About the Opportunity

A Houston-based distributor of aftermarket outdoor power equipment (OPE) parts is building a nationwide professional sales organization serving independent repair shops, dealers, equipment retailers, landscaping companies, small fleets, and other professional buyers. The portfolio focuses on belts, blades, saw chains, guide bars, and related high-velocity replacement parts. The company offers clear advantages in assortment breadth, fitment and OEM cross-reference accuracy, U.S. inventory, dependable availability, consistent quality, responsive service, and targeted two-to-three-day delivery in priority markets. Our value proposition is not simply the lowest price; it is helping customers reduce stockouts, improve fitment accuracy, optimize inventory turns, and secure reliable long-term supply.

This is not a generalist sales role. We are seeking a senior sales leader with deep experience in the U.S. OPE industry who understands the buying process, seasonality, and decision makers across dealer, repair, and aftermarket-parts channels. The successful candidate will use lawful, established industry relationships to secure qualified meetings, quoting opportunities, and early orders. Strong preference will be given to candidates with an active customer network and the ability to generate revenue early in their tenure. This is a highly accountable player-coach role that combines direct ownership of strategic accounts with leadership of an initial two-person territory sales team that may grow.

Key Responsibilities

• Own nationwide market development and sales execution for OPE aftermarket parts; set territory and channel priorities and build measurable growth plans for high-potential markets.
• Use existing industry relationships to quickly reach independent repair shops, dealers, equipment stores, landscaping companies, small fleets, and parts distributors, while honoring all confidentiality, non-solicitation, and trade-secret obligations.
• Build and maintain a validated target-account pipeline with clear account value, buying cycle, decision process, estimated order potential, and next action.
• Conduct professional discovery around equipment brands, models, OEM reference numbers, usage, seasonality, current suppliers, stockouts, delivery, returns, and service pain points; identify practical entry categories.
• Translate the company's portfolio, fitment capability, local inventory, and delivery advantages into measurable customer value. Build targeted opening assortments and quotes rather than selling the entire catalog without focus or competing only on price.
• Take direct sales ownership of strategic and high-potential accounts from prospecting, quoting, first order, and collection through fitment follow-up, replenishment, cross-sell, and annual business review.
• Coach the initial two Territory Sales Representatives through weekly territory planning, ride-alongs, pipeline reviews, quote-quality checks, call preparation, objection handling, and next-step management; establish repeatable sales standards.
• Ensure customer interactions, quotes, samples, complaints, commitments, and next actions are accurately entered in the company CRM within 24 hours so forecasts and account attribution remain auditable.
• Coordinate with operations, warehouse, product-support, and supply teams on inventory, fitment, shipping, quality issues, returns, and corrective actions so customer commitments remain executable.
• Operate within approved pricing, discount, sample, freight, credit, and service policies; promptly escalate exceptions that could impair margin, collections, or customer experience.
• Be accountable for revenue, collected net sales, gross margin, first orders, 90-day repeat business, freight, returns, pipeline conversion, and activity quality; provide concise, actionable weekly and monthly reporting.
• Represent the company at customer sites, dealer meetings, industry events, and trade shows, strengthening the company's professional presence in the U.S. OPE aftermarket.

Leadership and Commercial Authority

The Sales Manager may approve discounts, samples, and routine customer-service matters within written authority and is accountable for the related commercial judgment. Free freight, extended payment terms, below-floor pricing, exclusivity, large refunds, and other material exceptions require the approvals defined in company policy. The Sales Manager may prepare and recommend customer credit applications but may not unilaterally approve credit.

Qualifications

Required

• At least three years of direct U.S. OPE industry sales experience across outdoor power equipment, lawn and garden equipment, aftermarket replacement parts, dealer channels, or repair channels. General B2B, hardware, or non-OPE sales experience does not substitute for this requirement.
• A verifiable record of developing OPE B2B accounts through in-person territory selling, winning first orders, and generating repeat revenue.
• Verifiable existing customer relationships and channel access among U.S. OPE dealers, repair shops, parts distributors, landscaping companies, or professional buyers, with the ability to create qualified opportunities early in the role.
• Experience leading, coaching, or informally directing salespeople, with the ability to set standards, inspect the sales process, and hold a small team accountable.
• Ability to understand OPE models, fitment, specifications, and OEM cross-reference information and translate technical detail into clear, credible customer solutions.
• Mature quoting, negotiation, gross-margin management, follow-up, pipeline-management, and commercial-judgment skills.
• Professional English communication skills, with the ability to independently deliver customer presentations, conduct commercial negotiations, provide written follow-up, and accurately document activity in a CRM.
• A valid U.S. driver's license, reliable access to a vehicle, an acceptable driving record, and the ability to travel approximately 50%-70% nationwide.
• Authorization to work in the United States; employment eligibility will be verified in accordance with federal law.

Preferred

• An established customer network that can lawfully convert to meetings, trial orders, or repeat business without violating obligations to a former employer. Candidates should be able to describe relationship depth and conversion potential by region, customer type, and business scale.
• Successful experience selling belts, blades, saw chains, guide bars, small-engine parts, power-transmission products, or other high-velocity OPE replacement parts.
• Experience building a nationwide or multi-state territory, new distribution business, product line, or private-label brand from the ground up.
• Spanish-language capability for customer development in Texas; Mandarin Chinese is a plus but is not required.
• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, supply chain, engineering, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.