Business Development Manager – Eastern U.S.
About the company
Zilenzio is a successful Swedish and female private owned company with a passion for improving the work environment. We develop and deliver high-quality sound absorption through well-thought-out and designed solutions. Our products are the result of our long experience in sound environment design, analysis of office environments and testing in accordance with international standards. We have made many workplaces into first-rate acoustic environments, and our employees have extensive knowledge of sound absorption and the acoustic properties of various materials. We currently have 26 employees and are headquartered in Örebro in Sweden. At Zilenzio, the comfort and wellbeing of our staff are seen as a basic prerequisite for achieving our goals.
Zilenzio’s products consist of sound absorbers for the office and public environment. Our products are manufactured in Sweden, Poland and Lithuania. We currently have Zilenzio staff representatives in Sweden, Norway, Germany, Finland and the USA. We also have dealers and agents in another 20 countries.
Since 2020, Zilenzio has a US subsidiary, and since the end of 2020 an exclusive agreement with Allsteel in the US, of which we are very proud. Since October 2021, we can proudly say that our on-site staff in the USA have visited all our priority resellers and A&D companies around the country. Currently, all our products are made in Europe, but we are now looking at starting up production closer to the American market. The response from customers, architects, resellers and Allsteel has been absolutely wonderful, and that is why we now seek to hire a key person to continue our efforts to build the Swedish Zilenzio brand together with our US Team Marisa, Jonas and Marie.
General Purpose
The Business Development Manager (BDM) is responsible for increasing sales and profitability in the U.S. market.
The BDM is responsible for executing the strategic plan based on current and potential distribution while maximizing Zilenzio’s market share. Activities are focused on selling, training, events, and strong market presence.
This role requires a highly outgoing and relationship-driven individual who enjoys meeting new people, being present in the market, and actively contributing to the creation of quiet, comfortable, and productive workplaces across the Eastern United States.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Coordinate the sales of Zilenzio’s products through multiple channels to drive long-term, sustainable growth.
- Identify and coordinate training activities in the market; act as a business partner to increase Zilenzio sales volume and market share.
- Collaborate with teams in the U.S. and Sweden to develop, plan, implement, and maintain the market strategic plan.
- Build effective sales relationships to strengthen Zilenzio’s position with dealers, customers, and other external influencers (A&D firms, commercial real estate, and general contractors).
- Create strategic business plans with dealers to help drive Zilenzio sales; hold dealers accountable for agreed plans.
- Work in conjunction with dealership sales staff to conduct joint sales meetings and drive new business.
- Actively travel within the region to meet dealers, A&D firms, end customers, and industry partners.
- Build strong personal relationships through frequent face-to-face meetings, events, and market visits.
- Represent Zilenzio at industry events, dealer events, and networking activities.
- Utilize CRM systems to document, track, and deploy key account activities.
- Provide feedback to company management on market trends, competitive threats, unmet needs, and opportunities to deliver greater customer value.
- Be a positive and professional representative of the company and its brand in the marketplace.
- Conduct all sales activities with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity.
Cooperation
Internal: Sales support, marketing, product development
External: A&D firms, dealer sales representatives, customers, and the Allsteel team
Education & Experience Required
- Bachelor’s degree and at least 3 years of relevant experience strongly preferred; or a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in new business development or the furniture industry; or a combination of education and experience (or military equivalent).
- Experience in the furniture industry and knowledge of Zilenzio products strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated consultative selling and new business development skills.
- Proven ability to strategically drive change and grow sales with key dealer partners.
- Strong business and business development acumen.
- Ability to engage, influence, and build trust with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Strong relationship-building skills with a clear customer-first mindset.
- Self-motivated with strong results orientation and a bias for action.
- Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and independently in the field.
- Excellent negotiation, presentation, and communication skills.
- Strong time management, organizational, planning, and follow-up skills.
- Experience working with both internal and external customers and influencers.
- Conflict resolution and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to actively seek opportunities, assess risk, and commit to action.
- Technologically savvy, with proficiency in MS Office Suite and CRM tools.
- Enjoys traveling and being active in the market.
Personality & Mindset
- Highly outgoing, open, and comfortable meeting new people.
- Strong passion for building long-term relationships.
- Enjoys networking, collaboration, and face-to-face interactions.
- Genuinely motivated by helping customers create quieter, more comfortable, and healthier workplaces.
- Positive, curious, and solution-oriented mindset.
Location
Location on the U.S. East Coast or within the Eastern U.S. time zone is considered a strong advantage.
Reporting to
Carl-Johan Falkenström, Head of Sales
Interested
Submit your CV and personal letter to Carl-Johan Falkenström at carl-johan.falkenstrom@zilenzio.se
