Client Development Manager

Our Client Development Managers (CDMs) are a key link between our customers and apetito. Customers see their CDM as the face of apetito – they are an instrumental part of the success of apetito partnerships

A successful CDM will be an authentic, enthusiastic self-starter, who can develop long-term partnerships with customers and achieve commercial targets including high levels of customer retention and loyalty.

Our CDMs manage their own customers whilst having a team of apetito colleagues to support them. This is an important role and gives us a real point of difference in the market.

The Care Homes Team are:

• Dedicated experts in the provision of food for older people
• We are genuine partners to Care Homes and their teams
• We are proud to create food that is enjoyed and shared. Our Care Homes team have a very forward thinking culture that will really help us to accelerate growth over the next 5 years. We have a mix of experienced managers, food professionals and graduates who are positive and passionate about what we do. We make a real difference.

This role is a fixed term contract for the period of 12 months, covering the South West area and will require travel across the region as well as to our head office in Trowbridge, Wiltshire.

A company car is provided so you'll need a full UKdriving licence, ideally with no points or endorsements.

Interviews are planned for Friday 23 October.

apetito is the UK’s leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings.

Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.

Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK’s largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.

Retention

• Retention is the key challenge of the CDM role. The targets set are to achieve 95% Account & Value retention on existing accounts.

Mobilisations

• A key element of this role is to ensure that we mobilise our service excellently. This will involve introducing our system, training staff and ensuring that they are appropriately skilled to continue the service.

Business Development

• To work closely with and support KAM’s to develop group opportunities for further business development. Apetito target Groups as opposed to Independents and the development of on-going business is often as a direct result of a successful mobilisation.

Relationships

• External relationships are obviously key to the success of this role, but CDM’s are required to work closely and collaborate with other divisions, to include Marketing, CS&D and Product development, Healthcare, LA and WFF.

The CDM would typically manage a portfolio of around 40 customers with a key focus on budget control, delivering training needs, product presentations and dispute resolution.

The role will also be expected to promote apetito throughout the Care Homes marketplace through extensive networking.

Essential:

• Proven experience of achieving and exceeding targets as an Account Manager
• Experience delivering training
• Consultative, solutions-led sales approach (rather than a hard product sell.)
• Strong commercial accumen – be able to justify a business-case.
• Strong organisation skills- able to manage their time and workload
• Work well as part of a team, contributing to shared success
• Objections handling focused around financial issues.
• Good O Levels / GCSEs to support a high standard of business communication skills and numerical analysis.
• Excellent influencing and interpersonal skills
• Attentive to customer's needs
• Methodical and analytical in approach, but with a results focus
• Full UK driving licence

Desirable:

• C…