Sales Account Executive/Healthcare

Upper Lakes Foods•Cloquet, MN

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Sales Account Executive, you are more than a salesperson; you are a trusted partner to the customers you serve. Your goal is to understand each customer's business, identify their needs, and connect them with the right products, services, and solutions. This role is built around relationships. You will work with both new and existing customers, develop strong partnerships, and become someone they can rely on to help solve problems and grow their business. Because customers' needs don't always follow a traditional schedule, the position may occasionally require evening, weekend, or holiday availability. The Sales Account Executive represents Upper Lakes Foods both inside and outside the company. You will participate in food shows, promotions, customer visits, customer events, company functions, and sales meetings. Ongoing training will help you continue developing your product knowledge, sales skills, and understanding of the foodservice industry. Community involvement is also important. You are encouraged to become a public-relations representative for the company by building positive connections within the communities you serve. Ultimately, being a Sales Account Executive at Upper Lakes Foods means becoming an extension of the customer's team. You are there to make calls, build relationships, understand businesses, recommend solutions, solve problems, protect profitability, and create opportunities for growth. You represent Upper Lakes Foods to customers, suppliers, and the community, while working alongside your coworkers to deliver dependable service. The successful person in this role is someone who works hard, communicates well, follows through, builds trust, and genuinely enjoys helping customers succeed.

Requirements

High school diploma, GED, or equivalent.
At least six months of sales experience, chef or restaurant management experience, or a related degree in areas such as business, sales, marketing, hospitality, or culinary arts.
Ability to sell based on value rather than price.
Valid driver's license and a clean driving record in accordance with Upper Lakes Foods' company vehicle policy.
Comfortable standing, bending, reaching, and lifting or carrying light loads.
Ability to lift up to 40 pounds regularly.
Sufficient visual and hearing abilities to perform the responsibilities of the job.
Regular attendance during assigned working hours.
Flexibility, fairness, organization, and ability to remain calm under pressure.
Comfortable managing multiple priorities, thinking critically, solving problems, and taking a project from beginning to end.
Final candidates are required to successfully complete a background check, pre-employment lift evaluations (if applicable) and pre-employment drug screening prior to their employment start date.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Microsoft Office-particularly Excel, Word, and Outlook.
Experience with internet use and basic office equipment.

Responsibilities

Reach out to prospective customers through cold calling and other sales efforts while continuing to strengthen relationships with existing accounts.
Understand how a customer's business operates, what challenges they face, and what they need to be successful.
Research customer businesses and develop a mix of products and services that provides real value.
Expand each account through effective account penetration and thoughtful product recommendations to maximize customer drop size while maintaining profitable pricing and healthy margins.
Explain products, pricing, availability, and practical uses to customers.
Help customer employees understand how to get the most from the products they purchase, sometimes by demonstrating products firsthand (cooking, preparing, or sampling).
Work closely with supplier and brokerage partners to discover new products and identify opportunities involving products, packaging, or services that could benefit customers.
Ensure deliveries follow established schedules and step in to resolve issues when something doesn't go as planned (e.g., out-of-stock items, special orders, low inventory).
Communicate with customers about outstanding balances and work with the credit department to ensure payments are collected according to approved terms.
Regularly review daily and weekly reports, including special-order requests, customer bid files, sales performance, and gross-profit-margin information.
Evaluate customer margins through the Price Contract process to ensure pricing remains competitive while protecting profitability.
Conduct quarterly business reviews for customers participating in Customer Loyalty Programs or Customer Collaboration Programs.
Participate in food shows, promotions, customer visits, customer events, company functions, and sales meetings.
Build positive connections within the communities served as a public-relations representative for the company.
Establish effective working relationships with the department, coworkers, suppliers, brokerage partners, transportation and logistics teams, credit department, and the broader community.