Territory Manager

Territory Manager – Detroit/Eastern Michigan

Location: Field Territory: Detroit/Eastern Michigan
Schedule: Monday–Friday
Compensation: $45,000–$60,000 Base + Uncapped Variable Compensation (20% target / 40% stretch benchmark)

Why Join Downeast?

Building a world-class brand takes a world-class team. We front-load our sales roles with clear upside, high autonomy, and direct rewards for growth:

Uncapped Earning Potential: Quarterly variable compensation with clear benchmark targets — top performers earn beyond benchmarks.

Work/Life Balance & Perks: Unlimited PTO, paid holidays, and a monthly phone stipend (up to $100/month).

Travel & Expenses: Full mileage and expense reimbursement.

Health & Financial Security: 401(k) with 4% company match, health & dental insurance, plus company-paid short-term disability.

Culture & Rewards: Regular team contests, sales training retreats, company holiday parties, eligibility for our annual Elite Slinger's Club trip (last year: Puerto Rico), and a generous cider allowance.

No Experience? We'll Train You.

Most of our best Territory Managers started with zero beverage experience. You'll get structured onboarding, ride-alongs with veteran reps, sales training retreats, and ongoing coaching from your manager. We can teach you the industry. We can't teach hunger — that part you bring.

The Mission

As a Territory Manager, you are the face of Downeast in Detroit. Out in the field 80–90% of your week, you will grow sales, expand distribution, and elevate visibility across both on- and off-premise accounts. You will build deep relationships with wholesalers and account decision-makers, execute with consistency, and drive Downeast toward becoming the #1 hard cider in America.

What a Week Looks Like

Monday, you plan your routes and set the week's priorities with your wholesaler partners. Tuesday through Thursday, you're in the field — walking into accounts, pitching buyers, riding along with distributor reps, and setting up the displays and tap handles that grow the brand. Friday, you log your week in the CRM, send your account recap to wholesaler partners, and look at the scoreboard. Then you do it again, better.

What You'll Do

Sell, Sell, Sell: Execute monthly and quarterly sales goals. Prospect, pitch, and close new on- and off-premise accounts while introducing new products and securing high-impact displays, promotions, and point-of-sale merchandising. Maintain product freshness and quality standards.

Flex Your People Skills: Spend the vast majority of your week visiting account decision-makers and working alongside wholesaler reps. Leverage ride-alongs and joint sales calls to maximize visibility and drive volume.

Keep Track of It All: Log account activity, visit notes, and contact info in VIP / Karma CRM. Deliver clear weekly account recaps to wholesaler partners to keep momentum high.

Who You Are

You've competed at something — a sport, a team, a season that mattered — and you miss having a scoreboard.

You'd rather be measured on results than tenure. Our variable comp pays quarterly against clear benchmarks, so the scoreboard is real.

Coachable. You've had a coach before, and you got better because of it, not in spite of it.

Comfortable with reps: cold walk-ins, follow-ups, hearing no and moving to the next account.

Highly disciplined, self-motivated, and comfortable navigating a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

Excited to represent the Downeast brand.

What You Need

Must be at least 21 years old (federal & state alcohol regulations).

Must reside within the Detroit territory, or be willing to relocate before your start date.

Valid driver's license and a reliable personal vehicle.

Bonus Points

Experience in outside sales or the beverage industry (beer, wine, spirits, or cider).

Experience using CRM software (VIP / Karma) and Google Suite.

Strong background in customer service and account management.

One More Thing

After you apply, we'll send you a short Wonderlic assessment. Everyone who applies takes it — it's part of the process, not a trap. If you're going to complete it, apply. If you're not, this saves us both an email.

Don't check every single box? We value grit, hustle, and passion above all else. If this role speaks to you, apply with a one-page cover letter telling us why — no "to whom it may concern" required.

About Downeast Cider

We first started fermenting batches of cider up at Bates College in 2011. We have a few more teammates now. You can now buy our cider in tens of thousands of retailers, not just a couple of bars in central Maine. It takes us 15 minutes to make a pallet of cider, not the 12 hours it took in the early days. We're diversifying beyond cider, but our aim remains the same:

We aspire to be an enduring company. If we create value for our customers, we create value for ourselves through fulfilling work and robust compensation. To do this requires a world-class brand, and a world-class team.

We define our culture by seven principles. You can read more about those principles on our website.

Unfiltered Hiring

We like to hire the way we like our cider: unfiltered. With the understanding that we can learn and grow from each other's differences, we are proud to hire regardless of gender, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, or anything else that makes us who we are.