Animal Nutrition Inside Sales Representative - Decatur, IL

About the role

ADM Animal Nutrition, a division of Archer Daniels Midland Company, is a global leader in animal nutrition, ingredient solutions, and manufacturing innovation. We are seeking a motivated, customer-focused, and results-driven Inside Sales Representative to support our Premix and Specialty Ingredients business across North America.

Responsibilities

• Manage an assigned portfolio of customer accounts from initial inquiry through order fulfillment and ongoing post-sale support.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for inbound phone and web inquiries, providing product support and directing customers to the appropriate internal resources when needed.
• Qualify, vet, and route all new business opportunities within the Animal Nutrition portfolio, ensuring all inbound sales leads and customer inquiries are responded to within 24–48 hours.
• Proactively prospect, cold call, and develop new business opportunities to expand ADM's customer base and generate profitable growth.
• Maintain accurate customer records, sales opportunities, pipeline activity, and forecasting within Salesforce, ensuring CRM data integrity through timely and consistent documentation.
• Prepare sales forecasts, assist with contract administration, and maintain pricing information within eADM.
• Collaborate with Formulations and Pricing teams to develop accurate product recommendations, prepare customer bids and quotations, and deliver competitive solutions that meet customer needs while supporting ADM's profitability objectives.
• Identify customer needs, uncover technical gaps, and collaborate with internal teams to develop value-added solutions.
• Research industry trends, customer needs, market conditions, and competitive activity, and publish monthly market updates to the broader sales team to support customer conversations, identify growth opportunities, and communicate key market insights.
• Develop a thorough understanding of ADM's products, services, and market offerings to effectively position solutions that meet customer needs.
• Build and maintain long-term customer relationships through proactive communication, responsiveness, and exceptional customer service.
• Collaborate closely with Sales, Commercial Management, CD&D, R&D, Customer Service, Credit, Product Management, Operations, and other cross-functional teams to deliver outstanding customer experience.
• Assist in developing and improving Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to enhance operational efficiency and support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Effectively prioritize multiple customer requests, sales opportunities, administrative responsibilities, and internal projects while maintaining accuracy and responsiveness in a fast-paced environment.
• Represent ADM Animal Nutrition professionally during customer visits, trade shows, industry meetings, and other business events as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Agriculture, Animal Science, Science, or a related field required.
• 2–5 years of experience in inside sales related to account management or business development, preferably within the animal nutrition, agriculture, livestock, feed, or related industries.
• Demonstrated success managing customer relationships, qualifying sales opportunities, and providing exceptional customer service in a fast-paced environment.
• Passion for the livestock industry and a genuine appreciation for animal agriculture. The ideal candidate enjoys working with producers and feed manufacturers and is committed to helping customers succeed through innovative nutrition solutions.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong organizational, planning, time management, and follow-up skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to multitask, prioritize competing responsibilities, and manage multiple customer accounts while maintaining responsiveness and accuracy.
• Self-motivated, results-oriented, and able to work independently while contributing to a collaborative team environment.
• Ability to build strong, long-term business relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to manage customer interactions, sales opportunities, and forecasting; Salesforce experience strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify market trends, interpret customer data, and communicate business insights effectively.
• Proficiency in all Microsoft Office applications required.
• Comfortable representing ADM professionally during customer visits, industry meetings, and trade shows.
• Demonstrated commitment to responding promptly to customer needs and maintaining high service standards.