Specialist, Italian - FP

POSITION SUMMARY

This is a professional sales position responsible for growing new business within the Italian ethnic segment, with the expectation of achieving assigned business goals while enhancing the customer experience. This will be accomplished through maintaining an industry and category specific certification status knowledge base and direct selling of the ethnic segment to customers. Specialists will prioritize time, targets, and team selling efforts based on market insights and data analytics

Territory for this opportunity: Massachusetts along the 495 Corridor

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop and execute targeted Italian segment sales strategies to achieve region and individual annual business goals, delivering profitable sales growth and penetration across the Italian segment and Sysco brand.
• Identify the needs of customers and prospects to assemble a product mix that delivers solutions and helps achieve business objectives.
• Utilize data analytics to prioritize segment opportunities.
• Actively seek, qualify, and support top prospect conversion to Sysco.
• Be informed of market conditions, product innovations, and competitors' products, prices, and sales; share information with sales team members and customers as part of value-added services provided.
• Track activities and results, collaborate on opportunities, and champion the team selling process through use of Salesforce (Sysco’s CRM tool)
• Leverage sampling in a solutions-oriented manner to close sales
• Provide feedback to specialty companies and merchandising on product quality, product integrity, product mix, customer satisfaction, perceived value and competition.
• Develop and maintain relationships with customers, specialists and sales team members.
• Support execution of prioritized sales strategies through direct selling and engagement of customers and prospects at Sysco events (e.g., food shows, industry events)
• Performs research on product discounts, product services information, special offers and/or company promotions. Utilizes information in sales activities in an effort to increase profitability and enhance customer satisfaction.
• Attends all sales meetings, as scheduled and participates in other activities as requested. Reports on industry and market competition as requested and assists with reviewing inventory levels.
• Engage and manage relationships with Italian segment manufacturers and the broker community.
• Utilize the Greco and Sons Italian Platform to differentiate Sysco with their exclusive brands and to effectively strategize efforts.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education/Experience:

• Minimum: High School Diploma or GED and 3+ years of sales experience within a retail, broker, wholesale, or distribution environment (deep technical expertise of Italian categories)
• Preferred: Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent educational level

Knowledge & Skills:

• Proficiency in Italian product knowledge, culture, category usage and trends required.
  • (Internal Certification & External Certification may be required)
• Analytical problem-solving skills, including familiarity with analyzing reports and deriving insights from data.
• Ability to express information in terms of profit and loss, food cost and expense ratio.
• Strong financial acumen and ability to properly plan and execute business plans.
• Flexible; readily accepts change; open to new ideas.
• Track record of success in consultative selling, networking, and negotiations
• Proficient communication and interpersonal skills and ability to work with and influence a variety of key stakeholders.
• Experience building trust with prospective customers and securing new business.
• Strong business and restaurant operations acumen to manage sophisticated customers.
• Ability to learn the use of proprietary CRM tools for planning and forecasting sales growth.
• Proficient in Microsoft Applications Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Proactive and self-directed, with the ability to structure a weekly schedule to be successful.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver against deadlines and produce high-quality results (accuracy, thoroughness in the deliverables they are producing)
• Excellent organizational and project management skills, including the ability to execute multiple initiatives at the same time.
• Understanding of marketing principles, product lines, ordering procedures and Sysco’s credit terms
• Must possess excellent interpersonal, communication, business writing, grammar, and verbal communication skills.