Director of Sales

CHRIS ARNS

Tega Cay, SC 704-***-**** admhda@r.postjobfree.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-arns-71839143/ GLOBAL SALES LEADER – B2B

SALES STRATEGY EXECUTION – EXECUTIVE LEVEL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS – TOP TIER SALES TEAM DEVELOPMENT Innovative and driven B2B Sales Executive with a proven record of developing and driving aggressive sales plans for global organizations across North America and Europe. Integrates market trends, competitor insight, and optimized product positioning strategies into actionable sales roadmaps that achieve results. Exceptional communication and relationship development skills; cultivates executive partnerships and delivers revenue-producing sales teams across commercial industries. AREAS OF EXPERTISE

B2B Sales Leadership Strategic Sales Planning Global Market Positioning Competitor Insight Executive Relationships Sales Team Recruitment/Growth/Retention Go-to-Market Strategies Financial Management Forecasting & Budgeting Sales Plan/Target Achievement Change Management Brand Optimization Business Acumen Strategic Thought Leader PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND RESULTS

H+M USA, a KURZ company – Charlotte, NC 2019-Present H+M USA is a member of the global $1B KURZ corporation; H+M heat stamp manufacturing services the healthcare, automotive, household appliance, cosmetics, tobacco, and pharmaceutical industries. Director of Sales

Determine and lead the organization’s short-and-long-term B2B sales plan to expand market share and contribute to revenue and profitability growth. Coach and mentor a team of sales professionals, guiding them on how to achieve sales plan objectives. A new role within the organization, establishing industry-leading sales practices, engaging with clients, identifying new markets, and leveraging cross-functional relationships to align the sales team with the company’s quarterly and annual growth targets. Notable Achievements:

• Surpassed Budget 20% by implementing new sales initiatives and strategies to enter untapped markets (3/2020).

• Restructured the sales team to increase market opportunities and improve the customer experience; expanded the customer service, account management, and outside sales rep teams.

• Upon hire, immediately addressed customer complaint and return issues; established new internal procedures and engaged with customers to improve relationships. Achieved a 100% customer retention rate. Schaeffler Group USA – Fort Mill, SC 2014-2019

The Schaeffler Group is a global automotive and industrial supplier with 170 locations located in over 50 countries and sales of $14.5B in 2018. Senior Key Account Executive Manager OES-Aftermarket (2018-2019) Strategically planned and implemented business development initiatives to achieve budgeted targets within the Automotive Aftermarket business. Cultivated key customer relationships and partnered with stakeholders to align the product portfolio to their long-term business objectives. Resolved escalated customer issues relating to delivery, quality, or pricing. Responsibilities included budgeting, forecasting, and reporting as well as adjusting targets based upon market trends and performance. Notable Achievements:

• Elevated customer relationships and customer satisfaction ratings from 53% to 90% with OEMs, including Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Volkswagen, Volvo, and Daimler Trucks.

• Exceeded budgeted sales revenue by 22% YTD while improving gross margins (2019).

• Successfully led highly visible projects between cross-functional teams in the U.S., Brazil, Thailand, and Europe to launch >50 new parts and resolved critical project issues during various launch phases.

• Excellent 2018 performance review; positive impact and very high potential rating, enabling leadership career path.

• Promoted to the Senior Key Account Executive Manager role, recognizing exceptional sales performance. Chris Arns 704-***-**** admhda@r.postjobfree.com Page 2 Schaeffler Group USA

Sales Manager Transmission Applications (2014-2017) Managed the deadline-driven request for quote (RFQ) process, customer retention, and cultivation of long-term OEM customer relationships for Transmission Application markets in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Oversaw new product launches; liaison between the customer and engineering to guide each project through the design phase, production cost calculations, market analysis, profit margin evaluation, negotiations, and final approval. Managed a team of sales executives to exceed annual sales and KPI targets.

Notable Achievements:

• Rescued and secured a new $22M American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) contract with long-term growth potential. Schaeffler won the 2018 AAM Supplier Excellence and Quality awards.

• Increased sales revenue by 9% YoY to >$300M, while improving gross margins; developing strong OEM relationships.

• Achieved a 50% reduction in RFQ processing time; improved system monitoring and internal communications.

• Recruited, trained, and mentored a diverse and highly impactful sales team.

• Contributed to a 270% Honda sales revenue increase by ensuring customer-specific requirements such as delivery time, quality, and design terms were met.

Lenzkes Spanntechnik – Germany, England, Austria, and the U.S. 2009-2014 Lenzkes Spanntechnik is a privately held global tool manufacturer with a vast product portfolio servicing industrial industries. Global Export Manager (2012-2014)

Developed and executed the annual sales and marketing plans to achieve European and North American revenue targets. Trained and mentored the sales team to achieve regional KPI objectives in Germany, Spain, Great Britain, Austria, and the U.S. Tracked, reported, and presented market and sales performance data to the CEO. Notable Achievements:

• Achieved a 15% increase in annual sales revenue through implementation of solution-based sales strategies to improve customer productivity and decrease downtime.

• Recruited, coached, and built a global sales team from the ground-up of industry-leading professionals. Created and implemented new training and development programs.

• Improved both the customer experience and operational efficiency by creating a comprehensive parts catalog and new company website.

Lenzkes Spanntechnik – Germany, England

Sales Manager (2009-2011)

Contributed to organizational growth by planning and meeting sales goals through relationship development with customers ranging from small machine shops to large OEMs. Expanded brand awareness through creation of marketing and email promotional programs, representing the organization at industry trade shows, and development of the company website. Notable Achievement:

• Succeeded in consistently achieving targets and promoted to the Global Export Manager position. EDUCATION Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Pfeiffer University – Charlotte, NC

Business Administration (Bachelor of Arts - BA)

Gera-Eisenach Cooperative State University (DHGE) – Germany TECHNICAL PROFICIENCIES

MS Office 365 SAP Psi Penta Salesforce OEM Supplier Portals LANGUAGES

Bilingual: English and German

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