Account Representative

locations:
Remote Location - Chicago:
Cincinnati OH, USAFrom a small family business to a multi-billion-dollar global company, Sonoco has been changing the face of products and packaging since 1899 — all while keeping the heart of “People Build Businesses” alive. Our talented people are at the core of our growth, constantly reinventing the Sonoco wheel with brilliant solutions every year. Today we are a world leader in global packaging solutions with diversified operations in over 34 countries.

We're extremely proud of our portfolio of brands, our achievements in sustainability and industrialization and the groundbreaking work accomplished by our people.
** Account Representative – (Midwest Region, Remote)
**** Reporting to the Sales Director**, the Account Representative will lead all direct sales activities within an assigned Midwest regional territory. This role is critical in driving growth in our Poly and Water-based coated board to service folding carton, corrugated, and other markets requiring deep customer engagement, strong business acumen, and the ability to translate customer needs into high‐value packaging solutions.

You will be responsible for building and executing account strategies, expanding multi-level relationships, and identifying opportunities aligned with our capabilities in Poly and Water-based coated board to service folding carton, corrugated, and other markets. Success in this role requires consistent territory travel, disciplined use of sales systems, and strong analytical skills to ensure accurate and actionable forecasting.
** What You’ll Be Doing
**** Territory Management
*** Provide insights to Marketing to support strategic planning initiatives; ensure account plans align with broader divisional strategies and market positioning.
* Implement, monitor, and refine account plans to maximize effectiveness, growth, and customer value.
* Develop and manage a
** territory sales funnel
** focused on new folding carton business opportunities.
** Customer Engagement & Business Development
*** Establish and maintain
** multi-level customer relationships**, ensuring regular engagement with decision-makers, influencers, and operational contacts.
* Conduct ongoing discovery to understand customer operations, challenges, and packaging needs—identifying what constitutes
* true value
* for each customer.
* Promote new product innovations, service offerings, and potential applications for our folding carton capabilities.
* Maintain a disciplined
** call plan
** and adjust based on market conditions, customer needs, and growth objectives.
** Market & Competitive Intelligence
*** Monitor customer facilities for activity such as expansions, closures, equipment investments, business shifts, and volume changes.
* Maintain detailed customer profiles, including share of business, product specifications, pricing, competitor activity, and performance metrics.
* Identify prospective accounts and support acquisition-oriented discussions where appropriate.
** Pricing, Forecasting & Data-Driven Sales Execution
*** Maintain current information regarding
** gross margins**, competitive pricing benchmarks, and cost drivers in the folding carton industry.
* Make informed pricing recommendations aligned with margin targets, value propositions, and competitive positioning.
* Use CRM systems and reporting tools rigorously to deliver accurate
** sales forecasting, funnel analysis, and territory performance reporting**.
* Leverage data to identify trends, refine strategies, and drive accountability within the sales cycle.
** Communication & Internal Collaboration
*** Provide consistent, high-quality reporting on account activity, customer updates, and progress against account plans.
* Partner with internal teams—Operations, Customer Service, Engineering, and Marketing—to bring forward customer-driven solutions.
* Communicate critical account information to the organization to support operational readiness and strategic alignment.
** Travel Requirements
*** This role requires
** significant regional travel: approximately 3 nights per week**.
* Candidates must be comfortable managing a remote territory and maintaining an in-person…