Wholesale Retail / Specialty Food Sales Representative 

Summary of Position

The Outside Account Representative generates revenue for Peterson and attains sales budgets & profit goals by maintaining a consistent and strong presence in the designated territory, developing new accounts, gaining incremental sales at established accounts, and maintaining close customer relations. As the primary company representative in the designated sales territory, the Outside Sales Representative takes complete ownership of territory management, including all facets of customer service, sales growth & profitability, new business development, combating competitive threats, soliciting resources from suppliers, managing and enlisting vendor/broker sales activity, and serving as the primary liaison and advocate between the customer and Peterson.

Responsibilities

• Represent the Peterson Company in a professional manner to our customers by providing a high level of customer satisfaction, generating a consistently increasing revenue and attaining by exceeding monthly and annual sales goals.
• Develop good rapport with customers via face-to-face meetings and maintaining contact on a regular basis. Further develop good rapport with customer employees. Maintain awareness of full & complete name of key business contacts involved in the account.
• Try every possible way to sell a complete range of Peterson products to each account, including by enlisting Product Specialists to provide consultation and support for Specialty categories.
• Maintain understanding of unit operations, customer business challenges, and competitive pressures. Suggest products that will sell for the account, including the right quality level for the right purpose.
• Communicate market fluctuations, shortages, etc. that impact customer. Recommend alternate brands or sizes when necessary.
• Cut products when appropriate and/or upon request to demonstrate quality level & value.
• Establish pricing and special pricing based on delivery frequency, credit trends, order volume, and method of order processing. Review pricing regularly to ensure it is justified and up to date.
• Prioritize and respond to internal and external communications promptly, or delegate to Inside Sales Rep for assistance. Respond promptly to customer complaints & opportunities, no matter how small.
• Process administrative work (sample requests, billback authorizations, mileage logs, etc.) in a timely manner.
• Serve as the liaison between customer and Inside Sales Rep, including making introductions and ensuring service expectations are met or exceeded.
• Designate preferred customer delivery days and clear any changes with Peterson Warehouse & Transportation teams.
• Anticipate sales volume fluctuations and communicate to the appropriate Purchasing Agent.
• Prospect and persistently develop profitable new customers in the established territory. Establish and execute a plan to identify and develop new accounts within designated territory.
• Facilitate new account setup between prospective customer and Peterson A/R Manager.
• Ensure service and customer satisfaction of new accounts, including briefing Inside Sales Rep on account needs and contacts; checking in the first order if necessary; facilitating deliveries as often as required in first two weeks; checking with new accounts within 7 days to ensure customer needs and expectations are being met.
• Maintain current and detailed knowledge of all Peterson product lines, sales procedures, and the Outside Sales Manual.
• Research, report, and participate in cross-education and training to increase awareness of product sales attributes and opportunities.
• Present new products to all accounts.
• Take responsibility for any stocked and non-stocked items brought in for assigned accounts.
• Investigate, troubleshoot, and resolve customer issues such as credits, missing products, account payment status, and other issues that may hinder customer satisfaction and revenue generation.
• Ensure pick-ups, credits, and returns are handled promptly & efficiently by working through Inside Sales Rep, assigned A/R Rep, Warehouse, and Transportation team.
• Immediately advise credit department of changes in ownership or financial stability.
• Anticipate and prevent A/R problems before they arise; take responsibility for collection of receivables when necessary.
• Deliver receivables to A/R team personally, via deposit to Peterson bank account, or via mail on the same day received.  Any deviation must be reported to A/R ASAP.
• Utilize vendor/broker presence in territory by facilitating sales appointments and introductions to customers.
• Establish & manage existing billbacks and work in conjunction with A/P & vendors to maintain competitive advantage.
• Initiate & oversee new item setup process, including interfacing with Purchasing, QA, and vendors to ensure the process is completed in a timely manner.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities include but are not Limited to

• Strong communication skills to present, persuade and communicate with diverse range of staff, customers, and sales team. 
• Prior outside sales/territory experience required with tangible, highly competitive skills in the marketplace. Prior food distribution or closely related experience strongly preferred.  
• Strong business sense to provide guidance to customers on ordering to assist them in their success and generation of strong level of customer satisfaction.
• Understanding and abilities to calculate margins/prices, understand weights / product specifications, and basic math skills.
• Strong personal qualities to manage an independent position without much direct supervision, including but not limited to initiative, self-motivation, assertiveness, quick response time, research, and investigative skills with problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to monitor personal performance and make necessary changes, and/or take action to achieve the sales goals set forth by the VP & Senior Management.
• Interest and motivation with learning a large number of products spanning a huge range of products, and then using the knowledge to take advantage in the sales process.
• Highly mobile position involving frequent driving in personal vehicle, regular walking/standing, occasional lifting of product up to 40 lbs., and frequent use of hands to drive, handle manual paperwork, email, text and move/lift files, catalogs, flyers, etc.
• Ability to frequently operate office software / equipment such as MS Office, Navision, voicemail, smartphone, iPad
• Maintain a current food handler’s permit and applicable food safety knowledge.
• Maintain valid driver’s license in the state of the territory and proof of current auto insurance.

Wage Range

Competitive wages based on experience, PTO, 401(K), Dental, Vision, Life, LTD, and Life Lock