Sales Manager

Job Title: Sales Manager
Please email resume and cover letter to: lindsayp@braswellfamilyfarms.com
Location: Braswell Milling Company

Position Summary

The Sales Manager is responsible for implementing both short and long range sales/marketing and product development programs targeted towards existing and new markets. Under the guidance of the VP of Sales & Marketing (VP-S), the incumbent will achieve this by performing the following duties personally and/or through partners. These duties include: Sales forecasting; promotional planning/spending; annual buy plans; retail merchandising; customer account management/service. The Sales Manager reports directly to the Vice President of Sales & Marketing and will work closely with all organizational leaders.

Key Duties, Skills and Abilities:

  • Helps drive the company’s Mission, Vision, Values.

  • Sells products by implementing national sales plans; supervising brokers.

  • Assists VP-S in maintaining sales volume, product mix, and selling price by keeping current with supply and demand, changing trends, economic indicators, and competitors.

  • Establishes and adjusts selling prices by monitoring costs, competition, and supply and demand.

  • Represents the company at community events, industry boards and industry meetings.

  • Advises the VP-S on strategic business development opportunities and key corporate planning issues that relate to and impact the sales of the company.

  • Ensures that, as the Company grows, sales/marketing capabilities meet or exceed all industry and customer requirements for cost, quality and responsiveness.

  • Plays a support role in senior-level negotiations with vendors and customers.

  • Manages budgeting and budget execution with a focus on sales, profitability and margins.

  • Regularly meets with customers to discuss consumer expectations.

  • Helps determine resource allocation among locations.

  • Sets performance goals tailored to each Broker.

  • Develops operational sales goals that are aggressive, yet obtainable, and tied to long-term goals of the company.

  • Monitors location performance against performance goals to ensure progress is being made and corrective action, if necessary, is taken.

  • Helps drive all of BFF’s Environment Management Systems (EMS) in an impactful manner to include: monitoring/reducing operationally-related negative effects on the environment as well as pollution prevention.

  • Will travel approximately 25% - 30% of the time

Education/Experience

  • 5 to 7 years of sales experience in consumer-packaged goods. Dairy and/or refrigerated food experience within high volume grocery sales is preferred. Specialty egg market experience is a plus: Bachelor’s degree in business, food science or related field preferred. MBA is a plus.

  • Established relationships with a full range of contacts in grocery, packaging and familiarity with their capabilities, pricing strategies, and negotiation tactics.

  • Self-starter and a team player that will thrive in an entrepreneurial environment.

  • Large- and small-company experience, ideally in leading sales in a rapid-growth environment.

  • Exceptional business leadership experience.

  • Strong quantitative and analytical skills to support cost management and sales enhancement opportunities.

  • Thorough knowledge of the principles of food safety, GMP’s, HAACP and sanitation.

  • Strong analytical thinking with demonstrated results orientation.

  • Excellent planning and organizational skills.

  • Thoroughly familiar with Nielsen reports and the Microsoft product suite.

  • Good written and verbal communication skills.

  • Insurability: Driving (Frequent travel).

  • Experience in developing a sustaining and robust sales force.

  • Experience in preparing long-range planning models for sales.

  • Experience in managing, motivating, rewarding and recognizing the performance of others.

  • Experience managing an in-store merchandising organization.

  • Experience in Broker management.

Other Requirements

  • Demonstrated leadership as part of a cross-functional team.

  • Proven ability to function in a positive and collaborative manner with a strong and seasoned staff.

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills with great active listener.

  • Sound planning and organizational skills.

  • High level of proficiency in PC use and spreadsheets.

  • Proven customer support experience

  • Track record of over-achieving

  • Familiar with CRM systems and practices

  • Customer orientation and ability to adapt/respond to different types of characters

  • Excellent presentation skills

  • Ability to multi-task, prioritize and manage time effectively

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

  • Must be able to adapt to office work environments which could include cold, heat. Individual will be exposed to high noise levels.

  • Data entry while seated for greater than one (1) hour.

  • Must possess the ability to work in agricultural environments, indoors, outdoors, retail, office, warehouse, processing, and farm production areas each varying in temperature, odor and other environment specific atmospheres.