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Thomas Brooke specializes in recruiting top-performing Regional/Territory Sales professionals who bring expertise, innovation, and impact to your team in the paints, coatings, polymers, and specialty materials industries.
For paints, coatings, polymers, and specialty materials companies, Regional and Territory Sales professionals are the “hunters” – frontline drivers of revenue growth – usually within specific geographic regions or market segments (and/or sometimes specific sales channels). They typically cultivate relationships with multiple stakeholders such as distributors, contractors, OEMs, and end-users to build trust, ensure buy-in for the sale at all levels, and uncover new opportunities through account penetration and/or referrals. Especially with distribution sales, there may be a need to create pull-through demand with indirect influencers. But the focus is always on delivering new business, with a varying amount of existing account support “framing”).
They are highly attuned to market trends and competitive movements within their territories and often operate with a good deal of autonomy. These professionals regularly travel to customer sites, job locations, and regional events, making them vital boots-on-the-ground brand ambassadors.
Regional Sales roles require the ability to manage complex account landscapes while staying aligned with corporate strategy and pricing guidelines. A successful candidate in this role is not only skilled at closing deals but is equally strong in territory planning, forecasting, and growing long-term customer value. Depending on the company, the active use of CRM tools and analytics such PowerBI, are high priorities; although some companies in the industry still lack a formal CRM, especially smaller and newer businesses.
With technical products like industrial coatings or polymer systems, these professionals are often also the first point of contact to educate customers on application performance, compatibility, and lifecycle value—bringing technical insight and commercial strategy together in one role.
Experience Required: 5–10 years in B2B sales, preferably in industrial or specialty materials, with a focus on coatings, polymers, or chemical products
Sales Skills: Proven ability to manage a geographic territory, grow existing accounts, and secure new business; comfortable with CRM tools and sales pipeline metrics. May also require knowledge of particular sales models, such as specification driven sales process and/or distributor sales team management.
Technical Acumen: Chemical or engineering background. Familiarity with the performance and application of specialty materials in relevant key end-use sectors such as OEM, construction, aerospace, or automotive
Communication: Strong presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills; able to translate technical features into commercial value
Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred, ideally in Chemistry, Polymer Science, Materials Science, or related technical field. Business degree with a technical mindset and solid training is often successful – but the ability to comprehend the technical details is usually a must-have.
Travel: Willingness to travel extensively within the assigned region—up to 50–70% in some cases
Most (experienced) Regional/Territory Sales professionals in the paints and coatings or specialty materials space earn between $1000,000 and $150,000 in total compensation, with base salaries typically ranging from $90,000 to $120,000. Bonuses or commissions based on territory performance often represent 20–40% of total earnings, depending on the company’s structure and the market served. There is significant variability in compensation packages depending on company philosophy on incentive (fixed bonus vs uncapped commission, for example) and also whether or not perks such as a car or car allowance are provided.
Territory and Regional Sales professionals are the face of your brand in your most important geographic markets. They are often the difference between a dormant region and a growth engine. An underperforming hire in this role can cost a company not only in lost sales but in missed relationships and market share.
On the other hand, the right sales professional can open doors with key accounts, re-engage inactive customers, and identify new segments for your product lines. In an industry where technical understanding and trust drive buying decisions, you need someone who can speak the language of the customer and represent your brand with confidence and credibility.
Thomas Brooke specializes in finding high-performing regional sales talent who not only understand the complexity of industrial materials but also know how to navigate the sales process in highly competitive markets. We know what works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to field sales professionals in this space.
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.
