Sales Representative

PPC FLEX•Buffalo Grove, IL

About The Position

A Sales Representative is responsible for managing and growing existing accounts while prospecting for new accounts to support ongoing sales budgets and profit expectations. In the event of absence, these job responsibilities will be covered by other employees in the “Sales Manager” or “VP- Sales Consumer” positions. Sales Account Growth and Development: • Must be able to create, develop, and implement annual Key Account Sales Plans, including volume objectives and strategic actions needed to achieve growth goals while assessing risks and opportunities, etc. which are consistent with PPC corporate direction and values. • Service and grow existing and new customer accounts to ensure high customer satisfaction, positive long-term relationships, and repeat business. • Leverage Salesforce CRM to drive forward looking visibility in support of cross functional partners (timing, size and ongoing updates surrounding opportunities pipeline) • Lead key business negotiations: contracts, pricing into SF and manage effectively. • Focuses on Value Selling based upon PPC’s Sales Strategy – FOCUS and FIT for PPC’s facilities. • Actively prospect to build sales funnel to agreed upon targets and then drive and facilitate the quotation process for achievement of margin expectations. • Effectively market and sell PPC’s strategy at various levels within prospective customers including senior management, procurement, technical, and brand managers through direct relationships within the accounts. • Help to identify emerging market and customer trends and opportunities. • Maintain close communications with Sales Support Resources (Marketing, Engineering and Product Development) to recommend and promote new applications and technologies of PPC products to assigned customers and prospects. • Participate in trade shows as requested: actively prospect for new opportunities that FIT PPC and aggressively pursue new prospects based upon training. • Develop account level capture plans that outline the strategy to acquire business from a prospective customer. Customer Communication: • Develop a proactive engagement approach to customer account personnel. Develop professional business relationships with a broad, cross-functional array of contacts within assigned and new accounts. • Utilize customer scorecards and metrics to effectively manage customer expectations and develop plans for how to drive resources that bring growth and profitability. Understand and communicate internally the “outside-in-view” of customer service level. • Be proactive and be the source of “problem solving” skills to customer needs. • Effectively negotiates pricing and contractual issues with customers. • Facilitates and assists in resolution of escalating issues which arise between accounts and PPC on matters relating to payment terms, aged inventory, product performance, pricing, service, etc. Supply Chain: Coordination, Planning & Sales Forecasting: • Advise as needed the cross-functional internal teams (including Pre-Media, Engineering, Product Development, Materials, Scheduling, Quality, Production, and Shipping) to support mission of best in class customer experience. • Provide sales forecasting information, as needed, to the demand planning team through ongoing shipment, inventory, and POS analysis. • Participate in Supply Chain/Operations activities acting as “voice of the customer”. Provide insight for allocations of resources in S&OP process. • Actively review and manage inventory investments and/or aged inventory as required with customer and financial insight in mind. Provide insight to inventory rules/policies. Analytics: • Utilize reporting of key performance indicators to be the expert for assigned accounts – Sales, Order Input, On Time delivery, inventory programs, Quality, Sales profit. • Strong aptitude for financial impacts; sales, profit/loss, inventory holding, and financial segmentation.

Requirements

Four-year Bachelor’s Degree and 3+ years in a business-to-business (B2B) Sales Position.
Ability to self-manage and deploy multiple verbal and computer-related instructions.
Quantifiable track record of results in developing account growth through “farming” and “prospecting” within existing and new account portfolio.
Strong ability to identify and grow “whitespace” sales opportunities within account portfolio.
Persuasive communication and presentation skills; an influencer that can deliver clear and concise presentations.
A high level of emotional intelligence and the ability to grow strong business relationships.
Strong desire to continue to learn (life-long learner).
Leverage Technology to sell - LinkedIn Navigator, Facebook, Twitter, Virtual meeting spaces.
Strong ability to build and maintain a robust sales opportunity pipeline.
Maintain and leverage Salesforce CRM. (Past Salesforce CRM experience desirable)
A team-player orientation with a collaborative onboarding approach.
Ability to sell value over price and operate within a customer’s reality.
Sound financial management skills, understanding the impacts to decisions on total company costs; weighing decisions against customer gains.
Embraces change management and process improvement.
Results-oriented, assertive, and tenacious, yet diplomatic to get things done on time. This position requires multi-tasking and an individual who enjoys working with a sense of urgency and is capable of creative problem solving and effective problem resolution to overcome challenges and hurdles in the supply chain. (And consideration for client needs)
Experience with business operating systems and knowledge of Windows computing programs a must with a degree of proficiency in PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook.

Nice To Haves

Experience in Flexible Packaging sales is a strong plus.
Strong technical expertise of components and construction of flexible packaging materials preferred.
Knowledge of end-user equipment and end-user applications in food & consumer packaging preferred.
Project a professional image and positive attitude while assertively getting the results needed to support a speed-to-market organization.

Responsibilities

Create, develop, and implement annual Key Account Sales Plans
Service and grow existing and new customer accounts
Leverage Salesforce CRM
Lead key business negotiations
Focuses on Value Selling based upon PPC’s Sales Strategy
Actively prospect to build sales funnel
Effectively market and sell PPC’s strategy at various levels within prospective customers
Help to identify emerging market and customer trends and opportunities
Maintain close communications with Sales Support Resources
Participate in trade shows as requested
Develop account level capture plans
Develop a proactive engagement approach to customer account personnel
Utilize customer scorecards and metrics to effectively manage customer expectations
Be proactive and be the source of “problem solving” skills to customer needs
Effectively negotiates pricing and contractual issues with customers
Facilitates and assists in resolution of escalating issues which arise between accounts and PPC
Advise as needed the cross-functional internal teams
Provide sales forecasting information, as needed, to the demand planning team
Participate in Supply Chain/Operations activities acting as “voice of the customer”
Actively review and manage inventory investments and/or aged inventory as required with customer and financial insight in mind
Utilize reporting of key performance indicators to be the expert for assigned accounts
Strong aptitude for financial impacts; sales, profit/loss, inventory holding, and financial segmentation.