Sales Manager/Business Development - Meat, Poultry and Seafood Ingredients

Job Description

Food Safety & Shelf-Life Solutions

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A&B Ingredients, a specialty food ingredient manufacturer focused on clean-label solutions, is growing its business in the meat, poultry, and seafood industries. We are looking for a sales professional to open new accounts and lead this growth.

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The right candidate has: 5+ years of selling to meat, poultry, or seafood processors, an active network of contacts at those companies, and a record of winning new accounts through long, technical sales cycles.

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Key Responsibilities

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Sales Development and Customer Relationships

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• Use your industry network to get meetings with decision-makers at meat, poultry, and seafood processors.
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• Prospect new accounts through networking and a consultative sales approach built on understanding each processor's food safety, shelf-life, and cost goals.
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• Identify processors using competitive preservation systems that A&B can replace.
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• Build relationships with seasoning manufacturers and other partners who can introduce A&B to processors.
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• Generate leads at industry conferences, trade shows, and customer events.
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Sales Cycle Management

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• Lead each opportunity from the first meeting through trials, validation, approval, and first orders.
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• Coordinate across the customer's Procurement, R&D, Food Safety, QA, and Operations teams, and keep projects moving over cycles that can run for months.
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• Work with A&B's technical team on sampling, plant trials, and shelf-life studies.
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• Present value and cost-in-use to Procurement and negotiate commercial terms.
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Territory and Account Growth

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• Expand existing accounts into new plants, product lines, and applications by building trust and offering solutions that fit each customer's process.
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• Act as a trusted advisor to customers and resolve questions and issues quickly.
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• Follow up after conversion to confirm customer satisfaction and build long-term partnerships.
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Product Expertise and Market Knowledge

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• Represent and promote A&B's clean-label antimicrobial and shelf-life solutions, including vinegar-based and other natural preservation ingredients.
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• Stay current on industry trends, regulatory requirements, competitor activity, and pricing so your recommendations are informed.
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• Share customer and market feedback with A&B's product and technical teams to guide new product development.
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Operations Coordination

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• Work with A&B's Customer Service, Supply Chain, and Operations teams to forecast customer demand and support on-time delivery.
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• Coordinate with Accounting to set up credit terms and make sure customer documentation is complete and filed correctly.
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Sales Strategy, Organization and Administration

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• Develop and carry out a territory sales plan to meet and exceed revenue targets.
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• Organize and prioritize daily activity so follow-ups, sample requests, and customer issues are handled on time.
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• Prepare proposals, keep detailed sales records in the CRM, and report pipeline and progress against goals.
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• Use the CRM, LinkedIn, and trade directories to research and identify prospects.
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Ideal Background

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• 5+ years of B2B sales or business development experience with meat, poultry, or seafood processors.
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• An established network of contacts at processors in RTE and deli meats, processed poultry, sausage, ham, turkey, seafood, or prepared proteins.
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• A proven record of opening new accounts and meeting or exceeding sales targets.
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• Experience selling food ingredients, food safety products, seasonings, or related products to processors.
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• Working knowledge of Listeria control, shelf-life extension, and clean-label preservation. Familiarity with vinegar, buffered vinegar, dry vinegar, cultured ingredients, organic acids, or lactates/diacetates is a plus.
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• Comfort with long sales cycles that involve several stakeholders, plant trials, and validation.
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• Strong presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
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• A degree in Food Science, Meat Science, Animal Science, Business, or a related field is preferred.
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• Willingness to travel to customers, processing plants, conferences, and industry events.
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A&B Ingredients offers an entrepreneurial environment where technical expertise, initiative, and business development ability can have a direct impact on the company's growth.

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