CAROLYN CONNOLLY
Joppa, MD
***********@*****.***
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-connolly-44862510/ REGIONAL SALES MANAGER
Results-focused, seasoned sales leader with extensive experience at managing the entire sales lifecycle from prospecting for customers to landing, retaining, and expanding accounts. Reputation for leveraging a consultative selling mindset to understand customer needs, challenges, and expectations, developing top-notch sales teams, and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction and retention. Known also for achieving revenue and profitability objectives, and applying solid relationship building skills to develop, maintain, and enhance robust business networks. Offers an unwavering commitment to consistently perform at the highest level of professional excellence. Areas of Expertise:
• Business Growth
• OEM Sales
• Relationship Building
• Contract Negotiations
• Consultative Selling
• Customer Focus
• Team Leadership
• Channel Distribution
• Business Networks
• Salesforce CRM
• P&L Management
• Business Development
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Developed aftermarket sales with US division of Germany-based OEM of industrial agitators, reactors, mechanical seals, industrial process mixers and dryers. Grew sales more than 20% with the largest electric utility in the US. Retrofit opportunity represented 6% of the company’s entire annual aftermarket business. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Current Position 2017 – 2023
• Part-time consulting work for small businesses. Father’s health complications required frequent short notice travel to assist, which was not compatible with multi-state sales territory travel. Now ready to pursue my sales goals and career growth.
• Profit and loss, marketing, sales outreach, customer service, forecasting. Southeast Regional OEM Sales Manager
AW Chesterton Company 2016 – 2017
• Moved into an OEM development role with this major national supplier of packing, gaskets, mechanical seals, coatings, and lip seals.
• Responsible for greenfield growth as well as increased penetration of existing accounts; additionally responsible for margin growth.
Sales Manager - Ekato Corporation 2014 -- 2016
• Recruited into newly created position in order to regain market share lost to competitors.
• Reporting directly to the VP of Sales North America.
• Customer base spanned Connecticut to North Carolina, including one manufacturer’s rep firm.
• After one year in position, created 24% year-over-year sales growth.
• Grew product margins and recommended pricing based on competitive intelligence. CAROLYN CONNOLLY
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Territory Manager Northeast
EagleBurgmann Mechanical Seals 2011 – 2014
• Recruited for aggressive growth position by globally dominant mechanical seal manufacturer. Managed distributor relationships, developed OEM and privately branded sales, performed field troubleshooting with end users, and grew sales without sacrificing margin.
• Improved penetration in customer base, also growing territory through competitive conversions.
• Successfully interfaced with a customer base of direct end users, OEMs, distributors, and resellers.
• Stakeholders included plant maintenance and engineering staff, operations, purchasing agents, corporate buyers, and distributor principals.
• Inherited dormant territory, unoccupied for one year plus; grew territory 19.5% first year.
• Achieved 60.73% year-over-year sales growth in second year, increasing gross profit margin as well.
• Achieved sales growth on repair services and testing services as well as new product sales.
• Quarterly Sales Achievement Award, top 10% Q2 2014 Area / District Manager
Garlock Sealing Technologies 1998 – 2011
• Collaborated with key distributors to develop business plans achieving mutually profitable growth.
• Developed trusted relationships with personnel ranging from hands-on skilled tradesmen to senior management and engineering staff, tailoring communication to a wide range of audiences.
• Prepared and presented technical presentations to maintenance and engineering staff at end users, OEMs, distributors, and EPC firms.
• Pursued development of private manufacturing partnership for gasket sheet product to add revenue equal to 15% of my annual quota.
• Initiated seal upgrade project at a major steel mill, reducing their service intervals by 75%. Rolling change is projected to increase sales by 40% over three years at one facility.
• Grew sales at largest distributor by 12% annually in a mature market.
• Trained and managed two MRO and one OEM sales representatives, achieving 16% year-over-year sales growth in their respective territories while at Klozure oil seal division.
• Achieved 17.5% sales growth at company’s fifth-largest OEM customer during the downturn of 2008.
• Provided crucial feedback on product design and pricing in order to pursue an OEM conversion for one of the largest global manufacturers of electric motors.
• Achieved 149% of quota, 2009
• Optimized price with OEM customers to gain market share while preserving profitable margin.
• Signed distribution partner formerly aligned with a competitor in my first year, garnering 5% of my annual quota directly from competitive conversions.
• Successfully developed second tier supply program to manage outsourced maintenance supply contracts. Pilot program revenues represented a 50% addition to my territory within four years.
• Regional Sales Growth award, 2004
• Six-year average of performing at 111.5% of quota. EDUCATION
Master of Finance
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 2011
Master of Business Administration
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 2010
Bachelor of Science – Operations Management
Southwestern College, Winfield, KS 2008
Bachelor of Science – Strategic Leadership
Southwestern College, Winfield, KS 2008