Description

SUMMARY

The Regional Sales Associate serves as the main point of contact and mentor between Members located within an assigned multi-state territory, key Supplier Partners, and internal UniPro Staff. The Regional Sales Associate is responsible for successfully increasing Member participation, engagement, and earned income, thus increasing the Members’ profitability as well as overall sales growth.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Establish, develops, and maintain positive business relationships for assigned Members and approved Suppliers within assigned territory. Provides consultative value to key contacts and decision-makers. Maintains measurable value as a resource while ensuring growth, competitive posture, and increased profitability in conjunction with regional sales operations team.

• Identifies and evaluates Member needs, mission, and strategies to successfully promote and sell programs that fit their criteria in conjunction with our cooperative goals and objectives. May require site visits to member locations to promote services.

• Analyze and monitor sales against defined metrics, goals, and objectives to meet and exceed sales targets within the assigned territory.

• Analyze the territory’s sales potential, track sales and status reports. Provides regional sales operations with reports on customer needs, problems, interests, competitive activities, market trends and potential for new/increased revenue stream(s)

• Enhances Member earned income and profitability (Earned Distributor Allowance, Supplier Pool Allowance, Patronage, etc.), long term growth and competitive position, maximizing income through increased participation in key cooperative programs and purchases through approved Suppliers.

• Prepares and executes comprehensive sales strategy to maximize revenue and market penetration within the assigned region. Aligns annual objectives and goals with regional growth. Facilitates sales activity for UniPro Members in concurrence with UniPro staff, including but not limited to benchmarking group(s), increased earned income, leveraged purchasing, regional activities and Member Development meetings, conferences, best practices for development, and advisory boards for program improvement, mentoring, and strategic planning.

• Prepares Business Plans for each Member, detailing meetings, key topics of discussion, action plans, problem resolution, and communicating information to supervisor and internal corporate teams on a regular basis.

• Prepares Member Development Plans for assigned Membership detailing opportunity to drive success for both the cooperative and the Member. Progress reports are generated to show progress and to enable updating as necessary.

• Must have a valid driver’s license with satisfactory MVR (Motor Vehicle Report) due to travel requirements (some overnight travel up to 25-30%).

SUPERVISION GIVEN AND RECEIVED

Reports to Executive Vice President Member Development

INTERNAL/EXTERNAL CONTACTS

Internal contact with personnel in Member Development, Marketing, Category Management, Finance, Accounting, Business Information, Rebate Management, Supply Chain Management, Meetings & Events, Food Safety-Quality Assurance, and NISSCO.

External contact with UniPro Members, Suppliers, and industry contacts.

OTHER FUNCTIONS

• Attends and participates in various national meetings, such as biannual Category Management and annual Partners Plus Conferences to interact with Members and Suppliers to further achieve company goals and objectives.

• Qualifies and target new Member prospects and provides detailed information and recommendations to Executive VP Member Development; assists in recruiting new distributors into the Membership.

• Stays within budgeted expense parameters, completes expense reports in a timely manner, and follows company guidelines and procedures.

• May be required to attend training seminars to enhance and develop skills in negotiations, communication, time management, accounting, operations, and general management.

• Other projects and responsibilities as assigned.

JOB REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience with minimum five (5) years of outside sales experience in the foodservice industry required. Distribution and Procurement or Category Management experience is preferred. Must demonstrate proven presentation skills and identify multi-media paths to successfully sell programs to UniPro Membership.

High level of organization, excellent writing, strong verbal communication, an aptitude toward training, general knowledge of related foodservice processes, strong company product knowledge, highly self-motivated, advanced project management ability, high level of time management, ability to adjust to frequent change, knowledge of customer relationship.

Proficient with Microsoft products including (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook). Strong interpersonal and written/verbal communication skills required and must possess excellent organizational and follow through skills.

Qualifications