Regional Sales Manager - Rural Lifestyle Division
Location: Great Lakes Region (Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio)
Travel: Up to 80% | Reports to: Senior National Sales Manager
Position Summary
The Regional Sales Manager (RSM) is responsible for driving profitable retail and wholesale growth, expanding market share, and improving dealer performance throughout the Great Lakes Region. This field-based role develops and executes territory sales strategies, strengthens existing dealers, recruits new partners where coverage gaps exist, manages key relationships, and executes YANMAR programs.
The successful candidate is an experienced equipment-industry professional who understands independent dealer distribution and can quickly establish credibility with dealer principals, sales managers, and sales professionals. This individual demonstrates an ownership mentality, identifies growth opportunities, and combines strong business acumen with the ability to coach, influence, and hold partners accountable without direct authority. Success will be measured through sales and profitability, market-share growth, dealer performance, inventory health, forecast accuracy, territory coverage, and dealer and customer satisfaction.
This role requires the applicant to live within the region covered.
Compensation & Benefits
The salary range for this role is $90,000-$100,000+ annually, plus a variable bonus opportunity of up to 40% of base salary based on performance. YANMAR offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, and additional employee programs that support well-being and career growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Sales Growth & Market Strategy - Develop and execute regional sales plans aligned with company revenue, profitability, retail, wholesale, product-mix, and market-share objectives. Analyze market conditions, competitive activity, customer demand, and territory performance to identify opportunities across applicable customer and market segments.
- Dealer Business Management - Serve as the primary commercial contact for assigned dealers. Establish dealer business plans, sales targets, inventory strategies, and performance actions; conduct regular reviews; and maintain accountability for agreed results.
- Dealer Network Development - Evaluate market coverage and dealer capability, including facilities, staffing, financial health, and market potential. Recruit and onboard qualified dealers in underserved markets and partner with underperforming dealers to implement corrective action plans.
- Dealer Development & Sales Coaching - Coach dealer principals and sales teams on lead management, prospecting, product positioning, competitive selling, financing programs, inventory strategy, and closing techniques. Coordinate training and serve as a trusted regional product and industry resource.
- Inventory, Forecasting & Execution - Work with dealers to maintain appropriate inventory levels and product mix while monitoring aging inventory, orders, retail registrations, pipeline quality, and inventory turns. Prepare accurate monthly, quarterly, and annual forecasts and communicate demand, availability, risks, and opportunities to leadership and operational teams.
- Customer & Market Engagement - Build relationships with strategic customers, agricultural producers, fleet accounts, municipalities, and industry organizations. Participate in customer visits, demonstrations, dealer events, and trade shows; gather market insights; and assist with significant customer concerns.
- Program & Operational Leadership - Support product launches, promotions, retail financing, incentives, inventory-reduction programs, and regional events. Promote disciplined use of CRM and sales tools, and ensure dealers understand company policies, brand standards, and program requirements.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration - Partner with marketing, product management, engineering, finance, sales operations, supply chain, after-sales, service, parts, training, warranty, and logistics to communicate market needs, improve programs and processes, and strengthen the dealer and customer experience.
Qualifications
- Bachelor''s degree in business, agriculture, marketing, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
- Five or more years of field sales, territory management, or dealer-development experience in agricultural or construction equipment, compact tractors, outdoor power equipment, powersports, material handling, or a comparable dealer-based industry.
- Demonstrated success achieving sales targets, expanding market share, developing independent dealers or distributors, and improving territory performance.
- Strong understanding of equipment retailing, inventory management, retail financing, floorplan programs, and dealer operations.
- Ability to analyze sales data, develop practical business plans, deliver accurate forecasts, and use CRM and sales-reporting tools. Proficiency with Microsoft Office is required; Salesforce experience is preferred.
- Strong presentation, negotiation, relationship-management, and communication skills; able to work independently in a remote environment.
- Valid driver''s license and ability to travel up to 80%, including overnight and occasional weekend events and trips to YANMAR''s Adairsville, Georgia headquarters.
Preferred experience includes direct responsibility for tractors, implements, compact equipment, harvesting equipment, or related agricultural products; established agricultural-equipment dealer relationships; and experience introducing new products or developing underserved markets.
Why YANMAR?
Joining YANMAR means becoming part of a global leader with more than a century of innovation and a proud tradition of delivering premium equipment solutions. In this role, you will help shape the future of the Rural Lifestyle Division by enabling dealers to grow and customers to succeed throughout the Great Lakes Region.
This job description reflects management''s assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned. It does not constitute an employment agreement and may be changed as the needs of the business and the requirements of the role evolve.