Business Development Manager

You win the account. Somebody else takes over . You open the next door

Every new customer you close in Houston, hands off to a Territory Sales Manager once it’s up and running, so you never carry an account management book. This is a pure hunting seat. You’re paid to open new doors, not manage the ones already open.

"We're not naming them here, at their request. Here's the deal instead: we tell you exactly who they are in the first two minutes of the call, before you tell us a thing about yourself. This is one open, funded seat. It's not a pipeline post and we're not building a resume database."

We’re running a search for one of our clients, a 94 year old national distributor of batteries and power products, 200+ branches across the United States and backed by a private equity firm, serving automotive aftermarket, commercial fleet, heavy duty, industrial, and material handling customers through a branch and distribution network. This is a true hunter seat. You own new customer acquisition across a defined metro market, identifying prospects, building the pipeline, and closing net new B2B accounts.

Once an account is activated and hits agreed handoff criteria, it transitions to a Territory Sales Manager, so you stay focused on winning new business instead of carrying an account management book. You’ll build pipeline from leads provided by branches in the territory, and your own prospecting, working alongside territory sales, branch teams, and regional leadership.

• Identify, prospect, qualify, and close net new commercial accounts within your assigned market, with a focus on competitive displacement
• Self generate opportunities through field prospecting, cold calling, referrals, networking, and industry associations, not just inbound
• Own each opportunity end to end: discovery, solution development, pricing, negotiation, close, credit and account setup, and first order
• Build market intelligence on customer concentrations, incumbent suppliers, competitive relationships, and underserved segments
• Partner with pricing, category management, operations, and branch teams to build competitive, profitable solutions
• Execute a clean, documented handoff to the assigned Territory Sales Manager once new accounts are activated
• Keep CRM current, including activity, opportunities, stages, expected value, close dates, and outcomes
• Feed leadership real signal on competitors, pricing pressure, product gaps, and emerging opportunities

• 5+ years of B2B outside sales, business development, or new account acquisition experience
• A track record of winning net new commercial customers in a competitive market, including through self generated leads
• Experience running a full sales cycle from prospecting through close and activation
• Comfort selling where pricing, margin, inventory availability, logistics, and service levels drive the buying decision
• Credibility with business owners, purchasing managers, fleet managers, operations leaders, and service managers
• Disciplined territory planning and the ability to manage a high volume of opportunities at different stages
• Strong CRM habits and a data driven approach to pipeline and forecasting
• Valid U.S. driver’s license, willingness to spend most of your week in the field, with occasional overnight travel

• Background in batteries, automotive aftermarket, commercial fleet, heavy duty, industrial, material handling, golf, or parts distribution
• Experience with independent battery distributors
• Experience selling to marine and RV dealers
• Background in route based distribution, including tool trucks, DSD, and similar models
• Experience in powersports distribution
• Experience in tire distribution
• Experience in lubricants and chemicals distribution
• Experience selling into a branch based distribution model

Base set on experience, plus variable tied to new business revenue and margin