Sales Manager

ABOUT MPG

The Creative Partners Group (The CPG), by MPG, is a comprehensive retail solutions company. The CPG represents established and emerging brands across all categories of merchandise and provides acclaimed services that build brands and businesses.
This is a hybrid role requiring a location of Minneapolis, MN.

CPG is part of Market Performance Group (MPG), a leading end-to-end, strategy & services omnichannel commerce agency focused on creating the best PATH FORWARD — from market strategy to in-market reality — for today’s fastest-growing consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers. Over the years, we’ve built a strong reputation as a trusted partner and valuable resource to a broad range of companies, from Fortune 500 to Private Equity, in categories that include health & wellness, food & beverage, home and hardlines.

We revel in the opportunity to guide our clients on their path forward, building and activating strategies that ensure success. Everything we do is driven by our unrelenting commitment to leverage our deep operational experience, unparalleled omnichannel expertise, and industry relationships to drive performance in today’s dynamic omnichannel marketplace.

At MPG, we value our people and their contributions; they are critical to building the MPG Brand. Our leadership team has significant experience driving topline revenue and bottom-line profit, having held senior operating roles at leading CPG manufacturers and retailers. Our highly regarded, seasoned team of 400+ strategy and commercialization professionals brings strong operational experience and a collaborative approach. All team members are singularly focused on providing clients with pragmatic, real-world market approaches, built on the strong consumer, category and marketplace insights needed to create sustainable, profitable brand growth.

You will excel as a Sales Manager if you are able to provide the best service to our clients through exceptional communication, top-notch problem-solving skills, and the ability to drive current business growth as well as identify and develop new relationships to drive growth.

Sales Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and implement effective sales strategies to drive growth and achieve business objectives.
• Prepare and analyze operational and financial sales reports for the department.
• Oversee the management, coaching, and career development of Account Managers.
• Coordinate cross-selling opportunities and joint marketing initiatives to maximize exposure and profitability.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors and retail partners to support mutual business goals.
• Foster a positive, collaborative, and high-performing work environment.
• Contribute ideas and best practices to improve sales volume, expand distribution, and increase market share.
• Exhibit mastery of sales processes and Account Management practices (e.g., line review timelines, pricing challenges, shipping challenges).
• Independently manage key accounts end-to-end, while supporting conflict resolution in partnership with leadership.

Account Management & Execution

• Analyze sales data on a weekly basis and provide highlights, concerns, and trends to Vendor Partners.
• Proactively identify sales trends and new business opportunities for Vendor Partners.
• Manage collaborative forecasting, budgeting, and performance tracking for new items, temporary price cuts (TPCs), and special events.
• Monitor inventory positions, track purchase orders, and confirm on-time, complete shipments.
• Participate in weekly and/or monthly meetings with Target Buyers and Inventory Analysts to review business opportunities and concerns.
• Provide meeting recaps to Vendor Partners and the Target team, outlining key takeaways, action items, and next steps.
• Oversee item setup and ongoing maintenance for Vendor Partners.
• Research and resolve chargebacks and accounts payable issues on behalf of Vendor Partners.
• Support packaging and quality processes for Target’s Owned Brand vendors.
• Maintain ownership of assigned business areas, contributing directly to key decisions and initiatives.

Core Competencies

• Strong organizational skills with the…