Sales & Business Development Assistant

Sales \& Business Development AssistantCareer Track to Sales \& Sales Leadership Cochran Landscape Management Upstate South Carolina Pay: $22\.00–$25\.00 per hour, based on experience Job Type: Full\-Time Schedule: Generally Monday–Friday, with occasional evenings or weekends for sales appointments, home shows, networking events, and company events About the Opportunity Cochran Landscape Management is looking for a highly motivated Sales \& Business Development Assistant to work directly alongside the owner and help support and grow our sales operation. This is not a traditional administrative assistant position. We are looking for someone with a sales mentality who wants an opportunity to learn our business, take on increasing responsibility, develop their own customer relationships, and ultimately grow into a major sales and business development role within our company. The person we hire will initially work closely with the owner, assisting with everything from scheduling and customer follow\-up to estimating, running leads, prospecting, home shows, events, and business development. As you learn the company and demonstrate your ability, the goal is for you to begin independently running leads, developing estimates, closing projects, generating new business, and eventually helping us build and manage an entire sales and marketing team. This position has a starting point, but we do not intend for it to have a low ceiling. Responsibilities You will be involved in virtually every aspect of our sales process, including: Work directly with the owner on day\-to\-day sales activities Assist with incoming residential and commercial leads Maintain and coordinate the owner's sales schedule Communicate with prospective and existing customers Follow up on estimates and outstanding sales opportunities Attend and eventually independently run sales appointments Assist with measuring and evaluating prospective projects Help develop project scopes, estimates, and proposals Learn our pricing and estimating systems Track leads and make sure opportunities are consistently followed up Develop relationships with residential and commercial customers Seek out and develop new business opportunities Prospect for new commercial and residential accounts Help identify new markets and potential customers Assist with marketing campaigns and promotions Plan, set up, attend, and run home shows, trade shows, networking opportunities, and community events Follow up with previous customers for additional project opportunities Follow up with prospective customers who did not initially move forward Work with our field and production teams to understand how projects are constructed and completed Learn the technical side of landscaping, irrigation, drainage, hardscapes, grading, outdoor living, and related services Gradually take complete ownership of individual sales opportunities from the initial lead through closing and project handoff Who We're Looking For We are looking for someone who is hungry, motivated, organized, personable, dependable, and interested in building a career. Previous sales experience is strongly preferred. Experience in landscaping, hardscaping, construction, outdoor living, pools, irrigation, home improvement, or another related industry would be a major advantage, but it is not an absolute requirement. We are willing to teach the right person our business. The right candidate should: Have previous sales, customer service, or business development experience Be comfortable talking with homeowners, business owners, contractors, and other professionals Have strong communication and interpersonal skills Be organized and capable of managing multiple opportunities simultaneously Be comfortable working with measurements, numbers, estimates, and project budgets Be comfortable using computers, email, CRM systems, and other business technology Take initiative without constantly needing direction Be persistent with customer follow\-up Be comfortable asking for the sale Be willing to learn the technical side of our industry Be comfortable working both in the office and in the field Be willing to occasionally work home shows, events, or appointments outside normal business hours Have a professional appearance and demeanor Have a strong work ethic Be motivated by advancement and increased earning potential Want to grow with a company rather than simply find another job Compensation Starting Pay: $22\.00–$25\.00 per hour based on experience. This position is intentionally structured as a developmental sales position. During the initial phase, you will be paid hourly while working directly with the owner and learning: Our company and services Our customers Landscape and construction terminology Project evaluation Estimating and pricing Proposal development Lead management Customer follow\-up Sales techniques Business development Project handoff and production As you demonstrate the ability to independently handle sales opportunities and produce profitable business, additional performance\-based compensation and sales incentives will be introduced. Our intention is for the right person to eventually transition from an hourly developmental position into a true sales and business development compensation structure. That can include opportunities for: Sales commissions Performance bonuses New\-business development incentives Increased compensation based on sales production Increased responsibility Management opportunities Sales\-team leadership compensation Someone who develops into a strong salesperson and business generator should have the opportunity to earn substantially more than the starting compensation. Career Path We envision the position developing approximately as follows: Sales \& Business Development Assistant ↓ Independent Sales Representative / Estimator ↓ Senior Sales \& Business Development ↓ Sales \& Marketing Leadership The speed of that progression will depend heavily on the individual. We are looking for someone who wants to prove what they can do and earn greater responsibility and compensation through performance. Long term, we want this individual to have the opportunity to help develop our sales systems, expand our business development efforts, recruit and train additional salespeople, and potentially build and lead an entire sales and marketing department. About Cochran Landscape Management Cochran Landscape Management is an established full\-service landscape company serving Upstate South Carolina. We provide a broad range of services, including: Landscape design and installation Hardscapes and paver patios Retaining and seating walls Irrigation systems Drainage solutions Grading and site work Sod installation Landscape lighting Plantings Outdoor living improvements Commercial and residential landscape projects One of the things that separates Cochran Landscape Management from many companies in our industry is that we perform our work in\-house with our own crews rather than subcontracting the different portions of our projects. This gives our sales team the ability to offer customers a true one\-stop solution and creates opportunities to develop larger projects and long\-term customer relationships. Why This Position Is Different We are not looking for someone to sit behind a desk and simply answer phones or schedule appointments. We are looking for someone who wants to learn sales, learn the landscape and construction business, develop relationships, generate business, and grow professionally and financially. You will have the opportunity to work directly with the owner and learn firsthand how projects are evaluated, priced, presented, sold, and ultimately built. There is significant opportunity here for someone who takes ownership of the position. The ideal candidate will look at this opportunity and think: "I can learn this business, become great at selling it, generate new customers, and eventually help build a sales team around me." If you're ambitious, hardworking, organized, good with people, and looking for an opportunity where your responsibilities and income can grow with your performance, we'd like to hear from you. How to Apply Please submit your résumé along with a brief explanation of: Your previous sales or business development experience Any landscaping, construction, home improvement, or related industry experience Why this type of growth opportunity interests you Where you would like to see your career progress over the next several years We are looking for someone interested in building a long\-term career and growing with Cochran Landscape Management. Pay: $41,600\.00 \- $62,078\.22 per year Benefits: Paid time off Education: High school or equivalent (Preferred) Experience: Sales: 2 years (Preferred) Willingness to travel: 25% (Preferred) Work Location: In person