through proactive and professional service. 
• Help ensure customers receive timely follow-up and support throughout the opportunity lifecycle. 

Administrative & Commercial Support 

• Maintain customer records, pricing information, and commercial documentation. 
• Generate sales activity reports, pipeline reports, and customer analyses. 
• Assist with customer onboarding activities. 
• Support preparation for customer meetings, business reviews, and trade shows. 
• Coordinate internal meetings, project updates, and follow-up activities. 
• Support commercial initiatives, marketing campaigns, and business development projects as needed.

Sample Coordination 

• Manage and coordinate customer sample requests from initial request through delivery. 
• Collaborate with suppliers, warehouses, and logistics providers to ensure timely sample fulfillment. 
• Monitor shipment status and communicate updates to customers and sales representatives. 
• Maintain records of sample activity and assist in tracking sample-to-commercial conversion opportunities. 
• Follow up with customers and sales representatives regarding sample evaluations, project status, and feedback. 
• Ensure sample requests are properly documented within CRM and linked to sales opportunities. 

Job Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree is required.
• 5+ years in a people-facing role
• Hands-on experience in ERP/CRM tools
• Strong, straightforward communication – able to explain options and trade-offs, set expectations, and keep customers informed.
• High attention to detail and follow-through – gets the order, paperwork, and system notes right the first time.
• Comfort working with standard policies and knowing when to escalate based on customer impact, cost, and compliance risk.

Preferred 

• Track record of spotting repeat problems and pushing practical fixes (process, training, data cleanup) that stick.

Skills

• Advanced computer skills and demonstrated ability to handle high-volume email correspondence in a fast-paced environment.
• Problem-solving capability: Ability to work effectively with incomplete/conflicting information; ask clarifying questions; assess impact (customer, cost, service level, compliance); and select an appropriate resolution path (standard process vs. escalation).
• Analytical problem-solving: ability to frame issues, identify root cause, and select effective countermeasures in time-sensitive situations
• Decision-making under ambiguity: assesses risk, clarifies assumptions, and escalates appropriately based on impact and compliance exposure
• Customer advocacy and relationship management, including de-escalation and expectation-setting during service disruptions
• Prioritization and workflow management across multiple orders, stakeholders, and deadlines; continuously identifies opportunities to streamline processes

Location

• Remote
• 10% travel

Work Environment

• Indoor/Standard Office Environment.

Physical Requirements

• Sitting and/or alternate sitting and standing at will.
• Keyboarding. Entering text or data into a computer by means of a traditional keyboard.
• Speaking. Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word to impart oral information to clients or the public and to convey detailed spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Hearing Requirements. The ability to hear, understand and distinguish speech and/or other sounds. (i.e., in-person speech, telephone, computer, etc.)
• Near Visual Acuity. Clarity of vision at approximately 20 inches or less (i.e., use of computers.)

*This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.