You’ve probably wondered how certain items were made—but never how they got to you. The answer is logistics: an evolving industry that houses some of the most cutting-edge technologies in current markets.
BlueGrace is a leading third-party logistics (3PL) company that utilizes technology-based shipping. After opening their doors only 10 years ago, they’ve established themselves as a pioneer in the logistics industry.
With their new Chicago office booming, they’re expanding their footprint, the backbone of which is their business-to-business (B2B) sales team.
Here’s a look inside BlueGrace, and why their B2B sales roles are the perfect way to kickstart your career.
How The Business-to-Business Sales Program Works—And What You’ll Learn
The most accessible role for recent grads at BlueGrace is the Business Development Associate (BDA) position. The role starts with an eight-week paid training program that teaches employees about BlueGrace’s industry, its technology and product, and—of course—sales.
“We’ve put a lot of investment into our training program,” Sam Downing, a recruiter and BlueGrace sales expert, tells us. “It’s what really sells people on the role.”
The first week of this training program consists of an in-depth look at the contextual history behind BlueGrace and the BDA program. The subsequent week is spent learning about the services, products, and technology that BlueGrace offers its clients. What follows, however, is an intensive sales training program that focuses on foundational business skills like negotiation, identifying pain-points, and relationship-building.
This speaks to a fundamental difference between standard sales jobs and BlueGrace’s Business Development program, Sam says: “It’s very much relationship-based selling in our industry. And that’s something that I really think appeals to people. It’s not just a simple transaction you’re conducting.”
Of course, employees will conduct sales calls, run demos, and begin compiling a book of business throughout the BDA program. Yet this is not the destination for BlueGrace’s ambitious employees. When eight weeks are up, you’ll be promoted into the Business Development Executive (BDE) role. This position comes with greater responsibility and the ability to close deals—which means more money!
Where You Can Take Your Career At BlueGrace
Opportunities at BlueGrace are limitless. BlueGrace is a rapidly expanding company, both in its thriving Chicago office—which touts a startup culture—and its more established Tampa headquarters. This culture of growth transcends physical expansion and touches every aspect of the company—especially employees’ upward trajectories.
A variety of career paths branch out from the Business Development Executive role—the sole limiting factor is the person’s own talents and aspirations. The most common next step for high-performing BDEs is the Senior Business Development Executive role. This promotion comes with increases in compensation and responsibility, offering extensive opportunities to handle larger clients and make more money.
If a high-performing BDE aspires to take on a leadership role, Sam says, there’s a management training program that qualifies BDEs for the position of sales team leader, or “Sales Coach.” For employees who excel in relationship building, account management is a perfect fit. All BDEs take on account manager tasks for the first three years of their account’s relationship with BlueGrace, learning to build contacts on client teams, generate new leads, and ensure 100% customer satisfaction.
While diverse in their ultimate destinations, these three paths all utilize skills that will be developed throughout one’s time as a BDE. And it makes sense, too. These are skills that will benefit you throughout your career in business. Foundational business expertise like this will pay dividends throughout your career, providing marketable skills that can translate to a position in almost any industry.
People Come To BlueGrace For The Opportunity And Stay For The Culture
While BlueGrace is invested in improving the careers of its employees, its focus extends beyond the scope of just business. The company is dedicated to seeing their employees thrive as people as they are to seeing them win in the business arena.
Through a mix of fun, competitive culture events (like the annual Sports Fest/Beach Party in Tampa) and philanthropic programs, BlueGrace gives people the opportunity to be fulfilled by more than their job at the office—though most employees would agree their buckets are more than filled by their career.
Local charity partners include Metropolitan Ministries, an organization that runs homeless shelters and soup kitchens, PAWS Chicago, a no-kill animal shelter, and the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.
“Everything that we do in the community is a reflection of our values and our company. Those core values you see on our website are not idle verbiage. These are carried out on a daily basis,” Sam says.
“It’s something we want all of our candidates to know, to understand, to be able to recite, and embody here at BlueGrace,” she adds.
BlueGrace invests every employee with an intensive training and development program. Are you ready to invest yourself in them? Check out open opportunities at BlueGrace on WayUp!
