Sales Representative - Wine & Spirits

Empire Merchants North • Town of Salina, NY

20h • Onsite

About The Position

Empire Merchants North is the premier wine and spirits distributor in Upstate New York, with a history dating back to the end of Prohibition. The company boasts over 600 dedicated employees and state-of-the-art facilities, serving more than 9,000 area restaurants, bars, hotels, nightclubs, and retail outlets. Empire Merchants North acts as a marketing agent for the brands it represents and prides itself on employing a highly knowledgeable and well-equipped sales force. The company is seeking a high-energy, motivated Sales Representative for Wine and Spirits to cover Syracuse and the surrounding counties of Onondaga, Oswego, Madison, Cayuga, Tompkins, Oneida, Cortland, and Jefferson. This role is responsible for maximizing the sales of supplier brands to the trade and consumer through effective territory planning, selling, merchandising, and communication, ensuring the achievement of company and supplier objectives.

Requirements

• Ability to plan and organize time and activities effectively to achieve sales objectives.
• Strong selling skills, including the ability to prepare and present professional sales presentations.
• Capability to analyze territory and accounts to identify selling and merchandising opportunities.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to develop positive customer relations and interact with suppliers and agencies.
• Mandatory attendance at Company and/or Supplier sponsored training (e.g., wine education classes).
• Up-to-date knowledge of company and competitive brand pricing, product features, and benefits.
• Proficiency in sales skills and fundamentals (Prepare, Present Effectively, and Activate your business).
• Ability to obtain and maximize product distribution and sell-through in both off-premise and on-premise accounts.
• Merchandising skills, including installing point-of-sale material, suggesting shelf/cold box resets, and conducting in-store tastings.
• Ability to ensure proper product rotation in compliance with State and Federal law.
• Proficiency in electronic tools such as Diver and Liquid.
• Ability to maintain accurate territory and account records and submit timely reports.
• Adherence to all federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations.
• Ability to obtain and submit necessary documentation for new accounts, including signed and notarized credit applications and sales tax certificates.

Responsibilities

• Plan times and activities to ensure achievement of company and supplier, volume, distribution, and merchandising objectives within the assigned territory.
• Call on accounts daily, following an established and efficient route, ensuring assigned accounts are visited and serviced in compliance with company frequency standards.
• Keep route sheets up to date.
• Develop positive customer relations with owners, managers, and all other account employees.
• Analyze the total territory and each account to determine the priority selling and merchandising opportunities.
• Prepare and present professional sales presentations to retailers that are tailored to current supplier programs and the needs of the customer.
• Interact with ADS’, Supplier Representatives, and Promotional Agency Representatives to achieve said objectives.
• Deliver effective sales presentations that achieve company and supplier objectives.
• Attend Company and/or Supplier sponsored training, including training classes and wine education classes.
• Keep up to date on company and competitive brand pricing, and all other pertinent information, including knowing the features and benefits of supplier products and programs compared to competition.
• Follow the principles of Sales Skills and Fundamentals Training (Prepare, Present Effectively, and Activate your business).
• Present the portfolio and current programs you are responsible for in each account to increase salesperson's sales and generate maximum revenue and case volume.
• Maintain and effectively use the monthly pitch or program book, tasting notes, sell sheets, and information from suppliers either in print or electronically.
• Obtain the appropriate off-premise distribution of supplier brands, types, and sizes as directed by management.
• Communicate to all owners, managers, clerks, stock persons and anyone concerned with the sale of products in off-premise accounts.
• Obtain maximum sell-through in off-premise accounts by conducting staff trainings, achieving supplier shelf standards, adjacencies, facings, cold box presence, etc.
• Gain feature price, promotion, and display merchandising support from off-premise accounts by using sales trends, retailer inventory, and special activities (holidays, advertising, merchandising, displays, seasonal etc.).
• Obtain the appropriate on-premise distribution of supplier brands, type and sizes as directed by management.
• Communicate to all owners, managers, beverage managers, bartender(s), wait staff, key kitchen personnel and all concerned with the sale of products to maximize business in on-premise accounts.
• Gain wine list presence, internal servicing skills, execution of wines-by-the-glass and features, conducting wait-staff trainings, gaining back bar distribution, and proper merchandising of the back bar in on-premise accounts.
• Obtain distribution support from on-premise accounts by using sales trends, retailer inventory and special activities (holidays, advertising, merchandising, displays and seasonal activities, etc.).
• Request permanent P.O.S. materials for accounts to ensure brand visibility and account dominance (e.g., bar rails, napkin holders, table tents).
• Be familiar with all suppliers and their brands to ensure positive consumer reaction.
• Work with supplier representatives with 48-hour notice and/or company managers with 24 notice and booked during business days (Monday-Friday).
• Know their account needs and opportunities for each supplier work-with.
• Represent products, company and suppliers in a positive way while always maintaining a professional relationship with every supplier.
• Follow up with accounts after a supplier work-with regarding any commitments made to those brands.
• Secure in all accounts, the effective presentation to the consumer, of all brands represented, in accordance with company and/or supplier merchandising standards.
• Install point-of-sale material within accounts.
• Coordinate with merchandisers to enhance product position on the floor, shelf, window, counter, and cold box.
• Suggest shelf/cold box resets that achieve supplier and company standards.
• Work towards ensuring proper rotation of products in accordance with State and Federal law to sustain sales.
• Keep accounts merchandised by organizing and voluntarily conducting in-store consumer wine and spirit tasting(s) on a rotating account basis.
• Keep current on which items are in stock and which items are out of stock for brands in our inventory and notify/inform accounts accordingly.
• Use any materials supplied by the Company and be responsible for said materials.
• Maintain territory and account records in accordance with company policy and provide information and reports as directed.
• Be proficient in all electronic tools e.g., Diver and Liquid, with proper training.
• Have available a defined agenda for all supplier work-withs.
• Keep management informed daily, on all aspects of their territory, which includes turning in accurate recaps in a timely manner.
• Follow standard company policies and procedures.
• Submit sales reports and performance goals to salesperson's manager as requested, i.e., POS, product, pre-sells, surveys, and performance results against goals, etc.
• Collection of wine lists, cocktail lists and cordial lists in all accounts requested by management.
• Maintain adequate, well-organized inventories of P.O.S., sales tools, supplies and merchandising materials needed to support territory activities.
• Attend and actively participate in sales meetings as directed by management in accordance with Collective Bargaining Agreement.
• Maintain professional relationship with all suppliers.
• Make proper use of supplier time during work-withs and reacting appropriately to all supplier work-withs.
• Obtain and submit to the company's credit manager a signed and notarized credit application from new accounts at least 72 hours prior to submitting an opening order.
• Determine with Field Sales Manager the account classification for new accounts.
• Obtain levels of distribution for on and/or off premises account per division standards for new accounts.
• Obtain sales tax certificate for new accounts.
• Ensure all reports, and surveys submitted are accurate, with no falsification.
• Know, understand, and adhere to all federal, state, local laws, rules, and regulations.

Benefits

• Commission-based / paid weekly
• Eligible for sales incentives
• Paid Holidays
• Health and Welfare Plan (medical, dental, vision, disability coverage, life insurance via Union benefits)
• 401K plan
• PTO
• Vacation accrual
• Flexible Spending Account
• Industry certifications (WSET)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed