Sales Representative, Foodservice Job Opening

Develop, grow, and manage DFA accounts across the Ingredients group through sales to existing and target foodservice customers across the U.S. Manage activities of the sales process and any aspect, including tactical activities, of DFA that relates to Ingredients customer accounts to optimize profitability and operational efficiency. Continuously improve the customer list by developing existing customers to their full potential and using market insights and industry relationships to identify, then develop target customers. This role operates mostly independently, with guidance from the sales leader.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Responsible for sales to existing and target foodservice customers across the U.S.
• Develop, manage, and execute a successful sales cycle across the area of assigned responsibility
• Continuously improve the customer list within the dairy product category
• Foster customer relationships at various organizational levels across multiple functions (R&D, Marketing, Purchasing, QA, Operations) and facilitate the growth of customer counterpart relationships within DFA
• Listen to customers to learn their future needs and anticipate new areas of business development for DFA

o Identify new markets, the need for new products, and initiate action plans to increase share of market with existing and new accounts

• Utilize a “solutions selling” approach drawing from organizational strengths and capabilities:

o Determine customer needs, problems, insights, and strategy that would ultimately require a DFA solution
o Identify, clearly outline, and present the opportunity details including short- and long-term value to DFA
o Influence the cross-functional DFA team to “solve for yes”
o Drive opportunities to commercialization internally, and most critically, “close” with the customer

• Follow the CRM process (channel plan, pre-call, post-call (insights gathering, etc.), opportunity pipeline, execute, close, report) and work to utilize the organization's capabilities to maximize opportunities. Influence the cross-functional team to streamline processes and broaden capabilities by demonstrating the value through customer opportunities Assist in developing value-added sales that will enhance company returns for the next 3 – 5 years
• Assist in development of and help implement annual sales strategies for the various product lines in conjunction with corporate objectives
• Provide DFA Ingredients customers with exceptional customer care. Work closely with Sales Operations Managers to provide exceptional customer care. Build strong and effective relationships with Quality, R&D, Operations, and Customer Service as these are additional touch points to DFA accounts
• Attend industry and customer trade shows in line with company approval and direction
• Work with urgency to resolve customer issues and problems in a transparent manner with functional areas of the Ingredients team. Elevate and help resolve gaps within DFA Ingredients system to continue to improve the customer care provided to strategic accounts
• Learn DFA systems to enable self-sufficiency in creating, managing, and reporting to management
• Provide input in strategic planning to maximize opportunities with DFA Dairy Ingredients relative to competitors, market conditions, customer situation, and our internal position
• Pro-actively defend current business working toward long-term strategic agreements on core business
• Learn to negotiate all aspects of a customer interaction including NDAs, Pricing, Terms, Contracts and other as necessary.
• With guidance from your manager, provide innovative ideas to customers by understanding their brands, platforms and strategies
• The requirements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employee, but is not a complete list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Other duties may be assigned as required.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree, preferably with a Management emphasis
• MBA preferred
• 2+ years of sales experience in a progressive sales organization, preferably in the food industry
• Proven career advancement
• Proven record of growing profitable sales results
• Certification and/or License – None

Necessary Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Leadership abilities
• Ability to build and maintain a diverse set of relationships with multiple types of people on the broader team
• Ability to adapt and refocus approach situationally or holistically meet goals/objectives
• Outgoing listener and speaker
• Ability to be a team player
• Organizational skills, adaptability, excellent communication skills
• Orientation toward and passion for closing a deal. Thrives on the sale. Competitive, yet measured
• Ability to solve customer demands and problems
• Ability to build (farm) or develop (hunt) business by discerning real opportunity from distractions
• Able to develop strong negotiation techniques
• Proven ability to partner with cross-functional resources (Operations, S&OP, Finance, Quality and RDA&C) resources to advance the sales results
• Able to read, write, and speak English