Director, Sales

Due to an internal promotion, we are looking for a dynamic Sales Director to join our team. This role is remote and the sales territory is in the Iowa/Eastern Nebraska region. This leadership role is critical in driving business growth, optimizing customer relationships, and ensuring the success of our sales strategy. As Sales Director, you will oversee key account management, develop and execute sales initiatives, and serve as a mentor to the sales team-guiding them in solution selling and strategic account expansion. You will play a pivotal role in fostering new business opportunities, streamlining sales processes, and enhancing overall team performance to maximize profitability and market impact. If you are a results-driven leader with a passion for sales excellence, we invite you to apply and make a lasting impact on our organization.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Guide, manage, and develop sales managers. Identify and develop up-and-coming talent on the sales team and in the organization to ensure a robust internal talent pool for future opportunities.
• Ensure a superb sales training process for onboarding new sales team members and developing the current team. Provide coaching by working through solutions for real scenarios with customers.
• Ensure the sales team follows established sales processes (account/regional planning, pre-call, post-call, insights gathering, opportunity pipeline, execute, close, report).
• Identify gaps in account plans and support team members with planning and execution.
• Teach and utilize a "solutions selling" approach drawing from organizational strengths and capabilities:
• Determine customer needs, problems, insights, and strategy.
• Identify, clearly outline, and present the opportunity details, including short- and long-term value to DFA.
• Drive opportunities to commercialization internally, and most critically, "close" with the customer.
• Drive to exceed budgeted volume and margin targets to help ensure the achievement of financial targets.
• Personally lead and manage sales efforts with directly assigned strategic and key customers.
• Maximize the use of CRM (such as Salesforce.com) to manage customer pipelines and track customer activity, which demonstrates high levels of service to the customer and ultimately leads to faster speed-to-market on winning new business. Ensure teams gather strategic and tactical insights through call reports.
• Manage sales metrics of the team and ensure the metrics are met for overall success.
• Ensure the team performs variance analysis of actual results against expected results and take action to address gaps in performance with team members.
• Continuously improve the customer mix by working with the sales team to develop existing customers and determine new customer targets based on segmentation criteria.
• Apply strong knowledge of DFA's capabilities, including understanding the functional and technical aspects of the products and how DFA's capabilities differentiate us from others in the industry.
• Foster customer relationships at various organizational levels across multiple functions (R&D, marketing, purchasing, quality assurance, operations) and facilitate the growth of customer counterpart relationships within DFA.
• Identify new markets and the need for new products; initiate action plans to increase share of market with existing and new accounts.
• Provide innovative ideas to customers by understanding their brands, platforms, and strategies.
• Continually develop a value-added sales pipeline that will enhance company returns.
• Work closely with other teams to provide exceptional customer care through the entire sales cycle.
• Assist in strategic planning to maximize the division's opportunities with other DFA divisions relative to competitors, market conditions, customer situations, and our internal position
• In addition to sales, may also manage sales operations, sales administration, customer service, and/or related functions (e.g., pricing, pricing analysis, trade spending, trade spending analysis, tactical brand marketing, package development, financial planning and analysis).

• The desired candidate must live within the assigned territory (Iowa/Eastern Nebraska) and a commutable distance to the Kemps Plant in Le Mars, IA.
• Undergraduate degree in business, sales, marketing, or related curriculum (or equivalent combination of experience and education).
• 10 or more years of progressive sales or related experience with 2+ years of management experience.
• Proven career advancement and record of growing profitable sales results at a senior sales level.
• Experience in the retail, dairy, consumer packaged goods/foods or related industry.
• Ability to adapt and refocus approach situationally or holistically to meet goals and objectives.
• Certification and/or License - may be required during employment.
• Computer proficiency
• Ability to travel 5-15% annually
• Valid driver's license

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Benefits Package available 1^st of the month after start date
• 401(k) with company contribution
• Competitive pay
• Paid vacation and holidays
• Career growth opportunities - we promote from within!
• Service recognition and employee rewards
• Employee referral program
• Tuition reimbursement
• Work for dairy farm families

An Equal Opportunity Employer