Hershey's Territory Sales Lead (Far NW Suburbs Chicago)

Hershey's Territory Sales Lead (Far NW Suburbs Chicago)

At The Hershey Company, our culture is rooted in purpose and inspired by Milton Hershey's enduring vision that business should create opportunity for others. Through our commitment to corporate philanthropy, we create positive impact by supporting communities, helping children thrive, and operating as a business for good. This includes our deep and long standing partnership with Milton Hershey School, where we invest in education, workforce readiness, and hands on engagement to help students succeed beyond the classroom.

Title: Territory Sales Lead

Job Location: Far NW Suburbs Chicago

Summary: The Territory Sales Lead (TSL) ensures flawless execution of store level sales and promotion plans with customer retailers in assigned territory. The territory consists of high-volume food chain grocers and mass merchandiser customers. The TSL masters retail execution plans by driving incremental sales, implementing, and maintaining best-in-class promotional and merchandising strategies, and ensuring 100% distribution on authorized Hershey items across all classes of trade.

Responsibilities:

• Consultative Business Partnering
• Customer Relationship Development and Management: Build and maintain consultative business relationships with customer Key Decision Makers (KDMs) at all levels. Partner and collaborate with KDMs to develop and execute action plans to increase sales. Cultivate a network of influential contacts at all levels of customers to achieve sales objectives. Leverage strategic relationships with KDMs to influence and negotiate customers' assistance in the merchandising of Hershey products.
• Data Analysis: Obtain and analyze relevant store, product, and market data and leverage trends and analytics to build the business. Utilize and complete pre-call planning methods and other company tools. Review and make recommendations to modify routes that maximize business efficiencies for all sales calls within territory. Effectively solve problems by analyzing information, utilizing consumer trends and customer insights to guide decision making and influence others to act.
• Sales: Engage in forward selling via consultative sales techniques using provided data sources, technology, processes and procedures. Maximize sales and display opportunities by conducting store walk-throughs and gaining commitment by KDMs on successful outcomes. Tailor strategies to influence KDMs to order additional products to increase incremental sales and to obtain best in class quality of merchandising locations.
• Merchandising: Achieve all merchandising objectives executing customer specific promotional plans to the sales floor using forward selling. Partnership at store level is critical for TSL's to effectively build, maintain and execute product on the sales floor, in addition to merchandising and maintaining permanent secondary displays and other display vehicles.
• Administrative Responsibilities: Complete and submit reports of daily and weekly activities, expenses, competitive activity, account changes, promotions and all administrative functions within assigned territory using company approved methods and technology.

Qualifications:

• Education and Experience: GED or HS Diploma 2-year Associate/Community College degree required OR 3 years of previous sales experience. Bachelor's degree strongly preferred.
• Minimum knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform essential duties/responsibilities, with or without a reasonable accommodation:
• Must have a valid US state issued driver's license
• Must reside or be willing to commute within territory boundaries
• Must be able to drive to make multiple sales calls on a daily basis
• Must be able to lift 10-60 lbs. on a regular basis with or without reasonable accommodations
• Must be able to bend, kneel, stoop down and demonstrate manual dexterity on a frequent basis with or without reasonable accommodations
• Occasionally climb ladders
• Occasionally use equipment such as crushing balers, handheld electric trucks
• Must be able to use tablet and other wireless technology; some roles will require an intermediate level of computer skills with the Microsoft Office products
• Must have daily access to wireless internet
• Must have flexibility and adaptability to changes in territory coverage
• Occasional weekend work may be required during peak seasons and select territories may require occasional overnight stays.

Employees can expect to be paid a starting base salary of $54,000. Additional compensation may include overtime & incentives. Other benefits include health care, vision, dental, retirement, vacation, sick leave.

The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The policy of The Hershey Company is to extend opportunities to qualified applicants and employees on an equal basis regardless of an individual's race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other categories protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Minority/Female/Disabled/Protected Veterans.