Territory Manager – New Business Development
Location: Hartford, CT Area
Territory: Connecticut, Western Massachusetts, and Upstate New York, including Albany, Syracuse, and Rochester
Work Arrangement: Home-Based / Field Sales
Base Salary: $125,000 + Commission
Travel: Approximately 75–90%
About the Role
We are seeking a driven and experienced Territory Manager to develop new business and grow an established territory across Connecticut, Western Massachusetts, and Upstate New York.
This is a highly field-oriented sales position focused primarily on building relationships with distributors and manufacturers. The successful candidate will be responsible for identifying new opportunities, expanding existing business, introducing products, and managing the territory independently.
This opportunity is well suited to a proactive sales professional who enjoys being in the field, developing relationships, and building a territory from the ground up.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop new business and expand existing distributor and manufacturer accounts.
- Build and maintain strong, long-term customer relationships.
- Identify opportunities to increase sales and introduce new products.
- Conduct regular in-person customer visits throughout the territory.
- Spend approximately four days per week in the field, with one day focused on remote office work, planning, and coordination.
- Respond to customer inquiries involving orders, pricing, delivery, and account issues.
- Maintain accurate customer, pricing, and account information.
- Stay current on industry trends, market conditions, and product developments.
- Manage and promote a broad portfolio of products and SKUs.
- Attend trade shows, conferences, supplier training, and sales meetings as needed.
- Provide regular sales reports, activity updates, itineraries, and territory performance information.
- Work closely with internal sales and management teams to resolve issues and support customer needs.
- Take full ownership of territory development, customer relationships, and sales growth.
What We're Looking For
- 5+ years of relevant sales or account management experience.
- Demonstrated experience working with distributors, broadliners, or manufacturers.
- Established relationships within the distributor market are highly valuable.
- Experience managing and selling a large product portfolio or several hundred SKUs.
- Food industry or frozen-product experience is preferred.
- Manufacturer or broker experience is a plus.
- Culinary or food-service experience is helpful but not required.
- Proven ability to develop new business and build a territory from the ground up.
- Strong organizational, communication, and relationship-building skills.
- Self-motivated, proactive, and comfortable working independently.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to prepare reports and present information professionally.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and general business software.
- Experience with CRM or product-management systems preferred.
- Salesforce and Tableau experience is a plus.
Travel & Location Requirements
- Must live within practical driving distance of Hartford, CT.
- Extensive travel is required, approximately 75–90% of the time.
- Expect approximately four days per week on the road.
- Overnight travel is required and may account for a significant portion of territory travel.
- Must have a valid driver's license, vehicle insurance, and reliable transportation.
- Must be available for periodic 2–3 day onsite meetings, including overnight travel.
- The position is otherwise home-based when not traveling.
Compensation & Benefits
- $125,000 base salary + commission
- Commission opportunity based on territory performance
- 401(k) with company match
- Health, dental, vision, and life insurance
- Paid time off
- Employee discount
- Car allowance
- Company phone and laptop
- Business expense card after the initial employment period
Important to Know
This is a territory ownership and business-development role, not a people-management position. You will be expected to independently manage your territory, build relationships, identify opportunities, and consistently drive new business.
Candidates with experience calling on distributors and manufacturers are strongly encouraged to apply.