Headhunter for sales & business development
Specialised direct approach for sales engineers, key account managers and sales leaders in industrial B2B.
Three core services in sales recruiting
As a specialised recruitment consultant for technical sales we cover the full spectrum — from a strategic CSO mandate to the sales engineer with capital goods experience.
Sales leadership & CSO mandates
Filling strategic sales leadership roles for industrial groups and mid-caps: chief sales officer, VP business development, sales management DACH and head of key account management.
Technical sales & key account
Direct search for sales engineers, area sales managers and key account managers with genuine industry knowledge.
Sales personality diagnostics
Scientifically grounded aptitude diagnostics based on established psychometric instruments, assessing what a CV cannot show.
Industry specialisation in technical sales
A top salesperson in mechanical engineering needs different qualities from a high performer in speciality chemicals.
Mechanical & plant engineering
Sales engineers, area sales managers for export and bid managers for capital goods that require explanation.
To the mechanical engineering pageChemicals & process industry
Heads of application technology, regional sales directors and account managers for speciality and fine chemicals.
To the chemicals pageAutomotive industry
Key account managers for OEMs, global sales directors at tier suppliers and sales leadership in the supplier industry.
To the automotive pageWhy top sales people do not read job advertisements
Outstanding sales results are no accident — they are the result of excellent appointments.
The fundamental problem: the best sales engineers, key account managers and sales directors in industrial B2B are not looking for a job.
As a specialised headhunter for industrial sales based in Düsseldorf we reach these candidates through a discreet personal approach.
Sales recruiting in five steps
In sales every week a role stays open translates directly into revenue. Our structured process identifies, assesses and secures the right people.
Briefing & profiling
Definition of the requirement profile, the sales culture and cultural fit together with management and HR.
Market mapping
Systematic identification of top performers in the competitive environment and their openness to change.
Direct approach
Discreet, personal contact with an in-depth technical interview and track record validation.
Shortlist & match
Hand-picked top candidates with complete competence and personality profiles, supported through to contract.
Onboarding & guarantee
Aftercare during onboarding. A fee-free replacement search if the placement leaves during the probation period.
Jan Bohlken
Owner & senior consultant · Bohlken Consulting e.K.
For more than 25 years Jan Bohlken has filled sales leadership positions in mechanical engineering, chemicals and automotive.
- QualificationGraduate socio-economist, University of Hamburg
- Experience5+ years of executive search in industry
- MethodologyAptitude diagnostics to DIN 33430 standards
- Professional bodiesMember of nfb, DGfK and dvb
- PsychometricsCertified user of Big Five, BIP, NEO-PI-R
- LocationDüsseldorf · Vautierstrasse 85
„Finding the best sales people means selling yourself — namely the idea of a better path.“
Frequently asked questions about headhunting in technical sales
We work with fixed service fees rather than on a contingency basis. The total fee is 25 to 33 per cent of the gross annual target salary and is invoiced in three parts: on assignment, on presentation of the shortlist and on contract signature. Aptitude diagnostics are included, as is a six-month placement guarantee.
Look at whether the consultant examines sales success rather than self-presentation: revenue responsibility, target achievement over several years, market development in the same period. Clarify in advance whether you need to defend existing business or win new customers.
Which sales roles we fill
Sales is not a single job profile. Depending on the business model, hunting for new customers, looking after a few large accounts or technical depth in project business decides success — and with it the profile we look for.
Leadership and regional responsibility
Sales management DACH, regional management, building and steering field sales structures. Alongside market knowledge, leadership experience is what counts here. Headhunter executives.
Key accounts and major customers
Looking after a few customers with a high revenue share, often grown over years and politically demanding.
Technical sales and application
Products that require explanation in chemicals and mechanical engineering are sold by nobody without technical depth. We look for people who hold their own in the laboratory or at the plant and still keep the close in sight.
What makes sales appointments so demanding
Hardly any function is filled wrongly as often as sales — because the very quality you want to test is the one that convinces in the interview: persuasiveness.
Figures instead of anecdotes
We ask about revenue responsibility, target achievement over several years and how much of it came from market growth.
Network or new business
A customer network brought along works quickly but only holds if it fits your segment.
Compensation modelled realistically
Variable components, target systems and company car arrangements differ considerably between corporations and mid-caps.
Because the best sales people rarely look themselves, we work here almost exclusively with Direct approach — complemented by aptitude diagnostics, where a wrong appointment would be expensive.
Ready for your next top sales performer?
Every open sales position costs revenue and market share. Talk in confidence to your specialised headhunter for technical sales.