Direct Sales Representative

Job Details

Job Title: Direct Sales Representative

Location: Buffalo, NY (Onsite)

Duration: Fulltime

Job Description

Primary Responsibilities

• Manage and grow an existing account base across Ontario and New York State, with a combined territory of approximately $850K–$1M in annual revenue.
• Develop new business through proactive prospecting, cold outreach, and industry networking—identifying and converting new accounts in target markets.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for customers, building trust-based, long-term relationships with key decision-makers across purchasing, engineering, and operations functions.
• Conduct in-depth application reviews and process analyses to understand customer needs and recommend custom-engineered abrasive solutions tailored to their specific operations.
• Partner with the internal engineering and product development team to develop accurate product specifications and ensure solutions are properly scoped and delivered.
• Communicate the performance and value advantages of Buffalo Abrasives’ premium product line—including documented cost-per-part savings, extended product life, and process improvements—to justify price premiums over competitive alternatives.
• Maintain accurate and current account information, sales activity, and pipeline data using CRM tools; provide regular territory updates to the Sales Manager.
• Monitor competitive activity and market trends within the territory; provide field intelligence to internal team to inform product development and go-to-market strategy.
• Represent Buffalo Abrasives at trade shows, customer events, and industry associations as appropriate.
• Travel approximately 50% of the time to conduct in-person customer visits, application reviews, and new business calls throughout the territory.

TARGET MARKETS & CUSTOMERS

The Direct Sales Representative will engage customers across a broad range of industrial and manufacturing segments, including:

• Steel mills and metal processing facilities
• Automotive and transportation manufacturers (including piston and engine component suppliers)
• Cutting tool manufacturers
• Precision grinding and metalworking operations
• Other industrial accounts requiring high-performance, application-specific abrasive solutions

Required

• 3–7 years of technical or industrial sales experience, or a combination of technical/manufacturing experience with demonstrated interest and aptitude for sales.
• Solid understanding of metal removal processes, machining, grinding, or cutting tool applications—either through direct work experience or technical education.
• Demonstrated ability to acquire new business and manage existing accounts simultaneously in a competitive environment.
• Strong consultative selling skills—ability to diagnose customer needs, present value-based solutions, and navigate multi-stakeholder sales processes.
• Self-directed and organized; able to manage a large geographic territory independently while maintaining clear communication with internal team members.
• Comfortable operating in a technically complex environment—willing to invest time learning applications and products to a deep level.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; professional presence in customer-facing settings.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and CRM tools.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel approximately 50% of the time throughout Eastern Canada and New York.
• Must be legally authorized to work in both the United States and Canada, or hold appropriate work authorization for cross-border travel.

Preferred

• Direct experience in abrasives, grinding wheels, cutting tools, or related industrial consumables.
• Experience selling custom or engineered products with longer sales cycles and technical specification requirements.
• Familiarity with steel mills, automotive suppliers, or precision metalworking environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Industrial Technology, Business, or a related field—or equivalent practical experience