Technical Sales Manager

Acuity Inc. (NYSE: AYI) is a market-leading industrial technology company focused on solving problems in spaces, light, and emerging areas. Through our business segments—Acuity Brands Lighting (ABL) and Acuity Intelligent Spaces (AIS)—we design, manufacture, and deliver products and services that create meaningful impact. We drive growth through innovation in lighting, lighting controls, building management solutions, and audio/video/control platforms, prioritizing customer outcomes to expand market share and deliver superior returns.

This position may be based anywhere in the East region of the United States and includes travel as part of the responsibilities.

About the Role

The Technical Sales Manager’s mission is to increase our order capture rate through impeccable service and by clearing the path to order activation. This role focuses on building lasting customer relationships, fostering trust, and leveraging technical expertise to convert opportunities into orders.

Responsibilities

• Foster strong customer relationships and deliver exceptional experiences with a “we’ll take care of it” attitude to cultivate loyalty and secure orders.
• Leverage technical expertise, product knowledge, and a solution-oriented mindset to drive successful conversion of opportunities into orders.
• Collaborate with the Sr. Specification Sales Manager to identify and nurture potential opportunities, contributing to the growth of the project pipeline using designated tools.
• Support the creation of no-charge sample orders, partnering with customer support associates to ensure timely delivery of high-quality samples.
• Monitor and oversee the specification registration process, ensuring seamless management of registrations and resolving conflicts with agents.
• Provide specialized support by facilitating customized product and design requests using tools like the Product Configurator and system resources to generate bills of material and submittals (RFA request-for-assistance).
• Serve as a trusted point of contact for agents and customers, addressing all pre-sales needs to ensure exceptional support and communication.
• Train extensively on ABL products to address feasibility inquiries and help customers make informed product decisions.
• Engage with customers to build rapport, establish trust, and understand their challenges, fostering a “we’ll take care of it” attitude.
• Provide proactive insights to address potential obstacles and contribute to tailored solutions that meet customers' unique needs.
• Continuously identify and address evolving pre-sales needs, fostering collaboration within the team.

Skills & Tools

• Power BI: Proficiency in using Power BI to analyze sales data and order capture rates.
• Agile Applications: Understanding and utilization of Agile Applications such as the RFA tool, Quoting Tool, Project Container, and others to assist customers and resolve issues.
• Item Explorer and Windchill: Proficiency in navigating these applications to understand product feasibility and deep technical knowledge.
• ADC, acuitybrands.com, and Brand Websites: Expert knowledge of these platforms to provide key information and support order placement for agents and customers.
• Salesforce: Utilization of Salesforce for customer support, engagement activities, and building complete customer stories.

Requirements

• Naturally empathetic, with the ability to understand and address customer needs effectively.
• A “Just Take Care of It” attitude, demonstrating ownership of customer questions or problems until resolution.
• Technical and process expertise, with deep domain knowledge of Acuity systems or tools and business processes.
• Strong customer advocacy skills, with a focus on improving customer experience.
• Ability to act as a trusted and transparent advisor, crafting honest and empathetic communication between agencies and customers.
• Elevated business acumen, organizational skills, and interpersonal abilities.
• Ability to multi-task, work independently in a dynamic environment, and act with urgency to solve customer problems.
• Empowered to lead and drive results, including leading projects or project steps within broader initiatives.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience (or certifications).
• Solid understanding of internal ABL organization, industry specifics, and business strategies.
• Excellent problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
• Superior communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to remain calm and focused in stressful situations.
• 6-8 years of customer service/support and/or sales experience.
• Experience collecting, accessing, and interpreting data to provide insights to customers and partners.
• Travel requirements: 25%.

Pay

The range for this position is $83,300.00 to $110,000. Placement within this range may vary based on the applicant’s experience and geographic location.

Benefits

• Health care, dental coverage, and vision plans.
• 401K benefits.
• Commissions/incentive compensation depending on the role.