Territory Development Manager; Chicago

Our Sales Force is the face of La Colombe. We make sure every coffee we sell meets a happy customer. We’re a dedicated team. And it’s easy to be dedicated when you’re a part of something much bigger than yourself. We have an insatiable appetite for making a difference.

The Territory Development Manager on the Regional Sales & Execution team will drive, lead, and manage the execution arm of La Colombe across the North-Central region. In this role, they will ensure that La Colombe is top of mind with regional and independent accounts and the KDP distribution teams. They will connect commercial driven priorities with local opportunities to deliver La Colombe’s business goals through effective communication, creative selling solutions and coaching the team members to effectively and efficiently execute Regional Sales KPIs.

The responsibilities of this position include:

• Build regional and territory sales plans to drive execution and meet sales targets
• Influence and partner with KDP – PB system in the North-Central Region to drive growth of La Colombe by wiring to the Account management and merchandising teams to influence orders and coordinate in-store execution, holding the KDP field teams accountable to the in-store milestones
• Participate & support in marketing, sales, and educational events that lead to growth and brand awareness in the region/territory
• Execute regional retail programs designed to achieve incremental profitable sales volume, merchandising impact, and optimize distribution
• Lead and support the team in driving distribution & share growth through shelving, new item, void closure and reset activity
• Take ownership for the development of the Convenience / UDS channel and regional grocery retailers.
• Work collaboratively with HQ Brand Sales Team and Commercial Team to drive sustainable solutions for sales and brand performance opportunities
• Collaborate with Regional Sales Manager on business planning & analysis for the region.
• Ensure assigned distributors are aware of and aligned to executional expectations. Participate in quarterly business reviews with assigned distributors.
• Execute our sales and merchandising strategy to achieve sales plan, incremental display, and market share objectives, pursuing the ideal of “a journey to perfection” in in-store execution, which includes:
  • On-Shelf
    - In-Stock, Packed Out
  • Cooler Display
    - In-Stock, Packed Out, Including Seasonals
  • Incremental Display
    - Each store, in-stock, packed out
  • 2 cases of each flavor in back stock at all times; in addition to fully stocked shelves
  • Ensure shelf tags are placed and accurate on-shelf and on display
• Drive additional growth at store level by:
  • Partnering with Brand Sales and Commercial Marketing to ensure programming is executed across priority stores
  • Coordinating and executing sampling opportunities
  • Securing incremental placement opportunities at local level (Cold, Display)
• Reporting:
  • Weekly recaps of activity to internal stakeholders to include details on sales, store footprint, any obstacles and additional opportunities secured
  • Leveraging Repsly and Margin Minder to keep a constant pulse on the business and share back with key internal and external stakeholders
  • Ongoing reporting + troubleshooting of voids with distribution network
  • Build an evolving playbook of best practices regarding ways of working with KDP District Managers, Account Managers and Merchandising teams, with an emphasis around:
    • Communication
    • Order quality and accuracy
    • Goal setting
    • Initiative communication and follow through
    • Resource availability (sell sheets, POS, etc.)
• Willingness to travel 30% of the time or as needed to ensure the distribution network is successful

The requirements of this position include:

• Minimum of 3 years of DSD sales & marketing experience in CPG
• Strong selling skillset and ability to influence at customer level and internally
• Self-motivated with proven ability to work independently within a large market and multitask across a geographical area
• Existing local retail and/or distributor relationships are a plus
• Effective time-management & scheduling skills, with the ability to balance multiple projects simultaneously
• Strong interpersonal and communication…