Thomas Brooke specializes in recruiting top-performing Sales Hunter professionals who bring expertise, innovation, and impact to your team in the paints, coatings, polymers, and specialty materials industries.
A Sales Hunter within the paints, coatings, polymers, and specialty materials industries is responsible for identifying and pursuing new-new business opportunities. Unlike traditional Account Managers, who typically focus on maintaining existing relationships (farming), Sales Hunters thrive on generating new opportunities, closing deals, and driving revenue growth through a strategic approach to their assigned territory or market segment. They specialize in uncovering unmet needs, forging strong relationships quickly thorugh accelerated trust building, and articulating relevant value proposition to potential customers. Successful Sales Hunters are highly self-motivated, results-oriented, and skilled at adapting to competitive market dynamics.
Depending on the individual company’s sales process, Sales Hunters may either work from a provided lead or target company list, or have the added responsibility of prospecting from the ground up for new opportunities and targets. This is a very important distinction, as prospecting is time consuming and will inevitably reduce the number of sales calls per week as compared with someone working a provided target company list, particularly at the beginning. Either way, the Sales hunter must prioritize and plan their time and travel effectively.
Successful Sales Hunters also collaborate with internal resources (e.g. internal technical product experts) to provide the right, timely information to prospects. Team selling and solution selling models require a more collaborative personality as there are always multiple stakeholders and internal resources needed.
Some companies give their Sales Hunters some pricing authority; others do not.
Sales Hunters must effectively track their activities and interactions. Most companies use a CRM; but many smaller companies do not have a formal CRM in place, so the Sales Hunter’s organizational skills, time management and prioritization skills need to be exceptional.
Sales Hunters often travel extensively for in-person visits, trade shows, etc. as well as maximizing interaction through virtual meetings. While the virtual portion of the Sales Hunter’s job has remained higher than pre-Covid, there is now a growing pivot back to prioritizing direct, face-to-face contact.
After the sale is made, Sales Hunters usually turn over the relationship to Inside Sales, Account Management, Customer Service or other internal function, so that they can continue focusing on new business. They generally keep in touch with accounts, but do not provide the full-service follow up and nurturing. Their singular focus is on finding and closing new accounts.
Experience: Minimum of 5–7 years of sales experience, preferably within the paints, coatings, polymers, or specialty materials industries.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related field preferred.
Sales Skills: Proven track record of exceeding sales targets, developing new markets, and building long-term customer relationships.
Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of the product lifecycle, customer pain points, and competitive landscape within the industry.
Technical Expertise: Strong understanding of product performance, specifications, and applications in the target market.
Soft Skills: Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills. Ability to work independently and thrive in a fast-paced, target-driven environment.
Sales Hunters in the paints, coatings, and specialty materials industries typically earn a base salary between $90,000 and $130,000 per year, depending on experience and market conditions. Some specialized and/or larger account focused individuals may earn salaries over $150,000. Commission and performance-based bonuses can significantly increase total compensation, with top performers earning over $200,000 annually through commission and incentives.
Correctly setting compensation structure for Sales Hunters is critically important. Since they are typically highly financially motivated individuals, the incentive structure must align the Company’s goals and their personal financial benefit. Uncapped commission, or a % of gross profit (or even net sales over base margin) is optimal. In addition, aligning the requirement for a % of sales from new products, or other direction-setting criteria, is very important to make sure the Sales Hunter’s motivation for what products to sell remains in line with the Company’s business goals, rather than allowing the individual to default to their top few favorite/easiest/highest volume/highest margin offerings.
Hiring the right Sales Hunter is critical for driving business growth and market expansion in the highly competitive paints, coatings, and specialty materials industries. A skilled Sales Hunter not only brings in new business but also is effectively the comapny ambassador, strengthening brand positioning and making the first impression that is the starting point for ongoing customer loyalty. Their ability to identify high-value opportunities, uncover objections, and negotiate & close deals skillfully, ensures a strong sales pipeline and sustainable revenue growth. In an industry where technical expertise and customer trust are paramount, having a knowledgeable and strategic Sales Hunter on board can provide a significant competitive edge.
At Thomas Brooke, we specialize in executive search & recruiting in the paints, coatings, polymers, and specialty materials industries. Our process ensures that your company hires a strategic, forward-thinking individual who understands your industry’s unique challenges and opportunities.
To learn more about our specialized recruiting expertise, visit Our Expertise.
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