Region Sales Manager

Region Sales Manager

The Region Sales Manager (RSM) is a mid-level position reporting directly to the Director of Sales (DS). Contact with DS will be frequent to discuss strategic issues affecting the organization's sales activities, status on development of new markets, and issues requiring senior executive level attention.

The primary responsibility of the RSM is to develop region annual sales plans, lead customer acquisition & retention strategies, manage distributors, actively manage CRM customer pipeline, represent company at food shows, sales meetings, industry events and various activities that support sales growth in the region. The candidate will drive and work to build Nueske's brand awareness and affinity as well as deliver sales, growth and profitability goals.

The RSM will also act as a key representative for the organization and have frequent contact with customers, strategic business partners, industry associates and peers.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop an annual sales plan, distributor/operator target list, CRM tracking mechanism and report out on plan progression monthly using CRM acquisition stats as a barometer.
• Deliver the annual sales and profit plans: Ensure achievement of sales, growth and profitability goals by leading their respective regions.
• Develop and maintain customer relationships, both distributor and operator, to improve Nueske's reach, awareness and reputation in the region.
• Represent the company in customer interactions where applicable and leverage to gain incremental sales and higher customer retention.
• Manage trade spending, travel expenses and any discretionary marketing dollars for the region, staying within budget limits for the region.
• Aid the wider sales team where applicable, in supporting food shows, industry events, sales blitzes and corporate events.
• Understand the customer, brand positioning, and a fully integrated marketing approach as part of your strategic approach to the team.
• Bring analytical capability and rigor to factually understand the competitive landscape in both sales data, industry information and real-world interactions with customers and sales team members.
• Use CRM management and reporting to outline, track and report successes in your customer and volume pipelines.
• Leverage marketing tools to better position Nueske's as a valued partner to both distributor and operator customers.
• Bring voice of customer to the NPD team. Effective partner on product development and innovation.
• Lead new product launches with your region to ensure your customers know the products and their features and benefits.

Interpersonal Skills:

• Organization and team building, managing change, counseling, communication, and listening are needed for success in this culture.
• Manage strategy planning, execution and daily management and development.
• Desire to learn the entire operation – curiosity – ongoing development.
• Leadership and ability to make decisions without an abundance of data.
• Negotiation and proven sales skills are imperative.
• Live Nueske's core values and support the vision and culture.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ideal candidate has a bachelor's degree, but past experience can be a relevant substitute.
• Have 4 or more years within the commercial food sales arena including but not limited to, Distributor, Broker or Manufacturer food sales experience.
• Meat industry is a plus.
• Ability to travel out of state regularly, averaging about 50%-75% travel.
• Adept in the use of CRM, MS Office software, Power BI and related programs.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, team building and coaching skills
• Candidate must have proven experience in operating as part of a sales team that places high emphasis on teamwork, brand sales, high-end products, value-added oriented and NOT bought into the commodity (price leverage) mindset.

Nueske's Culture Elements:

• Communicate Effectively
• Be Caring
• Be Engaged
• Be Quality Minded
• Be Responsible
• Share the Why

Nueske's Applewood Smoked Meats provides equal opportunity in all our employment practices to all qualified employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital status, military status, genetic information, or any other category protected by federal, state, and local laws. This policy applies to all aspects of the employment relationship, including recruitment, hiring, compensation, promotion, transfer, disciplinary action, layoff, return from layoff, training, and social, and recreational programs. All such employment decisions will be made based upon the merits of the employee/application and without unlawfully discriminating on any