National Business Development Manager
POSITION DESCRIPTION: The National Business Development Manager is responsible for hunting and winning new business with mid-tier national key accounts (e.g. Ace Hardware, Grainger, Fastenal, White Cap, Colony Hardware, and similar distributors/retailers). This role builds a pipeline of net-new opportunities, converts them into profitable programs, and partners cross-functionally to launch, expand, and sustain national account growth. The role is highly external-facing and requires strong prospecting discipline, commercial negotiation, and the ability to align internal teams around customer-ready solutions. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES: Target & Land New National Accounts: Identify, prioritize, and pursue a focused list of mid-tier national targets with clear strategies, stakeholder maps, and next steps. Drive the end-to-end new account capture process, from first meeting through agreement, onboarding, first PO, and early success milestones. Build & Manage A New Business Pipeline: Maintain an always-on prospecting cadence (outreach, discovery, demos, samples, pilots) to create consistent qualified opportunities. Own pipeline opportunities in CRM with accurate stages, values, close dates, risks, and action plans. Develop Winning Account Strategies & Value Propositions: Create customer-specific proposals that connect product, merchandising, service levels, and margin to the account’s core objectives. Translate market/competitor insights into a differentiated pitch (assortment, innovation, packaging, promotions, and support). Lead Commercial Negotiations & Close Profitable Deals: Negotiate pricing, terms, programs, and operational requirements to secure sustainable, margin-positive agreements. Coordinate internal approvals and ensure deal structures align with company policies and long-term growth goals. Own National Account Onboarding & Launch Extension: Partner with operations, customer service, and supply chain to align item setup, ordering processes, and fulfillment readiness. Drive launch plans that include timelines, training, merchandising, marketing support, and early performance tracking. Expand Assortment, Placement, and Program Penetration: Identify whitespace opportunities to increase range, category coverage, and points of distribution across the account footprint. Build annual/seasonal growth plans including promotions, new items, resets, and display/merchandising opportunities. Coordinate Cross-Functional Support to Win & Retain: Collaborate with product/marketing to create customer-ready sell stories, content, and tools that support conversion and adoption. Align internal stakeholders on priorities, timelines, and deliverables to avoid launch friction and improve customer experience. Use Data to Guide Decisions & Improve Performance: Track KPIs (pipeline conversion, win rate, time-to-close, launch readiness, program adoption) and adjust tactics accordingly. Analyze account performance and recommend corrective actions (assortment, pricing, service, promotions, inventory flow). Represent The Brand at National Meetings & Industry Events: Build relationships with senior decision-makers, buying groups, and category leaders through regular travel and on-site engagement. Deliver compelling presentations, product training, and strategic business reviews to strengthen credibility and momentum. Forecasting, Reporting, & Internal Communication: Provide accurate forecasts and updates on targets, pipeline health, key risks, and support needs. Maintain clear internal communication so leadership and partners can remove barriers and accelerate deal velocity. SKILLS & EXPERIENCE: 3-5 years of B2B sales/business development experience; national account selling strongly preferred. Demonstrated success opening new accounts and closing complex deals involving pricing, terms, and multi-stakeholder decisioning. Experience selling into industrial supply, construction supply, hardware, or tool channels (distributor and/or retail). Excellent negotiation, presentation, and communication skills with the ability to influence at buyer/category leadership levels. Commercial acumen: understands margin, pricing structure, program economics, and basic financial drivers. Proficiency with CRM and MS Office; comfort presenting insights and updates using dashboards and structured reporting (CRM/NetSuite familiarity a plus). High ownership, resilience, and bias for action in a fast-paced, growth environment. Willingness and ability to travel frequently for customer meetings, events, and launches.