TYLER TRUTTMANN
COMPANY: Carolina Handling
TITLE: Regional Sales Manager
YEARS ON THE JOB: Two
I have been privileged to be with Carolina Handling for two years now. My tenure at Carolina Handling began in 2019 as the GA sales leader before relocating last year where I now act as a regional sales leader for North and South Carolina. Daily job functions include working with internal and external associates to maximize the customer experience, talent acquisition, market strategy, associate development and business execution.
Consistent with most sales or leadership roles, no two days are the same. Commonly, days consist of collaborating with other departments providing the necessary framework for sales enablement. Building a dynamic team has been my priority since I arrived, so I spend a considerable amount of time in conjunction with our recruiting department acquiring talented sales professionals to attack the market. There is a steep learning curve in our industry due to the wide range of offerings we have today, which requires us to be very thorough in our training and development. I have a cadence to connect with each of my team members on intervals that vary from associate to associate. Everyone needs to be led differently – my job is to understand what drives each individual to maximize their performance.
I started adding responsibilities as I gained a greater understanding of our entire business. In order to evoke positive change, I had to understand past and current state first. Building relationships with associates in various departments and understanding what our customers are yearning for has allowed me to add more to my plate.
My educational background is in business marketing. I was introduced to the industry in 2013 joining EnerSys as a sales engineer in the Midwest. Understanding the manufacturing side of the business aides me in my role today as a distributor. Though the sales process is vastly different between the MFG and distributor, the core elements of customer satisfaction between the two are synonymous.
I think one of the challenges is that very few people know that this industry exists. Coming out of college, when most people think of sales, they are drawn to fields like IT software, medical, real estate, etc. The opportunities are plentiful in our industry and it’s our job in collaboration with organizations like MHEDA to make candidates aware of them.
I believe the most valuable skill for a salesperson or leader to possess is listening. When I first got into sales, I wanted to tell customers all about the features, functions and benefits of my products and services. I quickly learned that people did not care about that. Instead, if you simply ask the right questions and listen, they will tell you exactly what they are looking for.
Communication is paramount when you think about 600+ associates covering over four states serving over 3,000 customers. With all of the communication channels we have at our disposal in today’s world, there are few excuses for miscommunication.
Someone in my role has to feel gratification from team victories rather than individual accomplishments. The company as a whole practices servant leadership on a daily basis, which is inherently the type of leader I am, so I think working in an organization that is conducive to the approach you have is important. Someone in this role has to drive the culture and create a strong desire to win in the marketplace. Acquiring elite talent both within the industry and outside of it is imperative. This role is easy if you have the right pieces in place working as one cohesive unit.
My background in playing, coaching and recruiting at the collegiate level certainly helped develop a lot of the same skillset I use today. Team sports and team sales parallel each other in many ways. I attribute much of my success to the two industry leading companies I have worked for and the mentors who invest in me.
