Senior Account Manager (Performance Chemicals) - 1480

SP Associates · Remote · US

Base: Not disclosed
OTE: Not disclosed
Quota attainment: Not disclosed
Posted: 1mo ago

Why it matters: OTE tells you what you could earn. Attainment tells you how realistic it is.

Ask: “What percentage of fully ramped reps hit quota last year?”

Still open · checked 2h agoon SP Associates's careers page

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The job

Who you'd sell to: Still reading the posting. Check back within the hour.
Where deals come from: Not stated in the posting.

The Braun Read

Proceed with caution

A few things here deserve a hard look before you spend time on it.

Pay: No pay listed at all.
Transparency: Says nothing about quota, attainment, deal size, territory or sales cycle.
Time on market: Open 38 days. Normal, but not fresh.
Company hiring: 2 sales roles open, hiring at a steady pace.

Based only on what the posting says. Lights are a starting point for your first call, not a final judgment.

Questions to ask on the first call

Built from what this posting leaves out. How they answer tells you as much as what they say.

1.
What percentage of fully ramped reps hit quota last year?
OTE is what you could earn. This is how likely you are to earn it.
2.
What percentage of reps on the team have been here more than 18 months?
Tenure shows whether people stay long enough to get paid.
3.
Has the comp plan changed in the last 12 to 18 months? What changed?
A plan that changes every year means the goalposts keep moving.
4.
Who sits with reps and reviews calls each week?
Coaching is often what's behind a good or bad attainment number.
5.
What are the base and the OTE for this role?
No point investing hours before you know the number.
6.
Why is this role open? Did someone leave, or is it new?
New headcount is growth. A replacement means someone left. Ask why.

› When the offer comes

Save these for later. They land better once they've said yes to you.

1.
Can I see the full comp plan in writing, including clawbacks and accelerators?
What's in writing is what gets paid. Read it before you sign.
2.
Can I see the actual comp distribution for the team last year, not just the OTE?
The spread shows what most reps really take home. OTE is just the target.
3.
I'd be walking away from earned commission to join. Is there room for a sign-on bonus to help cover that?
Leaving money behind is a fair reason to ask. The worst answer is no.

Josh's top five questions for any sales interview →

Got an offer from SP Associates? Not sure about it?Ask me. I read every message myself. · JoshAsk Josh

Full posting

We are seeking an experienced Senior Account Manager to lead profitable growth across the Northeast. This individual will develop and execute strategic sales plans, expand existing accounts, recapture lost business, and identify new opportunities within coatings and related industrial markets. Business area: Performance chemicals and specialty additives (Northeast) Location: Northeast Primary Responsibilities - Grow territory revenue by approximately $750,000 annually through new account development, increased share at existing customers, and the recapture of lost business. - Build executive, commercial, and technical relationships that support sustainable, long-term growth and clearly communicate the company’s value proposition. - Develop and execute key account strategies, including opportunity mapping, project management, account planning, and pipeline development. - Collaborate with business management, research and development, production, customer service, and health, safety and environmental teams to deliver solutions that meet customer performance and regulatory requirements. - Negotiate pricing, commercial terms, and supply agreements while protecting revenue and margin objectives. - Maintain accurate CRM records, customer contacts, call reports, pre-call plans, territory updates, and pipeline forecasts. - Lead customer engagement through quarterly business reviews, technical presentations, and regular on-site visits. - Obtain reliable customer demand forecasts to support financial planning, inventory management, and supply-chain decisions. - Resolve product-quality and service issues promptly and in accordance with established quality procedures. - Provide market intelligence to marketing and product-management teams regarding emerging trends, unmet customer needs, and competitive activity. - Prepare accurate information for annual planning, budgeting, forecasting, and business reviews. Required Qualifications - Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, or a related field preferred. - Eight to ten years of recent specialty-chemical sales experience with a strong focus on additives. - Demonstrated success generating new business within industrial markets such as coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers (CASE), and graphic arts. - Substantial coatings-market experience, ideally representing at least half of the candidate’s recent commercial responsibilities. - Experience selling defoamers, dispersions, or closely related performance additives is strongly preferred. - Strong understanding of formulation chemistry, product performance, and application testing. - Proven ability to manage complex sales cycles involving technical, operational, procurement, and executive stakeholders. - Proficiency with CRM platforms, account planning, pipeline management, forecasting, and detailed sales reporting. - Strong consultative-selling, negotiation, project-management, strategic-planning, and presentation skills. - Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Key Relationships Internal: Business management, research and development, production, customer service, product management, marketing, and health, safety and environmental teams. External: Existing and prospective customers, strategic partners, distributors, and professional associations.

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