Business Development Manager (Food Service Distribution)

Salary $110K - $130K WITH BONUS OPPORTUNITY

Our client combines exceptional quality and brand building with broadline food service distribution for more than 40 years. With Protein, Specialty, Produce, and Broadline offerings, they service the most discerning chefs in a hybrid approach of convenience and superior quality. They introduce more than 4,000 artisan producers of the world’s finest ingredients from over 40 countries to the finest chefs in the world. They passionately consult, sell, and build relationships with more than 50,000 customers through the most experienced network of over 600 consultive sales associates, best-in-breed technology, rapid service, and support levels that solidify long-standing ties to both established and up-and-coming premium restaurants.

Position Summary: The Business Development Manager is responsible for increasing sales by developing new business opportunities, as well as leveraging existing sales within the foodservice sector and overseeing a small team of Sales Associates. Focus will be on multi-unit group business, platinum level account retention/growth, and recovery of accounts lost with in those parameters.

What you’ll do:

• Effectively manage and develop sales in both current and yet to be discovered foodservice channels through a multi-faceted research approach. Collaborate with the sales staff to identify potential opportunities to be targeted to meet budgeted sales goals.
• Oversee 6-8 direct reports
• Create and work through a methodical goal-oriented system for each identified sales opportunity. Must have the ability to think outside the box to develop custom tailored ideas based off each customer’s needs.
• Needs to possess a demonstrated high level closing ability and skill set.
• Able to create relationships with key decision makers, then maintain them as needed after the account is on boarded and turned over to sales
• Maintain regular oversight of accounts after they are handed over to sales, to ensure maximum leveraging of sales potential.
• Ability to analyze trends, menus and order guides against customer purchases, creating valued customer suggestions in order to maximize sales
• Clean unfiltered data to create cost comparisons, then restate it into customer friendly understandability
• Gain valuable street level business intelligence, and translate that into actionable follow-up, setting up appointments with decision makers
• Determine and create content for sales presentations, customizable for each opportunity
• Support corporate business through daily communications
• Work with Transportation to help ensure areas that have routes that are in need additional tonnage are being developed accordingly to maximize routes
• Travel to account HQ meetings in a support roll
• Regularly review sales reports to identify and target sleeper accounts where sales are not fully leveraged

About you:

• 4-year degree in Business or related field preferred.
• 5-7 years of progressive growth food service sales, preferably in the Northeast
• Five plus years of sales experience with the food service or culinary business.
• Advanced training in recent sales techniques preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong computer skills (Excel, Microsoft Office)
• Proven leadership and motivation skills
• Ability to work in a fast paced selling environment
• Strong Analytical and Problem Solving Skills
• Ability to work independently
• Presentation, Negotiation, and Influencing Skills
• Well Versed in multiple forms of Social Media