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 while building a sales career. The position combines inside sales activities with customer-facing responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Generate New Business Opportunities
• Identify and research potential customers using Schneider Electric-provided prospecting tools and AI resources in assigned local markets.
• Conduct cold calls and follow up via email or other approved channels using Schneider Electric tools, scripts, campaigns, and AI support.
• Guide phone conversations, communicate the value of the new offer, handle initial objections, and secure a first customer meeting.
• Ask qualification questions, document customer interest and next steps, and demonstrate measurable progress from initial contact to an in-person meeting with a Business Development Manager (BDM).
• Maintain consistent follow-up with prospects, understanding that rejection and repeated outreach are normal parts of introducing a new offer.
• Engage Customers and Grow Relationships
• Conduct introductory and discovery calls to understand prospect needs, priorities, and current automation environment.
• Use approved messaging to clearly explain the EAE offer over the phone, maintain conversation focus, and adapt the narrative to the customer's situation.
• Prepare qualified prospects for their first in-person customer meeting and support the BDM with call history, customer needs, and agreed next steps.
• Coordinate with BDMs, account managers, and technical teams to hand off qualified opportunities and maintain momentum.
• Learn to communicate with engineering, operations, maintenance, OT, and IT contacts, and identify the appropriate stakeholder for follow-up meetings.
• Support Marketing and Industry Events
• Travel within the assigned area to support local trade shows, customer events, and selected industry activities.
• Follow up promptly by phone with leads generated from webinars, trade shows, marketing campaigns, and other events.
• 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 provided CRM and sales tools.
• Share relevant customer information with the BDM and technical team when a prospect is ready for a deeper discussion, demonstration, or evaluation.
• Collaborate with internal sales teams and channel partners to ensure timely follow-up with qualified leads.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Basic Qualifications
• Entry-level candidates are welcome; prior experience in sales, customer service, retail, fundraising, call centers, or other phone- or customer-facing work is helpful but not required.
• 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, while spending most working time in phone-based prospecting.
• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• An associate’s or bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, technology, or a related field is a plus.
• 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; prior knowledge of PLCs, SCADA, HMI, MES, IIoT, or industrial software is helpful but not required.
• Experience with phone outreach, appointment setting, customer service, school organizations, networking events, or trade shows is a plus.

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.