Please note: prospective candidates seeking more information can send a confidential inquiry to speak with our search partner, Beth Gilpin Consulting, which is managing this posting.
Have a passion for sales, wowing customers, fostering positive relationships, and inspiring a team? Do you thrive in a values-driven company and happen to love chocolate? If so, you might be the dynamic and versatile person to lead, develop and implement B2B sales strategies that drive results, engage the sales team, and sustain Lake Champlain Chocolates’ growth. In this new role, you will shape and guide our sales leadership and management strategy, leveraging the strength of our well-recognized brand, loyal customers, consistent family-ownership, and B-Corp certification. Better still, you will work with collaborative, innovative, honest, respectful, and enthusiastic colleagues.
We believe in a better way of doing business by focusing on a triple bottom line: people, profits, and planet. The ideal candidate will reflect these shared values, lead with integrity, and have a proven track-record of demonstrating sales results with another natural, organic, or specialty food brand. See our Employer Introduction to learn more about the company’s history.
Position Summary
Reporting to the President, the Director of Sales leads, directs, and develops the B2B sales team to achieve short and long-range strategic objectives through successful planning and execution of sales strategies for all channels. This role is responsible for the entire range of sales planning and development, sales promotion, and new business development activities.
As a member of the Senior Management Team, the Director will work closely with Marketing, R&D, and other departments to ensure integrated business planning and performance to meet revenue growth, profitability, and sustainability goals. The Director will also contribute to furthering an inclusive and welcoming approach to doing business.
KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Leadership & Strategy
- Establish and implement short- and long-range goals, objectives, policies, and operating procedures that support successful planning, development, and execution of B2B sales strategies and related activities.
- Ensure market/sales/customer feedback is circulated back to the organization to improve positioning with retailer programs, product development, and customer satisfaction and loyalty.
- Provide input on pricing strategy for all products and markets, with the goal of achieving established margin objectives.
Sales Management & Reporting
- Grow sales of existing and new products through strengthened retailer relationships, with Candy Category Managers and key stakeholders, in addition to personally managing key and contract manufacturing accounts.
- Identify and cultivate new sales growth with existing and new retail partners.
- Prepare annual sales forecasts and monitor/adjust throughout the year.
- Analyze and present sales data, trends, and recommendations to drive desired revenue growth
- Manage sales process, including development and delivery of effective, in-person or virtual presentations, either directly or through sales reps, for acquiring new customers and growing sales within the assigned market segment/territory.
- Maintain, and/or monitor, regular communication with customers to ensure all expectations are being met.
People Management
- Effectively lead a high-performing sales team by selecting, developing, coaching, and retaining talented people, and setting objectives that align with company strategy to inspire and engage.
- Establish and communicate sales and key performance indicators for the business.
- Set, monitor, and manage sales budgets for individual reps and brokers.
- Continually evaluate sales infrastructure and processes, recommend, and implement changes to improve results.
- Ensure that the company has the proper sales structure and incentives to meet sales targets.
- Represent the organization and brand with customers, community, and business partners.
Qualifications:
Education
- Bachelor’s degree preferred, but significant, relevant experience (especially in combination with applicable education and training) will be considered in lieu of a degree.
Experience
- Five or more years of sales leadership and management experience (in-person and virtually), with a strong preference for knowledge of specialty, organic, and natural food industry.
- Proven success selling extensively into a variety of channels, including regional and national supermarket chains and club stores, and major third-party distributors, such as UNFI.
- Demonstrated leadership in building, leading, and managing high performing teams that collaborate well in a dynamic environment.
- Experience in a B Corp or values-driven organization highly valued.
Skills/Abilities
- Proven ability to successfully manage similar responsibilities in a remote environment.
- Skilled at inspiring and supporting a collaborative sales team that loves to amaze customers and develop effective and long-lasting relationships.
- Ability to work effectively with others to develop sales plans, budgets and programs that align and direct resources to meet company goals.
- Ability to communicate sales performance and other business information clearly and accurately to the CEO, President, and other senior managers to ensure appropriate decision making and prioritization.
- Superior sales, negotiation, analytical, and organizational skills.
- Ability to analyze and translate market and customer insights data to help identify business development opportunities.
- Well-versed in digital tools and technology needed for effective presentations, analysis, and management of sales and customer data.
- Effective oral and written communication/presentation skills.
- Strong business acumen, including budgetary and strategic planning skills.
- Exceptional interpersonal skills, including rapport and relationship-building.
- Ability to converse in Spanish would be a plus.
Attributes
- An understanding and appreciation for socially responsible business practices and fair-trade products preferred.
- A respectful and appreciative approach to working with people from a broad spectrum of backgrounds.
- Strategic and critical thinker who is action oriented, collaborative, and exudes a high degree of optimism.
Travel requirements:
- Plane travel (trade shows and key retailer meetings) ~4x/yr.
- Regional buyer meetings 3-4x/yr.
- Regional "Ride-Alongs' with Reps ~quarterly (1-2 days each).