Hybrid Inside Sales & Business Development Representative

About the Role

Schneider Electric is seeking a motivated and energetic Hybrid Inside Sales & Business Development Representative to drive the growth of EcoStruxure Automation Expert (EAE). This role offers an opportunity for an early-career professional to gain exposure to industrial automation, digital transformation, Industry 4.0, and software-driven manufacturing solutions. The position combines inside sales activities with customer-facing responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Generate New Business Opportunities
• Use provided prospecting tools and AI resources to identify and research potential customers.
• Conduct cold calls and follow up via email or other approved channels using company tools, scripts, campaigns, and AI support.
• Communicate the value of the new offer, handle initial objections, and secure first customer meetings.
• Ask qualification questions, document customer interest and next steps, and show measurable progress.
• Maintain consistent follow-up with prospects, understanding that rejection and repeated outreach are normal.
• Engage Customers and Grow Relationships
• Conduct introductory and discovery calls to understand prospect needs, priorities, and current automation environment.
• Explain the EAE offer clearly over the phone, keeping the conversation focused and adapting the narrative.
• Prepare qualified prospects for their first in-person customer meeting and support the Business Development Manager (BDM) with call history and customer needs.
• Coordinate closely with BDMs, account managers, and technical teams to hand off qualified opportunities.
• Learn to communicate with engineering, operations, maintenance, OT, and IT contacts, and identify the right stakeholder for follow-up.
• Support Marketing and Industry Events
• Travel within the assigned area to support local trade shows, customer events, and industry activities.
• Promptly follow up by phone with leads generated from webinars, trade shows, and marketing campaigns.
• Convert event and campaign leads into qualified phone conversations and scheduled meetings.
• Track Activity and Build an Early-Stage Pipeline
• Meet established activity goals for calls, follow-ups, qualified conversations, and first meetings scheduled for the EAE business.
• Accurately record call outcomes, customer responses, follow-up dates, and meeting progress in the provided CRM and sales tools.
• Share relevant customer information with the BDM and technical team when a prospect is ready for a deeper discussion.
• Work with internal sales teams and channel partners to ensure timely follow-up with qualified leads.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Basic Qualifications
• Clear, confident phone communication and active-listening skills.
• A positive attitude, willingness to learn, and openness to coaching, call reviews, and sales scripts.
• Self-motivated and comfortable making frequent cold calls, managing a structured call schedule, and speaking with new prospects.
• Ability to learn a new offer and explain its basic business value in simple, customer-friendly language.
• Willingness to travel primarily within the local or assigned region for trade shows and selected customer meetings.
• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Comfort using digital tools and AI-assisted resources to research prospects, prepare outreach, and organize follow-up.
• Helpful Experience
• Internship, school project, part-time job, volunteer work, or early-career experience involving customer contact, outreach, sales, technology, or manufacturing.
• Interest in learning industrial automation and software concepts.
• Experience with phone outreach, appointment setting, customer service, school organizations, networking events, or trade shows is a plus.
• Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, technology, or a related field is a plus.
• Prior knowledge of PLCs, SCADA, HMI, MES, IIoT, or industrial software is helpful but not required.

Qualifications

You are comfortable starting conversations with people you do not know, asking questions, listening carefully, and guiding a phone discussion toward a clear next step. You can stay organized, follow a call plan, work independently, and collaborate with the broader sales team. You are resilient and persistent, understanding that rejection is a normal part of launching a new offer, and can remain professional, learn from each conversation, and continue working toward the next qualified meeting.