CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Schraad Sales & Marketing Food Brokerage is seeking a full-time Customer Development Manager in our Gulf Coast market (New Orleans area). Produce, Meat, Seafood, Deli and Bakery Product Goods industry including customer specific sales plans along with customer specific budget management, and achieving client's sales goals.

At Schraad Sales & Marketing we value people as our most strategic and competitive asset. We are committed to the development of a performance driven culture that values our employees’ contributions, opinions, passions and creativity. Schraad Sales & Marketing is dedicated to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

We strive to attract the most talented candidates and brightest minds to join our team, and we are proud of our excellent benefit packages.

Summary

The Customer Development Manager is responsible for the implementation of customized sales strategies for his /her assigned set of customer accounts.  The Customer Development Manager will build and maintain close relationships with customer’s key personnel, contact customers on a regular basis, and work in conjunction with the company’s Business Development Managers and Retail Operations Managers to ensure client, customer and company expectations are met.

Role and Responsibilities

• Build trust with local market customers and seek to understand their sales and merchandising needs.
• Develop customer specific sales plans along with customer specific budget management and monitor effective execution.  
• Provide feedback to Business Development Managers on market and local customer changes to create effective sales strategies and improve sales.
• Maintain a high level of service to local customers, client representatives, retail grocery stores, and co-workers and assist the company in achieving a culture of service excellence.
• Achieve client’s volume, share and sales goals as directed by the Business Development Manager in a financially responsible way for the client, customer, retail grocery store, and company.  
• Work with the Retail Sales Team and Customer Development Managers in the execution of all new product introductions and sales initiatives, ensuring all client’s procedures and policies are followed.
• Communicate all customer’s and client’s initiatives to the Retail Operations Managers and help develop sales tools for the execution of strategies to attain goals (sales presentation, surveys/bulletins, sales contests, retail reporting/tracking, etc.).
• Exhibit knowledge of technology and applicable software applications to analyze and enhance client and customer sales.
• Utilize Nielsen and /or IRI data to communicate strategic information to local customers to increase sales growth, analyze product assortment, and provide Plan-o-gram recommendations.
• Proactively establish and maintain effective working team relationships with all company support departments. 

Education and Other Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university, or equivalent combination of education and experience required
• Minimum of 10 years of sales experience in the Consumer Goods Industry with Grocery experience preferred
• PC Proficiency and strong skills in Word, Excel, and Outlook
• Language skills: fluent in English
• Must have reliable transportation, valid driver’s license, and auto insurance.  Must keep driver’s license and insurance information current and in compliance with company policy
• Must have the ability to travel to customer trade shows, conventions, meetings and other industry functions on a regular basis
• Must be able to type freely and work with computer monitors and keyboards for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis
• Must be able to fly on commercial airlines
• Must attend all team, and company meetings, as required 
• Additional responsibilities as assigned by supervisor to the position/department

Physical Demands

These physical demands are representative of the physical requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

The employee is frequently required to stand and walk for long periods of time; frequently required to sit; bend and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; frequent repetitive motions; working with hands/arms above head; talking and hearing. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.