JOB FILLED - Senior Sales Executive

GENERAL SUMMARY:

Responsible for achieving sales goals and performance metrics for assigned sales territory, accounts or indirect sales channels, and new business development.  Responsibilities include sales and customer/supplier commitments for all production seasons throughout California and Arizona. Works closely with Growing, Harvest, and Forecasting to achieve expectations.

PRIMARY JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Primary customer interface for generating sales and managing inquiries regarding products, prices, and product availability within assigned territories or product lines.
• Develops new business through the identification of new customers and expanded product lines or additional volume/product mix for existing customers.
• Identifies potential customers and generates initial contacts. Follows up on various sources of lead generation to establish new business relationships.
• Collaborates with Sales, Harvest, Quality, and Production teams to align customer sales expectations with planting/harvest schedules across various production regions.
• Estimates or quotes prices/contract terms.
• Provides after-sale problem resolution and support.
• Monitors and reports on market conditions, product innovations and competitors’ products relative to assigned territories or product lines.
• Develops and maintains positive relationships with key customers/suppliers, including negotiating and closing on major contracts.
• Supports sales transactions from inception through to delivery.
• Monitors customer payments and manages collections as needed.  Works closely with customer and Accounting to minimize aged receivables.
• May travel to production areas or to customer sites to maintain contact as needed.
• Fosters and maintains grower/supplier relationships within assigned product line(s) to ensure effectiveness as well as identify areas of improvement for future planning.
• Monitors Sales metrics including sales account volumes, targets and goals.
• Provides input for budget and cost reports as required for financial planning with management team and V.P. of Sales

OTHER DUTIES:
QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in agri-business/agriculture, business/marketing, or equivalent preferred.
• Advanced knowledge of industry including regulations, guidelines, and standards.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Office (Outlook, Access, Excel, and Word) is desired.
• Familiarity with Sales database software a plus.
• Bilingual a plus.
• Other duties may be assigned

• 10+ years of wide agricultural experience in direct or indirect sales; food or agriculture industry required.
• Knowledge of Famous Software or similar sales database is a plus.
• Proficiency with MS Office, in particular Excel/spreadsheets and ability to create and run reports.

SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Stable and established customer relations.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to successfully interact with customers and in-house staff at all levels.
• Ability to keep information confidential.
• Excellent verbal and written communication.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Strong problem solving and analytical skills.
• Strong skills in explaining financing and sales programs.
• Ability to manage changing priorities and work under pressure with deadlines.
• High attention to detail and ability to analyze and react to data changes in a highly flexible product scheduling/harvesting environment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Ability to sit for extended periods of time up to 75% of time.
• Ability to work for extended periods in front of a computer screen.
• Travel to multiple growing regions or customer locations as needed.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Occasional field work resulting in exposure to dirt, dust, mud, rain, and wind.
• Occasional cooler work resulting in exposure to cold and noise.