B2B Outside Sales Representative - Chicago

About This Role

The Ace for Business Outside Sales Representative supports Ace Hardware Corporation’s B2B growth strategy by engaging business customers, developing sales opportunities, and helping connect those customers with products, services, and solutions available through participating Ace retailers. This role is focused on consultative selling, account development, sales process execution, customer follow-up, and coordination with participating Ace retailers to support consistent and helpful customer experience. 
 

What You’ll Do

Direct Customer Selling and Account Development

• Identify, contact, and develop business customers within an assigned market or territory.
• Build a pipeline of prospects and active accounts using customer data, market knowledge, referrals, CRM activity, and input from participating Ace retailers.
• Conduct customer discovery, site visits, needs assessments, quote follow-up, and account planning to grow recurring B2B sales opportunities

Consultative Customer Solutions

• Understand customer operations and recommend relevant Ace products, services, programs, and solutions available through participating Ace retailers.
• Help customers solve practical business needs by connecting them with appropriate product categories, vendor resources, special order options, delivery or fulfillment options, trade credit, digital tools, and other B2B capabilities.
• Represent Ace for Business in a clear, professional, and customer-focused manner

Participating Retailer Coordination

• Communicate with participating Ace retailers regarding customer opportunities, order needs, customer needs, fulfillment timing, and follow-up activity.
• Provide visibility to customer activity and recommended next steps while recognizing that participating retailers make their own store-level operating, fulfillment, customer relationship, and service decisions.
• Provide recommendations for retailer consideration related to B2B lead identification, customer information capture, opportunity routing, customer handoff, and service expectations

B2B Sales Process and CRM Execution

• Execute a disciplined sales process that includes prospecting, qualification, customer meetings, opportunity tracking, quote follow-up, order coordination, and post-sale account development.
• Maintain accurate CRM records, sales notes, customer activity, pipeline status, and next-step actions to support visibility, accountability, and measurable growth.
• Use sales data, customer history, and pipeline information to prioritize accounts and recommend growth actions

Vendor, Product, and Program Support

• Leverage vendor representatives, product experts, sourcing support, category initiatives, and Ace B2B programs to help business customers and participating Ace retailers identify practical solutions.
• Connect customers and retailers to product training, sales events, special order support, and account-specific resources that support sales conversion.
• Support adoption of B2B digital tools, trade credit, e-commerce features, vendor programs, and customer growth initiatives

Customer Service Coordination, Issue Resolution, and Reporting

• Follow up with business customers and coordinate with participating Ace retailers on customer questions, order status, delivery expectations, service needs, and issue resolution.
• Escalate service gaps, product needs, or process barriers through appropriate Ace and retailer contacts so customers receive timely, accurate, and helpful communication.
• Provide regular updates to the Field Sales Manager, Ace B2B leadership, and participating retailer contacts as appropriate

Who You Are

You are a driven, relationship-focused sales professional who believes in Ace’s Helpful Promise and thrives working alongside independent Ace Retailers and local businesses. You take a consultative, solution-driven approach—listening first, solving real customer needs, and turning trust into long-term growth.

Required Skills

• A minimum of two years of B2B sales, outside sales, account management, or related customer-facing sales experience preferred.
• Ability to prospect, build a pipeline, conduct customer meetings, identify needs, follow up on quotes, and develop recurring business accounts.
• Strong consultative selling skills with the ability to understand customer operations and recommend practical product, service, and program solutions.
• Ability to work effectively with independent participating Ace retailers, retailer leaders, store associates, vendors, customers, and internal Ace teams.
• Ability to communicate clearly with customers and retailer contacts regarding sales opportunities, customer needs and facilitating coordination, and next steps.
• Strong organization, time management, follow-through, and territory planning skills.
• Ability to use CRM tools, customer data, sales reporting, Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and other business technology.
• Ability to analyze customer activity, sales trends, and pipeline information to prioritize accounts and recommend growth actions.
• Ability to travel daily within an assigned territory and work flexible hours, including overnight travel as needed.
• Bachelor’s degree in business or a related field preferred, or equivalent practical experience.
• Excellent verbal, written, interpersonal, negotiation, and issue-resolution skills.
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision while maintaining accurate communication, activity records, and follow-up discipline.

