Sales Representative

**Career Area**:
Sales

**Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.**

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do - but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here - we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

**Role Definition**:
Manages dealers' relationships to market company products and services and assists in the development of dealer sales capability.

**Responsibilities**:

- Understanding of business model and acting within the business process guidance on review and approval for variance programs and commercial actions.
- Designing and assisting dealers on the forecast, sales/rental/used strategy planning, and sales techniques; supporting the rollout of new products.
- Performing regular sales performance reviews with dealers and ensuring implementation of corrective actions where needed.
- Presenting products or services for stakeholders, answering any customer questions, and addressing their needs.

**Skill Descriptors**:
Customer Focus: Knowledge of the values and practices that align customer needs and satisfaction as primary considerations in all business decisions and ability to leverage that information in creating customized customer solutions.

Level Working Knowledge:

- Communicates the importance of customer needs/expectations and commits to resolving them.
- Researches and verifies customer needs and expectations.
- Solicits customer satisfaction feedback and acts on improvement opportunities.
- Helps link organizational objectives to customer needs and expectations.
- Meets regularly with customers to understand their wants, needs and expectations.

Level Working Knowledge:

- Discusses industry-specific flagship products and services.
- Demonstrates current knowledge of the regulatory environment for industry segment.
- Describes the contribution of own function as it relates to the industry segment.
- Participates in major industry professional associations; subscribes to industry-specific publications.
- Currently works with a major industry segment and associated functions and features.

Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.

Level Working Knowledge:

- Applies an assigned technique for critical thinking in a decision-making process.
- Identifies, obtains, and organizes relevant data and ideas.
- Participates in documenting data, ideas, players, stakeholders, and processes.
- Recognizes, clarifies, and prioritizes concerns.
- Assists in assessing risks, benefits and consideration of alternatives.

Level Basic Understanding:

- Describes non-verbal behaviors that influence the interpretation of the message.
- Cites examples of effective and ineffective communications.
- Explains the importance of effective business communication.
- Speaks/writes using correct language, mechanics, and gestures.

Negotiating: Knowledge of successful negotiation concepts and techniques; ability to negotiate successfully across the organization and with external vendors and clients in a constructive and collaborative manner.

Level Basic Understanding:

- Describes qualities of effective and ineffective negotiations.
- Explains the basic concepts of negotiating.
- Accesses organizational policies and practices for negotiating.
- Utilizes techniques for establishing rapport and building trust.

Relationship Management: Knowledge of relationship management techniques; ability to establish and maintain healthy working relationships with clients, vendors, and peers.

Level Working Knowledge:

- Provides prompt and effective responses to client requests and interactions.
- Monitors client satisfaction levels on a regular basis.
- Alerts own team to problems in client satisfaction.
- Differentiates the roles and responsibilities in a business relationship.
- Works with clients to address critical issues and resolve major problems.

Value Selling: Knowledge of the principles and practices for selling products, technology and services; ability to provide overall product/service 'value' and to differentiate support offerings that address clearly understood customer needs.

Level Basic Understanding:

- Presents product, technology or service costs and benefits in reaction to prospect or customer requests.
- Describes general concepts, practices and benefits of value-based versus product selling.
- Documents proposed product/service solutions to be presented to potential customers.
- Pursues additional 'value selling' education or training to enhance traditional sales practices.

This Job Description is intended as a general guide to t