Culinary Sales Specialist

Culinary Sales Specialist: Job Description

• Work as a team to manage, expand, and compete for IGF’s share of the food distribution market
• Serve as subject matter experts on how to sell IGF’s products and work together to identify sales opportunities in the marketplace
• Maintain and grow IGF’s customer base within designated markets
• Proactively pursue new business: cold-call and regularly follow up on inquiries, leads, and prospects
• Expand existing customer accounts and relationships
• Actively manage existing accounts
• Develop and continuously improve industry and product knowledge
• Negotiate and manage contract rates, terms, and payment arrangements
• Coordinate customers’ contract terms and fees with Accounts Receivable to ensure payment and avoid lapses in service
• Submit credit and product-return requests
• Serve as customers’ IGF point of contact
• Effectively communicate internally to resolve service issues
• Effectively communicate issue resolutions to customers
• Attend sales meetings as required
• Comply with company and department policies and procedures
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications (Required)

• A minimum of three years of hospitality or food industry experience
• A proven track record of success in the food sales and services industry
• Ability to deal with customers, vendors, and all channels of distribution to assess and analyze situations
• Demonstrated ability to effectively negotiate contracts and terms, and close deals
• Ability to build and maintain relationships across teams, departments, customers, vendors, and service providers
• Must be able to travel up to 75% to visit clients within the designated sales region, and 15% for out of market travel
• Proactive, quick-thinking, problem-solving approach to work
• Excellent communication, organization, and data-entry skills with keen focus on customer needs and relationship building
• A high level of energy and self-motivation, as well as a passion for the food industry
• Strong attention to detail and solid written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• Maintain a high and positive energy
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (especially Dynamics, Excel, Teams, and Word) and other tech skills, including use of email, and text
• Must live in the area and have strong local connections

Qualifications (Preferred)

• Five or more years of hospitality or food industry experience
• Bilingual communication skills

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to sit and drive for several hours a day and able to walk around to client establishments
• Must be able to bend and lift (at least 40 lb.)
• Requires bending, sitting, standing, walking, use of hands, arms, legs, eyes, and voice

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401K
• Paid time off
• Company-paid life insurance
• Short-term disability
• Referral program
• Employee discount
• Health savings account

Compensation

Salary plus performance-based bonus eligibility beginning in Year 2