Sales Account Manager

CONA Services•Rockville, MD

12d•$69,000 - $71,726•Onsite

About The Position

The Sales Account Manager (SAM) owns the selling relationship for an assigned portfolio of accounts and uses judgment to determine the sales approach for a segmented group of customers. The primary duty is making sales and obtaining orders or contracts for company products. The SAM is customarily and regularly engaged at customer locations away from the company’s places of business. Promotional work is incidental to and in conjunction with the SAM’s outside sales, including developing customer-specific selling stories, presenting solutions, and closing orders. Through professional selling, the SAM analyzes customer and category performance, identifies needs, recommends solutions, negotiates terms, and obtains orders that grow volume, revenue, and the company’s share of space. The position spends typically 80% or more of working time making sales and obtaining orders or contracts at customer locations outside the company’s place of business. Remaining time is spent on duties incidental to the SAM’s own outside sales, including sales-related administrative tasks, route planning, sales reporting, and other assigned duties. Work is performed primarily in the field at customer locations, including retail stores, convenience stores, restaurants, and other commercial outlets within an assigned sales territory. The SAM travels daily by personal vehicle between customer sites and encounters varying environmental conditions, including outdoor weather while moving between locations, temperature-controlled and non-temperature-controlled areas, and wet or uneven floors. There is no fixed office workspace; route planning, sales reporting, and order entry are performed using mobile technology in the field or remotely.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Knowledge acquired through 1 to 3 years of work experience.
At least 18 years of age, or 21 where required by applicable law for operating a commercial motor vehicle.
Ability to build and deliver fact-based sales presentations and customer business reviews.
Demonstrated consultative selling ability, including uncovering customer needs, presenting fact-based solutions, handling objections, and asking for the order.
Strong negotiation and closing skills, including selling contracts and pricing agreements.
Ability to interpret sales, category, and space data to build a selling story and customer business review.
Strong attention to detail, follow-up, and closing discipline.
Excellent planning and organization skills.
Proficiency in computer applications and ability to use and understand mobile applications.
Valid driver’s license with a satisfactory driving record; must maintain a valid driver’s license.
Must maintain current vehicle liability insurance as specified by the company.
Must provide and maintain a personal vehicle for use during working hours.
Ability to drive daily between customer locations, and to walk and stand in retail or commercial outlets for extended periods (4–6 hours per day).
Ability to occasionally lift, carry, push, or pull products and point-of-sale materials weighing up to 50 pounds (less than one-third of the workday).
Ability to operate a motor vehicle, mobile device, laptop computer, and handheld scanning equipment.
Ability to communicate effectively with customers, coworkers, and management, including giving in-person presentations and conducting business reviews.
Ability to analyze sales, category performance, and space allocation data; plan and prioritize a daily sales route; exercise independent judgment in account-specific selling; and negotiate contracts and pricing agreements.
Ability to read sales reports, product labels, shelf tags, and mobile device screens, and assess shelf conditions, product placement, and point-of-sale execution.
Ability to work a variable schedule that may include early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays based on customer and business needs.

Nice To Haves

At least 1 year of previous outside, consultative, or account-based selling experience.
Food and beverage industry experience.
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Communications, Marketing, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Sell and grow revenue in the assigned account base by presenting and closing the commercial plan with every customer in the portfolio.
Plan the selling approach for each call, identify sales opportunities at the outlet, present solutions, and close sales.
Build and maintain profitable customer relationships to identify, develop, and close sales opportunities.
Execute the assigned daily visit plan, including flex visits, and close each sales call by obtaining an order or advancing a specific sales opportunity.
Sell and obtain orders for incremental volume opportunities through myCoke, EDI, or Spring, in partnership with the customer and the HUB Ambassador.
Sell incremental packages, displays, equipment, new product launches, pricing letters, and thematic promotions.
Sell Club Coke contracts and pricing agreements, and sell equipment placements that grow Coca-Cola space in the outlet.
Conduct monthly customer business reviews using sales, category, and space performance to identify and sell growth opportunities.
Sell each proposed element with profitability in mind.
Ensure pre-sold and mandatory elements supporting the SAM’s customer sales are executed and remain in the outlet for the full program duration.
Analyze and address shrink performance, including damages and out-of-dates, while managing inventory levels that could impair product availability and customer orders.
Use the assigned territory business plan to prioritize customer sales opportunities, support the SAM’s sales, and track sales performance against established goals.
Sell in and protect pricing, point-of-sale materials, and plan-o-gram integrity in all accounts to support sales made during customer visits.
Perform limited merchandising and product rotation during the same sales visit, protecting the Look of Success sold to the customer.
Partner with internal and field stakeholders, including the Center of Support, field sales, HUB Ambassadors, distribution, small store merchandising, and warehouse teams, to deliver and support what was sold to customers.
Travel by personal vehicle to and between customer locations throughout the assigned territory daily.
Perform route planning, sales reporting, and order entry using mobile technology in the field or remotely.