Hershey's Territory Sales Lead (Cleveland District)

The Hershey Company•Cleveland, OH

About The Position

The Territory Sales Lead (TSL) ensures flawless execution of store-level sales and promotion plans with customer retailers in an assigned territory, consisting of high-volume food chain grocers and mass merchandiser customers. The role drives incremental sales, implements and maintains merchandising and promotional strategies, and ensures distribution of authorized Hershey items across classes of trade. The successful candidate is driven, entrepreneurial, influential, and planful. The TSL builds consultative relationships with customer key decision makers (KDMs), collaborates on action plans to increase sales, and uses strategic relationships to influence merchandising support. The role analyzes store, product, and market data; uses company planning tools; recommends route changes to improve efficiency; and applies consumer trends and customer insights to solve problems and guide decisions. The TSL uses consultative selling and provided data, technology, processes, and procedures to increase sales. The role conducts store walkthroughs, secures KDM commitments, and maximizes sales and display opportunities. It also executes customer-specific promotional plans, maintains products and displays on the sales floor, and completes required daily and weekly activity, expense, competitive activity, account change, and promotion reports using approved methods and technology. The position is based in the Cleveland District. Employees can expect a starting base salary of $54,000, with possible additional overtime and incentives. Benefits include health care, vision, dental, retirement, vacation, and sick leave.

Requirements

GED or high school diploma.
An associate or community college degree, or three years of previous sales experience.
Valid U.S. state-issued driver's license.
Reside within or be willing to commute within the territory boundaries.
Ability to drive to multiple sales calls daily.
Ability to lift 10–60 pounds regularly, with or without reasonable accommodations.
Ability to bend, kneel, stoop, and demonstrate manual dexterity frequently, with or without reasonable accommodations.
Ability to climb ladders occasionally.
Ability to occasionally use equipment such as crushing balers and handheld electric trucks.
Ability to use a tablet and other wireless technology; some roles require intermediate computer skills with Microsoft Office products.
Daily access to wireless internet.
Flexibility and adaptability to changes in territory coverage.
Occasional weekend work may be required during peak seasons; select territories may require occasional overnight stays.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain consultative business relationships with customer key decision makers at all levels.
Collaborate with key decision makers to develop and execute action plans that increase sales, and cultivate influential customer contacts to achieve sales objectives.
Use strategic customer relationships to influence and negotiate merchandising support for Hershey products.
Obtain and analyze store, product, and market data, using trends and analytics to build the business.
Complete pre-call planning and use other company tools.
Review and recommend route modifications to maximize business efficiency for sales calls within the territory.
Analyze information and apply consumer trends and customer insights to solve problems, guide decisions, and influence others to act.
Engage in forward selling using consultative sales techniques and provided data sources, technology, processes, and procedures.
Conduct store walkthroughs and secure key decision maker commitments to maximize sales and display opportunities.
Influence key decision makers to order additional products and secure high-quality merchandising locations.
Execute customer-specific promotional plans on the sales floor, maintain products, and merchandise permanent secondary displays and other display vehicles.
Complete and submit daily and weekly reports covering activities, expenses, competitive activity, account changes, promotions, and other administrative functions using company-approved methods and technology.