The Role
Leads foodservice business development, sales growth, promotional programs, account relationships, contract negotiations, and strategic partnerships across restaurant, distributor, institutional, and concessions accounts. Manages key account plans, CRM activity, budgets, forecasting, ROI, presentations, product placement, and cross-functional marketing execution. Requires foodservice sales experience, relationship-building, analytical skills, promotional program expertise, and up to 40% travel.
Summary Generated by Built In
At Avocados From Mexico, we nurture hearts to live life deliciously. We are curious-minded and have a relentless passion for disruption that delivers results.
The Sr Foodservice Business Development Manager will serve as a member of the company’s Food Service team helping to lead the company’s partnership vision and values. The individual will assist with helping the AFM Foodservice team become a world-class foodservice sales and marketing team, becoming the unquestioned leader in the fresh produce category within Foodservice.
The role is responsible for leading the business development across multiple segments to drive the promotional programs that will accelerate short term demand through partnerships in restaurant chain accounts, broadliners, contract feeders, universities and concessions. This individual will be responsible for identifying and driving growth opportunities in the foodservice channel to increase overall avocado menu penetration. The role will require strong relationship management skills and the ability to prospect and maintain existing partnerships that support future growth in the channel. .
Responsibilities
· Utilize market knowledge to develop new business opportunities through prospecting, leads, and referrals for target operator accounts.
· Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders in existing target accounts and conduct follow up as required.
· Leads the planning and implementation of new and existing promotional opportunities for targeted accounts and develops successful marketing tools for Food Service channel including key account marketing plans that leverage offers, incentives, customer social media, consumer outreach, staff education, and other tactics.
· Owns account and contract management to ensure execution of all agreements.
· Work closely with the Director Sales & Marketing to develop and implement a sales strategy and business plans for target accounts that will deliver a range of LTO’s, Menu Inclusions, Menu Ideations and Training Sessions.
· Oversee planning and execution for new business opportunities, driving contract negotiations and long-term partnerships.
· Work closely with the Foodservice Culinary & Marketing team and agencies to develop appropriate sales and marketing support materials.
· Conduct regular business reviews and develop sales stories with key partners to develop a robust pipeline of opportunities in key accounts and priority categories.
· Manage the relevant portion of the Foodservice team’s budget, adjust plans, programs, and marketing activities as necessary to ensure goals and objectives are achieved.
· Contributing to the company's Strategy, Planning and Forecasting for volume of fresh Avocados from Mexico.
· Work collaboratively with the Director of Sales and Marketing identify partnership strategies to best penetrate the market, including development and execution of strategies to achieve annual volume and operating targets.
· Own the development of the CRM system to upload new contacts, manage existing contacts, manage stages of relationship growth and show monthly reporting on key accounts.
· Work closely with the Marketing & Agency teams to help execute product educational demonstrations, trade shows and retailer shows, as necessary.
· Analyze monthly data and identify any issues and/or opportunities with our strategic accounts.
· Manage all promotional accounts to ensure delivery of ROI. Launching and new product placement including providing the Operator Partners with focus, tools, data, feedback and training to ensure their success.
· Preparation and delivery of detailed and professional sales / volume presentations for account reviews, innovation presentations and operator meetings.
· Propose the development, adaptation and/or changes to the company’s current product line based on trade feedback and competitive analysis
Skills/Qualifications
· Foodservice sales and business development experience is required.
· Results oriented to achieve volume and goals set by the Director of Sales and Marketing
· Excellent written and oral communication skills.
· Comfortable presenting in front of senior level audiences.
· Ability to function at a high level with minimal supervision, stay organized and adjust to constantly changing priorities.
· Positive team player with a solution-driven attitude.
· Must thrive on challenge and change. A strong can-do attitude, flexibility, sense of urgency and self-motivation is important to succeed in this role.
· Have a comfort level with working cross-functionally with a team that includes agency partners, vendors, and other AFM divisions
· An energetic, forward-thinking and creative leader with high ethical standards.
· Produce and in-depth knowledge of food brokers is a plus.
· Ability to translate corporate strategy into sales/business development successes and create ongoing relationships with operators.
· Possessing a visionary and inspirational leadership style with an entrepreneurial spirit
· Demonstrated ability to be both “hands-on” (excellent attention to detail) and “strategic” (development and execute longer term sales plan)
· Excellent Management skills in order to effectively develop the resources under your supervision to meet/exceed business objectives (if applicable).
· Proven track record in building good relationships with customers as well as internal associates.
· Demonstrated diligence and ability to follow through on all commitments (internal and external stakeholders).
· Effective communication with the ability to impact and motivate external and internal stakeholders.
· Demonstrated ability to achieve performance goals with minimal direction.
· Computer literacy with expertise in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Salesforce/ or other CRM
Ongoing learner; exhibits insatiable curiosity and an interest in self-improvement.
· Proactive self-starter and team player with a passion for executing with excellence and thrives in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment while being adaptable, resilient, and resourceful.
· Results-driven leader who is collaborative, highly self-motivated and works with a sense of urgency.
· Ability to take on ad-hoc projects as assigned.
· Willingness to work additional hours as business demands may require, including participating
in client entertainment opportunities.
· Able to work efficiently during both on-site and off-site events
· Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus.
· Ability to travel up to 40%.
Education/Experience Requirements
· Experience building key relationships selling product and/or programs into large accounts preferred. 5 to 8 year’s sales/marketing/development experience within restaurant, for a distributor, with a food broker or with another company within the Foodservice industry.
· Promotional program development experience required.
· Experience in culinary operations or the foodservice industry preferred.
· Has experience creating strong business relationships and growing business relationships. Experience cold calling is required.
· Proven analytical skills and understanding of data and its applicability to the category is required.
Skills Required
- Foodservice sales and business development experience
- Five to eight years of sales, marketing, or business development experience in foodservice, restaurants, distribution, food brokerage, or a related industry
- Promotional program development experience
- Experience creating and growing business relationships
- Cold-calling experience
- Proven analytical skills and ability to apply data to category and account decisions
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Ability to present to senior-level audiences
- Ability to work independently, manage changing priorities, and meet performance goals
- Computer literacy and expertise with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Salesforce or another CRM
- Ability to work cross-functionally with agencies, vendors, and internal teams
- Ability to travel up to 40%
- Experience building relationships and selling products or programs into large accounts
- Experience in culinary operations or the foodservice industry
- In-depth knowledge of produce and food brokers
- Bilingual English and Spanish
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The Company
What We Do
Created in 2013, the objective of this non-profit marketing organization is to promote the product of its two founding avocado organizations: MHAIA (Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association), which represents hundreds of importers and distributors in the United States and APEAM (Association of Avocado Exporting Producers and Packers of Mexico) that represents more than 28,000 small avocado growers and 62 packers. For the first time in history, two international organizations came together and under the Hass Avocado Promotion Research and Information Order with oversight by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), created a unique company charged with the dual responsibility of promoting a brand for Mexican avocados and expanding the demand of the precious fruit throughout the U.S.
