Design Consultant — SketchUp & Sales

About the Company

Modern Shelving is a premium custom shelving company serving homeowners, interior designers, architects, builders, and commercial clients.

We specialize in creating modern, functional, and visually refined shelving solutions tailored to each customer's space, style, and requirements.

We are looking for a **Design Consultant with strong SketchUp and sales skills** who can guide clients from the initial consultation through design, proposal, follow-up, and final sale.

This role is ideal for someone who is **creative, proactive, detail-oriented, persuasive, client-focused, and comfortable taking ownership of the full customer journey**.

## Responsibilities

- Conduct virtual design and sales consultations with customers via Zoom or similar platforms.
- Build rapport with clients and confidently guide conversations from discovery through recommendation and next steps.
- Understand each client's goals, design preferences, dimensions, budget, timeline, and space constraints.
- Work with homeowners, designers, architects, and other B2B clients to understand project requirements and specifications.
- Use SketchUp to create accurate 3D models of custom shelving designs.
- Translate client ideas, reference images, floor plans, and measurements into practical design solutions.
- Present designs in a clear and compelling way that helps customers visualize the finished project.
- Recommend the best solution based on the client's needs while balancing design, functionality, budget, and company offerings.
- Prepare design proposals, quotations, specifications, and supporting sales materials.
- Confidently discuss pricing, options, upgrades, timelines, and next steps with customers.
- Address objections and concerns professionally and help clients make confident purchasing decisions.
- Follow up consistently with open opportunities to move projects toward approval and payment.
- Take ownership of closing sales rather than waiting for customers to follow up.
- Maintain accurate customer notes, deal stages, follow-up dates, and activity inside the CRM.
- Use the CRM to manage the sales pipeline and ensure no qualified opportunity is forgotten or left inactive.
- Create and complete follow-up tasks for every open opportunity.
- Re-engage clients who have received a proposal but have not yet made a decision.
- Revise designs based on client feedback while maintaining functionality, aesthetics, feasibility, and sales momentum.
- Ensure dimensions, configurations, and design details are accurate before projects move forward.
- Identify potential design or installation challenges before they become problems.
- Collaborate with sales, production, operations, and installation teams to ensure approved designs can be executed correctly.
- Communicate project details clearly to internal teams and ensure smooth handoff after the sale is completed.
- Maintain organized project files, SketchUp models, measurements, notes, quotations, and customer information.
- Stay current on modern interior design, shelving trends, materials, finishes, and space-planning best practices.

## What We're Looking For

- Strong proficiency in SketchUp.
- Proven sales or consultative selling experience.
- Confidence conducting customer-facing virtual meetings.
- Ability to lead a sales conversation rather than simply answer customer questions.
- Strong ability to build trust and rapport with customers remotely.
- Experience following up with leads and opportunities until a clear decision is reached.
- Comfortable asking for the sale and guiding customers toward the next step.
- Experience using a CRM to manage leads, opportunities, follow-ups, notes, and sales stages.
- Strong understanding of sales pipeline management and follow-up discipline.
- Experience creating accurate architectural, interior, furniture, cabinetry, or product-related 3D models.
- Strong spatial awareness and ability to visualize solutions within real-world spaces.
- Ability to interpret dimensions, floor plans, photos, sketches, and customer-provided measurements.
- Strong attention to proportion, scale, alignment, spacing, and overall visual balance.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to explain design decisions and technical details clearly to people without a design background.
- Strong listening skills and ability to uncover the client's true needs and priorities.
- Ability to manage multiple active customer projects and sales opportunities at different stages.
- Comfortable working independently in a fully remote environment.
- Strong organizational and time-management skills.
- A proactive mindset—you identify what needs to happen next and take action without waiting to be told.

## Preferred Skills

- Experience in interior design, architecture, furniture design, cabinetry, millwork, shelving, or a related field.
- Experience selling custom, premium, or high-ticket products and services.
- Experience with consultative or solution-based selling.
- Experience closing sales through virtual consultations.
- Experience working with both B2C and B2B clients.
- Experience working with architects, interior designers, contractors, or trade professionals.
- Experience with SketchUp rendering plugins or other rendering software.
- Familiarity with AutoCAD, Revit, Adobe Creative Suite, or similar design tools.
- Understanding of wall construction, mounting considerations, dimensions, tolerances, and installation constraints.
- Basic understanding of materials, finishes, manufacturing, and fabrication processes.
- Experience preparing quotations or estimating custom projects.
- Familiarity with CRM, project management, and remote collaboration tools.

