The Role
Conducts in-person sales appointments with K-12 school districts and distributors, manages customer relationships, analyzes school bids, and develops strategic product presentations. The role also supports sales representatives through product education, maintains CRM activity records, responds to customer inquiries, attends trade shows, and drives territory growth. Daily travel, customer follow-up, relationship building, negotiation, and knowledge of K-12 food service markets are central responsibilities.
Summary Generated by Built In
BROAD FUNCTION AND SCOPE OF POSITION:
This position’s primary responsibility is to conduct in person appointments to sell and market products to all school distributors and school districts. It also includes working on coding and recapping of school bids with the Bid Manager so that pertinent information can be obtained from the manufacturers. Position works with and educates other Affinity Group West sales representatives about the K-12 school products. Responsible for inputting all daily activity into CRM and planning against all top priority customers and manufacturers.
PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
Sales Planning & Execution
- Plan and schedule in-person sales calls with key business planning customers using CRM, ensuring weekly and trimester call and presentation goals are achieved.
- Conduct field sales activities, including customer appointments, taste testing events, and food shows at district and state SNA levels.
- Monitor and respond to emails and voicemails daily, ensuring all customer and operator inquiries are addressed within 48 hours.
- Conduct timely follow-up calls with customers and sales leads to maintain engagement and drive sales opportunities.
- Analyze school bids and develop customized, strategic presentations for school district decision-makers that align with bid requirements and showcase company products.
- Build and maintain strong relationships within the K-12 school segment, including school districts and distribution partners, to drive ongoing sales growth.
- Continuously expand knowledge of the K-12 segment, including market trends, product offerings, and customer needs.
- Attend industry events, trade shows, and meetings as directed by K-12 leadership and sales management to strengthen market presence and expertise.
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:
- Bachelor’s degree (BA or BS) in related field or equivalent is preferred.
- Work Experience. 3-5 years’ experience preferably with a food sales and marketing agency, along with food service management in K-12, or with a national food manufacturer.
- Integrity/Trust/Ethics. Keeps business strategy, pricing, data and issues confidential as required by AG, manufacturer and operator.
- Outstanding time management skills. In this role, you’ll wear many hats, so you’ll need to show you’ve honed your time management skills, but you’re savvy in prioritizing competing priorities even while traveling from location to location. SMART goals executed weekly, monthly, and annually.
- Clear communication skills. Strong skill set in explaining and defining information, issues about many topics to anyone. Comfortable communicating in person, in writing (professionally, no typos), and on the phone. Possess incredibly well-developed listening skills. Listening skills to provide solutions to district customers and manufacturers.
- Self-motivated and driven to succeed. Take initiative in managing your sales territory. Volunteer for new challenges without waiting to be asked. Take ownership of the time you spend with operators and Affinity Group clients and make a difference as their business partner.
- High emotional intelligence. In this role, you’ll interact with a diverse range of Affinity Group clients and business partners, each with unique circumstances. Establish key partner relationships to develop and nurture business success. Proven ability to demonstrate empathy and understanding are keys to success in this role and discovering unknown needs and being a self-motivated are crucial to this role.
- A valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and a flexible schedule. Since this role requires daily travel throughout your territory, you’ll need a clean driving record and the ability to use your vehicle. Some industry events might require overnights during the food trade show season.
- Computer literacy. As part of a remote workforce, we rely on several digital tools to help you execute your work and keep you accountable. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (required), CRM systems, along with the ability to effectively use virtual presentation tools such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and other cloud-based solutions.
COMPETENCIES:
- Relationship building- Salespeople in Account Development build effective long-term professional interactions with others based on trust: trust that they will always work toward the best interest of those involved and that they are sufficiently competent to provide positive results.
- Active listening- They enhance mutual understanding in communicating with others by expressing genuine interest in, and providing full attention to, the content and meaning of others’ messages.
- Information seeking- They are driven by an underlying curiosity and desire to know more about things, people, or issues. This involves going beyond routine questions and includes digging or pressing for exact information; resolving discrepancies by asking a series of questions; or conducting less-focused environmental scanning for opportunities or miscellaneous information that may be used in the future.
- Influence and persuasion- Salespeople in Account Development are effective in persuading, convincing, influencing, or impressing others in order to get them to support a specific agenda, make a specific type of impression, or take a specific course of action.
- Negotiating- They identify key bargaining points for all parties and work effectively toward win-win solutions.
- Composure and Resiliency- They are able to deal effectively with pressure, maintain focus and intensity, and remain optimistic and persistent, even under adversity. They have the ability and propensity to recover quickly from setbacks, rejections, and conflicts and to maintain self-control in the face of hostility or provocation.
- Organizational savvy- They gather and accurately assess information related to the organization’s formal and informal communication channels and power relationships.
- Time management- They focus on completing all work tasks in a timely manner while remaining responsive enough to react to competing demands and shifting priorities. They are able to manage multiple responsibilities while being organized, keeping on top of important time-sensitive tasks, and performing all work accurately.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS:
- The typical work week: Monday through Friday
- During the food trade show season, the position requires the ability to stand for extended periods, with the ability to safely lift case goods (up to 50lbs.).
- Travel: Position requires daily motor vehicle travel to assigned locations.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent experience
- 3-5 years of experience, preferably in food sales and marketing, K-12 food service management, or with a national food manufacturer
- Valid driver's license
- Reliable transportation and ability to use a personal vehicle for daily territory travel
- Clean driving record
- Flexible schedule, including potential overnight travel during trade show season
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
- Experience with CRM systems
- Ability to use Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and other cloud-based presentation tools
- Strong written, verbal, listening, time management, relationship-building, negotiation, and persuasion skills
- Ability to safely lift case goods weighing up to 50 pounds and stand for extended periods
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The Company
What We Do
From culinary support, to store-level merchandising, to sales planning and strategy, Affinity Group's experienced retail and foodservice teams can help you build Your Bridge to Success. Learn how our talented team of sales pros can help your brand today! Operating in a collaborative environment, the Affinity Group shares our strengths, expertise, and resources to benefit our clients, customers, and our organization. We are focused on the foodservice and retail fresh food channels, helping our customers and clients succeed with highly engaged leaders and tenured top sales and culinary talent in North America.