#LI-JW1

Compensation Details:

$57000 - $65000 Per Year

Why should you join our team?

We live our values - W.E.L.I.G.H.T (Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility, and Teamwork). Gratitude. Humility. Love. You don’t often see values like these in most corporate statements, but Ace is different. These things are important to us. They represent our commitment to the company, our employees, to Ace retailers and to the Ace brand.

In addition to providing our employees a great culture, Ace also offers competitive benefits* that address life’s necessities and perks, many of which expand and improve year after year, including:

• Incentive opportunities, based on role/grade level (company growth over the past 5 years resulted in incentives being paid out at an average of 122% of your target opportunity!)

• Generous 401(k) retirement savings plan with a fully vested matching contribution the first year in addition to quarterly contributions and annual discretionary contribution (once eligibility requirements have been met).  Over the past 5 years, company contributions (matching, quarterly & discretionary) for fully eligible employees have averaged 10% of total eligible compensation

• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision and disability – up to 26 weeks short-term disability and long-term disability) & life insurance benefits for you and your dependents

• 21 days of vacation immediately available (prorated in the first year) and up to 6 paid holidays depending on the month of hire

• Company Car, phone and fuel card are provided for field-based positions

• Your career at Ace is more than just a job. It’s a chance to be part of something meaningful. We help locally-owned businesses thrive and make an impact in their communities – and we support our employees in doing the same by offering an annual Ace Cares Week, 20 hours off work per year to volunteer at an organization of your choice, opportunities to help Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the Ace Helpful Fund through the Ace Foundation

• Ace invests in every employee we hire, with a key focus on development and coaching. We offer on-site classes, facilitator-led courses, and a generous tuition assistance program, plus a performance management approach that goes beyond the typical annual review

• We know the work environment matters. That’s why Ace holds frequent campus events like Employee Appreciation Week, vendor demos, cookouts, and merchandise sales

• We bring them to you! Services such as mobile spas, auto maintenance, car wash and detailing, dry cleaning, dentists, eye doctors, flu shots, recycling and more!

• Employee discounts on Ace merchandise (including top brands like Weber, Traeger, Yeti, Craftsman, DeWalt and more), travel, fitness, computers and thousands more

• Birth/Adoption bonding paid time off

• Adoption cost reimbursement

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – access to free visits to therapists and lawyers, guidance on financial matters, elder and childcare, and assistance with tickets to entertainment events

• Identity theft protection

* Benefits are provided in compliance with applicable policies.

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We want to hear from you!
When most people think of career opportunities with Ace Hardware, they often think of the helpful cashiers and sales associates at their local store. However, have you also considered the people behind the scenes who select, promote, ship and process the invoices for more than 75,000 products? Maybe you haven't, but we'd like you to. Because together we help our customers take care of their homes. Come find out why a career with the Ace Hardware Corporation is one of America's best kept secrets.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Ace Hardware Corporation is committed to a policy of promoting equal employment opportunities. The company recognizes the importance of diversity and leveraging the skills and talents of all people to the mutual advantage of each individual and the organization. The company is committed to the prevention of employment discrimination related to race, religion, color, sex (including sexual harassment), gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, disability and military or veteran status, sexual orientation or any other action covered by federal or applicable state/local laws.

Disclaimer

The pay range for this position starts as listed in the job posting, but could be higher based on education and experience. Please note, compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each opening. We take into consideration the minimum requirements outlined in the job description, such as an individual’s education, training and experience, the position’s work location, required travel (if any), and external market conditions when determining the final salary for potential new hires.

Be aware that salary estimates published via alternate online job boards may not be a true representation of the actual pay range offered for this position. Please refer to the Ace position description for the accurate starting pay range information and feel free to discuss this with a Talent Acquisition professional if you are chosen to move forward with an interview.

This written “Position Description” is not intended to cover all aspects of the position listed. It is meant to cover the basic/general essential job functions of a particular position. Ace Hardware Corporation reserves the right to change job duties, including essential job functions, according to business necessity.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.