Regional Sales Manager - Houston, TX

About the role

The Regional Sales Manager is accountable for managing the overall sales and service activities related to leading a team of Sales Service Representatives to maximize retail and commercial sales volume within assigned geography. Provides strategic direction to Sales Reps and ensures alignment with overarching group goals and objectives.

Responsibilities

• Drive Sales & Ensure Profitability: Grow top line sales within assigned region by identifying trends to recommend promotions, training and other methods to Division Director of Field Sales based on industry and competitor insights.
• Analyze competitive pricing, identify gaps, and provide recommendations to improve market share.
• Establish strong selling relationships with Key Decision Makers, Store Management, Market Directors, VPSO’s, etc.
• Optimize product mix focus to drive profitability; consistently identify sales, inventory and marketing trends and engage appropriate team to address all opportunities.
• Deliver quarterly business analysis (by territory and store) to include sales, training, turnover, expenses and credits; execute related strategic marketing plans within assigned region to drive sales based on quarterly business analysis.
• Prepare Annual Growth Plan (AGP) for assigned region that meets or exceed sales & profit goals; continuously analyze and manage all controllable expenses including travel, merchandising aids, returns and allowances.
• Manage sales & PBT budget through P&L review, driving sales increase and decreasing costs.
• Review consists of expense management, mistint expense tracking, collateral expenses & T&E, salary expense, etc.
• Deliver cost effective and profitable solutions, responding quickly to all issues and opportunities.
• Partner with Division Director and Field Operations Manager to establish and set territories for Sales Service Reps and Trainees.
• Lead and direct the recruiting and onboarding process for all open territories within the region in a timely manner.
• Lead, direct, coach, develop and train Sales Service Reps and related positions within assigned region; drive accountability for Sales Service Rep performance through ride-alongs and trip reports.
• Direct the Performance Management process for the region, including annual performance evaluations and succession planning.

People Development & Training

Train Sales Service Reps on products, systems, tools, equipment and selling skills. Product knowledge training should include features, benefits as well as selling skills and may include a demo of the products. Ensure Sales Service Reps and SSR Trainee’s complete the required training courses. Facilitate regional ongoing training with Sales Service Reps, Trainees & Lowe’s Associates. Continuously evaluate team and provide impactful actionable feedback on performance; provide guidance in career progression and facilitate talent development of assigned team.

Communication & Leadership

Effectively build and strengthen relationships with all levels of Lowe’s Field Management within the region. Drive accountability across all levels of field operations including sales, execution, decision making and business judgment. Foster a safety-minded culture through the development and implementation of safe working, driving and operational procedures.

Qualifications

At least five years of B2C and/or B2B Sales experience within retail or consumer goods industry; previous experience selling into Big Box stores strongly preferred. Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Finance or related field strongly preferred.

Skills

• Sales Ability & Persuasiveness – Uses appropriate interpersonal styles and communication methods to gain acceptance of a product, project or idea from Key Decision Makers and customer(s); questions and probes, establishes strategy, builds rapport, demonstrates capability and ultimately gains commitment.
• Leadership – Ability to identify strategic needs, resource key projects and advise internal and external customers based on findings; demonstrates managerial courage; willing to be a change agent; ability to maintain composure and positive attitude in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Analytics – Ability to analyze and research operational and strategic information, sort‑through to determine what’s important, and interpret accurately to determine appropriate actions.
• Strategic Planning – All aspects of planning, including internal alignment from the top‑down, and external alignment with merchant partners; strong business acumen.
• Excellent project management skills, highly detail oriented; proven ability to effectively manage multiple projects in a dynamic environment; working knowledge of P&L with ability to effectively develop and monitor budgets.
• Consulting – Customer focused with a service mentality; ability to develop strong working relationships with key decision makers and business leaders, cross-functional teams within NA Consumer, external customers and key accounts; ability to influence all parties involved in order to gain the respect and support needed to ensure project or task completion.
• Executional Excellence – Proven history of translating strategies, concepts and complex ideas into practical projects that are executed on-time and on-budget in order to drive growth.
• Collaborative – Superior interpersonal skills; highly collaborative yet able to function independently; ability to influence all parties involved in order to gain respect, build credibility and gain support needed to ensure project or task completion.
• Communications – Clear, concise, compelling, honest, and two-way; proven ability to translate “Voice of Consumer” into strategies and programs that deliver on customer and business needs.
• Creativity – Ability to connect the dots, where others cannot, and create sustainable and impactful ideas and opportunities.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.), with ability to learn new applications as needed.

Work Environment

Retail store environment, paint department specifically, in addition to contractor site visits, including new construction settings. Travel required within assigned region, including overnight travel, up to 85% of the time.

Physical Requirements

Positions in this class typically require: typing, talking, hearing, seeing and repetitive motions. Ability to climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, reach, stand, walk, push, pull, lift, type, grasp, feel, talk, hear, see and perform repetitive motions; ability to climb a ladder. Ability to exert up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. May require prolonged standing in retail store environment. Ability to accurately distinguish color for the purpose of visual color matching and color recommendations. Licensed and physically capable of operating a motor vehicle (passenger car).