*Our client is a purpose-driven healthy and sustainable snacking company committed to creating delicious and nutritious snacks that fuel and inspire people.
**This position is remote based in USA. Frequent travelling is required.
Purpose of Position
To help our client curate and execute a multi-year strategy within Specialty (eg. Travel, Educational, Office/Campus, etc) class of trade. The Sales Manager is responsible for leading and managing the Specialty channel to achieve company revenue targets and expand market presence of the brand. This role involves developing sales strategies, setting goals, analyzing sales performance, helping
to develop the right portfolio of items, and building relationships with clients/brokers. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership skills, a deep understanding of sales techniques within the Specialty channel, and a track record of driving revenue growth.
Sales Strategy:
- Identify and implement effective sales strategies to drive revenue growth and market expansion as well as in-market activation
- Analyze market trends and competitor activities to identify opportunities and threats.
- Create the right route-to-market approach through brokers and distributors
- Develop the right product portfolio to enable broad success within the channels
- Set sales goals and create action plans to achieve them.
Client Relationship Management:
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key clients and stakeholders.
- Address client concerns and resolve issues promptly to ensure high levels of satisfaction.
- Identify new business opportunities and pursue them effectively.
- Onboard new customers within Specialty space.
Performance Monitoring:
- Track and analyze sales metrics and performance data.
- Prepare and present sales reports to senior management.
- Use data-driven insights to adjust strategies and improve performance.
Collaboration:
- Work closely with marketing, product, and customer service teams to align sales efforts with company objectives.
- Collaborate on promotional campaigns, product launches, and other sales initiatives.
Administrative Duties:
- Manage sales budgets and forecasts.
- Oversee the preparation of sales proposals, contracts, and agreements.
- Ensure compliance with company policies and procedures.
Other Responsibilities, Including Driving Core Values:
- Demonstrate and uphold the company’s Core Values, mission, and vision.
- Help to establish RESPECT and confidence with customers. Build and strengthen relationships across customers, brokers, and distributor partners.
- Educate distributors, brokers, sales agents and customers on product attributes and benefits while displaying HUMILITY.
- Build relationships within multiple levels of the customer organization.
- Develop and manage collaborative partnerships and joint business plans with key customers.
- Develop and drive strategic plans to meet or exceed revenue goals.
- Provide key inputs for demand planning - own the bottoms-up forecast for the SOP process for each account owned. Properly manage forecasting on an accurate and consistent basis.
- Compile and review quantitative sales data and react rapidly to changing trends or new competitive threats and opportunities. Have a close pulse on environment and proactively have plans to support customer and company’s brands.
- Effectively manage trade spend against assigned trade budgets.
- Follow trade compliance and deduction support process. Manage trade payments and deductions in a timely manner.
- Communicate account activity/results via internal processes.
- Conduct quarterly business reviews with accounts. Send out monthly updates to both internal team and customer.
- Demonstrate OWNERSHIP by managing customers as if they were your own.
- Full understanding of customer and competitive market.
- Attend designated trade shows and events.
- Keeps the work atmosphere FUN by keeping it light and welcoming.
- Any other duties as assigned.
- Travel up to 50%, primarily customer-facing
Education and Qualifications:
- 10+ years of sales experience in the Specialty channel with strong understanding of the routes-to-market (distributors) and partnerships (brokers) needed to expand the product’s presence within this channel
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field. An MBA or other advanced degree is a plus.
- Proven experience as a Sales Manager or similar role, with a track record of successful sales performance.
- Strong leadership and team management skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
- Proficiency in CRM software and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and handle multiple priorities.
Skills and Abilities:
- Be excellent especially within the planning process
- Demonstrable success at creatively solving problems and implementing those solutions.
- Must have strong presentation, negotiating and listening skills.
- Strong TEAM player
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills
- Outstanding organizational, and time management skills
- Intermediate level of computer and technical skills with an emphasis on MS Office Suite
- Ability to adapt communication style based on the audience. Ability to communicate in a clear and professional way, both written and verbal
- Tech savvy with apps and sales related software
- Resourcefulness and Resiliency in Selling
- Energy, PASSION, ambition, competitiveness
- Displays integrity, excellent professional ethics.
- Proven ability to build and maintain productive relationships with key business partners.
- Proven ability to make decisions based on a mixture of information, analysis, experience, and judgement.
- Self-starter, highly self-motivated
- Adept and Agile in working through business analytics.
- Strong ability to navigate business financials.
AIP Connect believes in equal opportunity. Our recruitment consultants are committed to inclusive recruitment and selection practices and will not discriminate based on age, colour, ability, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.
Accessibility: If you need any accommodations during the interview process, please let us know.