Develop sales opportunities for Proliant Dairy Ingredients' products and maintain satisfaction among established clientele. Assist in developing and shaping market strategies, analyzing and/or forecasting market trends. Stay abreast of new products in the various industries and assist in the development of Proliant's products and applications.JOB DUTIES:
Marketing Duties:
- Develop sales strategies for marketing Proliant's products.
- Develop and provide technical presentations to effectively market products.
- Provide feedback to the research and development staff surrounding market needs and/or limitations.
- Manage and provide direction relating to marketing and tradeshows.
- Provide market information including competitor production, inventory, and market trends.
Sales Duties:
- Evaluate market conditions within the region as well as maintain awareness at the national and international market level, thus analyzing current prospects for business and forecasting future trends.
- Collaborate with Sales Director, Americas, and VP of Sales to develop plans for the distribution channels and end users.
- Grow sales by identifying potential new customers, understanding their business, and communicating our product value.
- Develop relationships with customers at all levels (influencers, gate keepers, decision makers, product implementers).
- Visit customers as needed to answer questions related to the application of Proliant’s products, to evaluate new application opportunities for the client, and to ensure continued product satisfaction.
- Understand and interpret technical product information/research data and convey it in a way customers at varying levels can comprehend.
- Work closely with Proliant’s leadership to develop and implement sales and marketing plans including effective product pricing, margin generation and negotiation of contracts.
- Design and recommend sales programs and set short- and long-term sales strategies.
- Evaluate and implement appropriate new sales techniques to increase the department’s sales volume.
- Complete purchase order templates and contracts.
- Request new customer setup and document customer complaints through ERP system.
- Document customer communication through Salesforce application.
- Facilitate communication among research and development, quality assurance, customer service and production to ensure customer satisfaction.
- Manage escalated product related problems with customers such as quantity/quality of product, delivery of product and associated billing issues if assistance is needed.
- Develop and deliver technical presentations to effectively market Proliant’s products, as well as to provide customers with thorough product information.
Management Duties:
- Define and develop sales organization structure and corresponding territories, which will accommodate production, customer size and location, and logistical strategic considerations.
- Provide leadership in building effective team-based relationships between sales, research and development, production, and all other Proliant teams.
- Develop annual sales and expense forecasts and participate in annual and long-term division strategic plan.
- Provide technical support to distributors in the region.
- Lead strategic planning with distributors in the region.
Product Development Duties:
- Assist research and development staff with the development of new products.
- Source and develop products for customer testing.
Professional Development/Other Duties:
- Attend conferences and seminars to learn about current developments in research and the potential impact on Proliant’s products.
- Regularly review industry updates/trends through trade journals.
- Prepare for and participate in project review committee meetings.
- Assist with budgeting and prioritization of capital for the Sales Division.
- Attend general business skills development training/education conferences and seminars.
JOB REQUIREMENTS:
- Knowledge of marketing strategies/techniques and the ability to analyze business trends and product cycles.
- Knowledge of the Dairy Industry, products, pricing, product applications, customers and industry producers.
- Ability to learn technical information related to the functionality Dairy Products in food applications and assist customers in the application Proliant’s products.
- Ability to establish effective working relationships with customers and foster long-term relationships.
- Ability to effectively communicate with the sales staff, research staff, customers, distributors and other business contacts.
- Ability to learn, understand and communicate product information technical in nature to customers.
- Ability to manage and maintain corporate confidential information as well as customer confidential information.
- Knowledge of organizational methods and the ability to manage multiple tasks/projects simultaneously.
- Ability to comply with work related deadlines.
- Ability to remain calm and professional.
- Ability to travel approximately 50% of the time.
- Ability to operate all necessary office equipment required to accomplish job duties such as, computers, telephones, fax machines, etc.
- Ability to work daily and extended hours as necessary.
- Ability to assist with special or ongoing projects as instructed by Sales Director, Americas and Vice President of Sales.
- Ability to understand and communicate technical information as well as deliver public presentations.
- Knowledge of marketing strategies/techniques and the ability to analyze business trends and product cycles.
- Knowledge of strategic planning processes and integration of sales tactics throughout sales organization.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS:
Education:
Bachelors' degree in related field (food science, chemistry or biochemistry, business, etc) required or equivalent experience (five to eight years), or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience:
Three or more years of experience in food ingredients sales is required.
Previous sales management experience is required.
Dairy industry experience is preferred.
Job Type: Full-time