Technical Sales Specialist

Zerust® Industrial — a Northern Technologies International Corporation (NTIC) company

Location:

Home-office based in Louisville, KY

Territory:
Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia.

Travel: 50%+, including overnight travel within the territory

Experience:

0–5 years

Steel rusts. We stop it. You will spend your days on plant floors across the Midwest and Mid-South — automotive, heavy equipment, steel, oil and gas, electronics, and more — figuring out why a customer's parts are corroding in transit, in the warehouse, or between operations, and then selling the system that fixes it. This is a technical, consultative sales role with a real product behind it.

If you like solving problems in person and you would rather be in a plant than at a desk, keep reading.

Northern Technologies International Corporation (NTIC) is a global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of corrosion and cleaning management solutions — packaging, coatings, cleaners, services, and systems. NTIC operates three platforms:
Zerust® Industrial, ZERUST® Integrity Solutions, and Natur-Tec®. Your focus will be on the Zerust® Industrial.

Our product line includes Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor (VCI) polyethylene film, VCI paper, diffusers and emitters, rust preventative liquids, wash chemistries, hydrostatic testing products, and rust removers. Customers use them to protect metal during transportation, warehousing, in-process handling, and long-term lay-up.

You own the territory. You are the face of Zerust to every customer and distributor in it — the person who walks the line, runs the trial, writes the recommendation, and closes the order.

• Own the sales plan for Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia— forecast, prospect, quote, and close with both direct customers and distribution partners.
• Walk customer plants and diagnose corrosion problems: analyze the manufacturing and packaging process, identify where and why the corrosion is occurring, and specify the right combination of film, paper, diffusers, or liquid chemistry.
• Run on-site product trials, corrosion surveys, and fluid testing, and document the results in a clear written recommendation.
• Train distributor sales teams and customer personnel on corrosion fundamentals and correct product use — a poorly applied VCI product is a lost account, so this matters.
• Build relationships at every level of the account: purchasing, engineering, manufacturing, quality, and plant management.
• Provide day-to-day customer service and problem resolution for accounts in your territory.
• Submit written visit reports and a monthly territory and forecast update.
• Support technical marketing of products and services, and represent Zerust at trade shows and industry conferences.
• Work independently, with regular coaching and support from your Regional Manager.

• Bachelor of Science in chemistry, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science, industrial technology, or a related technical field. Equivalent hands-on industrial experience will be considered.
• 0–5 years of experience. Those with lesser experience are still encouraged to apply, we will teach you corrosion. Candidates with 10 or more years in technical or industrial sales are also welcome to apply and will be considered at a level that fits their background.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. You will write recommendations that engineers read and quotes that purchasing acts on.
• Willingness and ability to travel more than 50% of the time, including overnight stays.
• Valid driver's license and an acceptable driving record.
• Comfort working in active manufacturing environments and wearing required PPE (safety glasses, steel-toe…