Inside Sales Representative - Specialty Plastics

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive company, Eastman employs approximately 13,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2025 revenue of approximately $8.8 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit www.eastman.com.

The Role

The Inside Sales Representative will proactively manage, protect, and grow a portfolio of accounts across the EMEA market, moving beyond reactive order management toward a more strategic, value-driven sales approach. The role combines outbound selling, structured account management, and Salesforce-led pipeline development to drive revenue growth, reduce customer attrition, identify new opportunities, and maintain accurate sales forecasts that support business planning and alignment across the value chain.

This is a sales-focused role with ownership of both selected long-term accounts and transactional sales activities. The Inside Sales Representative manages sales transactions from initial engagement through to completion, ensuring a smooth and professional customer experience throughout.

The role also requires a strong understanding of value selling, particularly when navigating and influencing a complex value chain involving multiple stakeholders. The ability to communicate the value proposition clearly and effectively is essential to driving sales growth and building lasting customer relationships.

The preferred location for this role is our Merelbeke Office in Belgium; however, Rotterdam Office (NL) may be considered. Our office policy is Monday - Thursday and Friday optional from home.

Responsibilities

• Manage a defined book of accounts, execute a monthly territory and account plan, and own the full inside sales cycle, including discovery, quoting, negotiation within delegated authority, and order conversion.
• Proactively engage assigned customers through phone, email, and video to identify needs and create cross-selling and up-selling opportunities.
• Develop and maintain account protection plans (renewals, risk mitigation, competitive watch) to retain business.
• Qualify inbound leads and originate outbound prospecting to generate new accounts and expand existing relationships, leveraging video calls, webinars, and other technologies to enhance the customer experience.
• Monitor account health, including order trends, returns, payments, and competitive activity, and proactively address at-risk customers with appropriate corrective actions.
• Develop accurate sales forecasts based on historical data, market trends, and customer insights, and continuously refine forecasts through ongoing analysis and adjustment.
• Collaborate closely with functional partners, including Marketing, Customer Service, Logistics, Technical Service, and Field Sales, to ensure a seamless customer experience and alignment on account strategy. Provide product and marketing teams with feedback based on customer interactions and market trends.
• Conduct regular, segmented account touchpoints and record all activities in Salesforce, using data and insights to personalize outreach and improve conversion rates.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date Salesforce records to support reliable forecasting and pipeline visibility, and leverage Salesforce Analytics to share relevant data with customers where appropriate.
• Participate in sales campaigns and promotions, tailoring messaging for defined business segments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (BS/BA) in business or related field preferred.
• Fluent English language skills are mandatory.
• 2+ years of customer-facing sales, inside sales, or account management experience in a B2B environment.
• Proficiency with CRM/Analytical Systems (e.g., Salesforce, PowerBI) and sales engagement tools (e.g., Sales Navigator).
• Willingness to travel occasionally within the EMEA region, including to a set of regional accounts where required by business needs.
• Strong communication skills (phone, email, virtual presentation) and ability to build rapport remotely.
• Self‑motivated, hunter mentality, organized, and able to manage many small accounts concurrently.
• Analytical mindset: uses data to prioritize outreach, detect risk, and measure progress.

Eastman Chemical Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, pregnancy, veteran status or any other protected classes as designated by law.

Eastman is committed to creating a highly engaged workforce, where everyone can contribute to their fullest potential each day.