## Measures of Success

- **Sales conversion:** Consistently convert qualified consultations and proposals into completed sales.
- **Follow-up discipline:** Ensure every active opportunity has a clear next step and scheduled follow-up in the CRM.
- **CRM accuracy:** Maintain complete and current customer notes, opportunity stages, quotations, follow-up dates, and communication history.
- **Pipeline management:** Keep opportunities moving and proactively address deals that have stalled.
- **Consultation quality:** Conduct professional virtual meetings that clearly identify the client's needs, budget, timeline, and decision criteria.
- **Closing ability:** Confidently guide customers toward a purchasing decision and directly ask for the sale when appropriate.
- **Proposal follow-through:** Consistently follow up after designs and quotations are sent rather than waiting for customers to respond.
- **Response speed:** Reply to new leads, customer questions, and follow-up opportunities promptly.
- **Design accuracy:** Produce SketchUp models with accurate dimensions, configurations, and specifications that can move forward with minimal corrections.
- **Design turnaround time:** Complete initial designs and revisions within agreed timelines without sacrificing quality.
- **Revision efficiency:** Reduce unnecessary back-and-forth by understanding customer requirements and producing strong initial concepts.
- **Customer satisfaction:** Maintain a high level of customer satisfaction through responsive communication, thoughtful recommendations, and professional design support.
- **Average order value:** Identify appropriate opportunities for upgrades, additional shelving, or better configurations that genuinely improve the customer's project.
- **Proactive problem solving:** Identify missing measurements, design conflicts, installation concerns, or sales obstacles before they delay the project.
- **Design quality:** Consistently create solutions that are functional, visually balanced, and aligned with the Modern Shelving aesthetic.
- **Internal handoff quality:** Provide production and installation teams with complete and understandable project information after the sale closes.
- **Project organization:** Maintain accurate, organized, and up-to-date files, drawings, notes, quotations, and customer records.
- **Ownership:** Manage assigned opportunities independently from initial consultation through close without requiring constant reminders from management.

## The Person We Want

We are looking for someone who is both a **designer and a salesperson**.

A strong Design Consultant should not simply create a design and send a quotation. You should take responsibility for helping the customer move from interest to decision.

You should be comfortable saying:

- "Based on what you've told me, this is the option I recommend."
- "Would you like to move forward with this design?"
- "I wanted to follow up on the proposal and see what is holding you back from moving forward."
- "I noticed we haven't heard back, so I wanted to reconnect and answer any remaining questions."
- "There is another configuration that may work better for your space and budget."
- "I'll follow up with you on this date so we can keep the project moving."
- "I identified a potential installation issue and updated the design before we proceed."

We value **initiative, design judgment, sales ability, follow-through, accuracy, responsiveness, customer service, and ownership**.

## Habits for Success

- Be proactive rather than waiting for instructions.
- Follow up until every qualified opportunity reaches a clear outcome.
- Always leave a client conversation with a defined next step.
- Update the CRM immediately after customer interactions.
- Never allow an active sales opportunity to sit without a follow-up date.
- Build trust by listening first and recommending the right solution.
- Ask for the sale confidently when the customer is ready.
- Double-check dimensions and details before submitting designs.
- Keep projects organized and communicate blockers early.
- Recommend solutions instead of simply identifying problems.
- Maintain a high standard for both design quality and customer experience.
- Continuously improve your SketchUp, design, sales, and product knowledge.

## Application Instructions

To confirm that you have read the full job description, include the code **DC-SKETCHUP** in your application.

Please be prepared to share:

- Your SketchUp portfolio or examples of 3D models you have created.
- Examples of interior, furniture, architectural, cabinetry, shelving, or related design work.
- Your experience conducting virtual client consultations.
- Your experience in sales, follow-up, and closing.
- The CRM systems you have used.
- An example of a sale you successfully moved from consultation through follow-up to close.
- An example of a time you proactively identified and solved a design or customer problem.

**Apply here:**
Subject must include: DESIGNER
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