Inside Sales Representative – Aftermarket

About Us

Akona Process Solutions is the result of bringing together four well-established companies—Spiroflow, Kason, Cablevey, and Marion—each with a legacy of expertise in material handling and processing. With more than 200 years of combined experience, Akona provides comprehensive equipment solutions designed to meet the unique needs of its customers.

Specializing in mixers, blenders, dryers, screeners, tubular drag conveyors, and bulk material handling systems, Akona delivers integrated solutions that streamline operations, enhance efficiency, and improve hygiene in demanding environments. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, with global centers of excellence in the USA, UK, and Germany, Akona works closely with customers across industries such as food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and chemicals.

Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa (on-site)

Department: Inside Sales / Aftermarket

Position Summary

The Inside Sales Representative drives aftermarket and spare parts revenue by prospecting new opportunities, generating accurate quotes, and converting them into orders. This is a phone- and email-forward role focused on proactive outreach to existing and prospective customers, with support from engineering, service, and outside sales. Success is measured on quote volume, conversion rate, and revenue and margin growth.

Key Responsibilities

· Prospect and qualify new spare parts opportunities through outbound calls, emails, and follow-up on inbound leads.

· Generate accurate, timely quotes for spare parts and consumables, including identifying the correct part numbers from equipment models, drawings, and bills of materials.

· Own opportunities from quote through close; follow up on open quotes to convert them into orders.

· Proactively engage existing accounts to drive repeat and incremental spare parts sales.

· Enter and manage quotes, orders, and customer activity accurately in the ERP and CRM systems.

· Partner with engineering, service, and outside sales to resolve technical questions and recommend the right parts.

· Meet or exceed quote volume, conversion, and revenue/margin targets.

Required Qualifications

· 2–5 years of experience in inside sales, account management, or a related commercial role.

· Strong written and verbal communication; comfortable on the phone and initiating contact with customers.

· Mechanical or technical aptitude — able to learn to read equipment drawings and bills of materials.

· Comfortable working with data and business software (ERP, CRM, Excel).

· Organized and self-directed; able to manage a pipeline of quotes and follow-ups independantly

· High school diploma or equivalent.

Preferred

· Experience reading mechanical drawings and bills of materials (BOMs).

· ERP experience (Epicor or similar).

· CRM experience (HubSpot, Salesforce, or similar).

· Prior experience generating quotes or selling parts or equipment in a manufacturing or industrial setting.

What Success Looks Like

· Consistently converts open quotes into orders and grows spare parts revenue from assigned accounts.

· Reaches out to customers proactively rather than waiting for inbound requests.

· Quotes are accurate, correctly priced, and turned around quickly.

This is an onsite position

Marion Iowa

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Referral program
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person