Area Sales Manager – Converter market - South

Job Description:

Location: Chennai

Reports To: India Converter Leader

Employment Type: Full-time

Role Summary

The Converter Specialist is responsible for driving profitable growth within an assigned territory by acquiring new customers, expanding wallet share with existing accounts, and delivering value through application-based solutions. The role requires strong Converter and end customer engagement, solution-selling, and disciplined execution to meet sales, margin, and collection targets.

Key Responsibilities

Sales & Growth

• Achieve monthly/quarterly/annual revenue and product mix targets.
• Drive new business development (NBD) through prospecting, lead conversion, and pipeline management.
• Execute account plans and opportunity strategies in alignment with OP (Operating Plan) and OLCG goals.

Customer Engagement & Solution Selling

• Conduct regular customer visits, technical demos, trials, and joint application development.
• Possess and/or develop skill sets in Converter and automation processes.
• Identify customer needs and recommend adhesives/tapes solutions that improve process efficiency.
• Coordinate with technical service/application engineers to ensure successful trials and adoption.

Territory & Funnel Management

• Manage territory coverage, call cycles, and visit frequency to maximize reach and productivity.
• Maintain a healthy opportunity funnel with accurate stage definitions, value, and probability.
• Use the designated CRM for lead tracking, meeting notes, action plans, and forecasting.

Commercial Excellence

• Prepare and negotiate proposals within pricing and discount guardrails.
• Ensure on-time invoicing, collections, and DSO adherence; resolve billing and payment issues proactively.
• Monitor competitor activity, market trends, and customer risks; update counter-strategy plans.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with marketing for Ad Merch programs, campaigns, and promotion-led demand generation.
• Collaborate with supply chain for stock allocations, backorder mitigation, and aged inventory liquidation.
• Align with finance on credit limits, CIR impacts, and budget adherence.

Compliance & Governance

• Adhere to company policies on ethics, safety, EHS, trade compliance, and documentation.
• Maintain accurate records of trials, approvals, contracts, and regulatory requirements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Science, or Business (Mechanical/Chemical/Production preferred) or equivalent experience.
• 3-7 years of field sales experience in industrial/B2B (adhesives, tapes, industrial consumables, or related). Converter business experience would be preferable.
• Proven track record in solution selling, negotiation, and closing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with OEMs, Converters and key accounts in automotive, electronics, packaging, construction, or general manufacturing.
• Hands-on exposure to process lines (e.g., lamination, assembly, die cut , bonding); understanding of substrates and surface prep.
• Proficiency with CRM (e.g., Salesforce), Excel, and data-driven forecasting.

Core Competencies

• Product & Application Knowledge - Understand bonding mechanisms, test methods, and ROI/TCO.
• Consultative Selling - Diagnose problems and build value-led proposals; handle objections.
• Territory Discipline - Plan visits, optimize routes, and maintain call cadence.
• Negotiation & Margin Protection - Balance price, value, and terms within guardrails.
• Data Literacy - Use CRM and reports for pipeline, forecast accuracy, and performance tracking.
• Resilience & Ownership - Target orientation, self-motivation, and bias for action.
• Collaboration - Work seamlessly with technical, marketing, supply chain and finance.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Revenue vs OP; OLCG contribution.
• NBD wins: number/value; conversion cycle time.
• Funnel health: coverage (≥3×), stage progression, forecast accuracy.
• Visit productivity: calls/week, qualified meetings, trial-to-adoption rate.
• DSO, collection efficiency, and overdue reduction.
• Ad Merch program effectiveness (leads, trials, conversions).
• Customer retention, expansion, and satisfaction

Travel & Work Conditions

• Field-intensive role; ~50-70% travel within territory.
• Customer site work may require PPE and adherence to plant safety norms.
• Early starts or late visits as per customer production schedules.

Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the world’s problems at www.3M.com or on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @3M.Safety is a core value at 3M. All employees are expected to contribute to a strong Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) culture by following safety policies, identifying hazards, and engaging in continuous improvement.

Please note: your application may not be considered if you do not provide your education and work history, either by: 1) uploading a resume, or 2) entering the information into the application fields directly.

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