Automotive Accounts Manager

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Permanent Full Time Sterling Heights, MI, US

Salary Range: $ To $ Annually

Automotive Accounts Manager

Since 1934, Stabilus has offered components for diverse applications. We started out as a manufacturer of retrofittable stabilizers for the American automotive industry in 1962 and were the first company in the world to produce gas springs as standard equipment. Since then, we have continued to establish our pioneering role:
With a wide range of applications, our unique product range and decades of experience, we are the world's leading manufacturer of solutions based on gas springs, dampers and electromechanical drives.

This position will be located in Sterling Heights, MI. The Accounts Manager will assist with:

• Customer Relationship
  - Customer Relations / Primary Contact
  • Cultivate relationships with key customer individuals across a variety of Functions (Purchasing, Engineering, Quality, VA/VE, etc.)
  • Ensure that other key employees have relationships with their counterparts at the customer (STUS President, VP Purchasing, Engineering, etc.; Sales Director, Purchasing Director/Manager; STUS Quality Management, Customer Quality Management)
• New Business Development
  - Development of customer strategy and pursue new opportunities
  • Develop a customer strategy that identifies new opportunities, positions Stabilus to win new business, and exercises leadership in the execution of the strategy.
• Commercial Manager
  - Primary interface to customer on commercial issues
  • Act as focal point for all commercial discussions/negotiations (contracts, pricing, etc.)
• Account Management
  - Ongoing existing production or development programs at assigned Accounts
  • Customer / Market intelligence
  • Customer correspondence
  • Presentations / shows and collateral material
• Customer Program Manager - coordinate activities with Program Manager in the event of a pending milestone might be missed to establish “get well” plan and notify customer

• Understand macro automotive industry trends, how they affect Stabilus customers, how the customers’ reaction affects Stabilus, and recommend course of action for Stabilus to best leverage said changes/trends to Stabilus’ benefit
• Manage the overall relationship between Stabilus and assigned Accounts/Customers (up/down and across key functional groups)
• Establish matrix identifying key customer individuals (decision makers & influencers), who at STUS should interact with them, and the frequency
• Determine which customer individuals are pro, con or neutral toward Stabilus and develop plan to maximize the number that at pro-Stabilus
• Main customer contact (the “go-to” person for assigned Accounts/Customers)
• Entertain customers
• “Educate” customers about the value proposition that Stabilus provides to them. Requires a good understanding of customer needs/requirements and then tailoring the value proposition
• Timely quotation of new business by internally driving the quote process (prepare internal RFQ, ensure that all necessary technical/commercial information is included, and submit for costing exercise)
• Prepare pricing proposals (unit price, tooling), review them with customers and address any customer questions such as possible price discrepancies with similar products
• Attend and lead commercial customer meetings
• Develop a customer strategy that identifies new opportunities, positions Stabilus to win new business, and exercises leadership in the execution of the strategy
• Lead the sales effort to achieve internal acceptance of the customer strategy from other functional areas before implementation
• Plan, prepare, and conduct customer presentations as appropriate
• Coordinate customer visits to the plant (externally with the customer)
• Negotiate long term contracts, new production pricing (annual productivity, design and/or process change related, new product, etc.), warranty terms & conditions, prototype prices
• Obtain and approve production and prototype purchase orders
• Keep the rest of the assigned Stabilus team members up-to-date…