Sales Account Manager

Job Overview

The Sales Account Manager (SAM) owns the selling relationship for an assigned portfolio of accounts and exercises judgment in determining sales approach for a segmented group of customers. The primary duty is making sales and/or obtaining orders or contracts for Company products. The SAM is customarily and regularly engaged away from the Company’s place(s) of business at customer locations. Promotional work is performed only incidental to and in conjunction with the SAM’s own outside sales, including developing customer-specific selling stories, presenting solutions, and closing orders. Through professional selling, the SAM analyzes customer and category performance, identifies needs, recommends solutions, negotiates terms, and obtains orders that grow volume, revenue, and the Company’s share of space. 

Duties & Responsibilities

Primary Duties:

• Sells and grows revenue in the assigned account base by presenting and closing the commercial plan with every customer in the portfolio.
• Plans the selling approach for each call, walks the outlet to identify sales opportunities, presents the solution, and closes the sale.
• Builds and maintains profitable customer relationships to identify, develop, and close sales opportunities.
• Executes the assigned daily visit plan, including flex visits, and closes each sales call by obtaining an order or advancing a specific sales opportunity.
• Sells and obtains orders for incremental volume opportunities through myCoke, EDI, or Spring, in partnership with the customer and the HUB Ambassador.
• Sells incremental packages, displays, equipment, new product launches, pricing letters, and thematic promotions.
• Sells Club Coke contracts and pricing agreements and sells equipment placements that grow Coca-Cola space in the outlet.
• Conducts monthly customer business reviews using sales, category, and space performance to identify and sell growth opportunities.
• Sells each proposed element with profitability in mind.

Duties Performed Incidental to and conjunction with Outside Sales:

• Ensures that pre-sold and mandatory elements supporting the SAM’s customer sales are executed and remain in the outlet for the full duration of the program.
• Analyzes and addresses Shrink performance (Damages and Out-of-Dates) while properly managing inventory levels that could impair product availability and customer orders.
• Uses the assigned territory business plan to prioritize customer sales opportunities and support the SAM’s own sales, and tracks the resulting sales performance against established goals.
• Sells in and protects pricing, point-of-sale materials, and plan-o-gram integrity in all accounts to support the sales made during customer visits.
• Performs limited merchandising and product rotation during the same sales visit, protecting the Look of Success that the SAM has sold in.
• Partners with internal and field stakeholders, including the Center of Support, field sales, HUB Ambassadors, distribution, small store merchandising, and warehouse teams, to deliver and support what the SAM has sold to the customer

The Sales Account Manager spends the substantial majority of working time (typically 80% or more) engaged in making sales and obtaining orders or contracts at customer locations outside the Company’s place of business. The remaining time is devoted to duties performed incidental to and in conjunction with the SAM’s own outside sales efforts, including sales-related administrative tasks, route planning, sales reporting, and other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• 1+ years of previous outside, consultative, or account-based selling experience preferred.
• Food and beverage industry experience preferred.
• Ability to build and deliver fact-based sales presentations and customer business reviews required.
• Demonstrated ability to sell consultatively: uncovers customer needs, presents a fact-based solution, handles objections, and asks for the order.
• Strong negotiation and closing skills, including selling contracts and pricing agreements.
• Ability to interpret sales, category, and space data to build a selling story and a customer business review.
• Strong attention to detail, follow-up, and closing discipline.
• Excellent planning and organization skills.
• Proficient in computer application skills.
• Ability to use and understand mobile applications.
• Valid driver’s license with a satisfactory driving record and access to a reliable personal vehicle required.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED.
• Knowledge acquired through 1 to 3 years of work experience.
• Must have and maintain a valid driver's license.
• Must have and maintain current vehicle liability insurance, as specified by the Company.
• Must provide and maintain a personal vehicle for use during working hours.
• Must be at least 18 years of age (or 21 where required by applicable law for the operation of a commercial motor vehicle).

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Communications, Marketing, or related field.

Work Environment

Work Environment:

Work is performed primarily in the field at customer locations, including retail stores, convenience stores, restaurants, and other commercial outlets within an assigned sales territory. The Sales Account Manager travels by personal vehicle between customer sites daily and is exposed to varying environmental conditions, including outdoor weather when transiting between locations, temperature-controlled and non-temperature-controlled storage and retail areas, and wet or uneven floor surfaces in commercial settings. This position does not have a fixed office workspace; administrative tasks (route planning, sales reporting, order entry) are performed via mobile technology in the field or remotely.

Essential Functions and Physical Requirements:

The duties listed under Primary Duties and Duties Performed Incidental to and in Conjunction with Outside Sales represent the essential functions of this position. To perform these essential functions successfully, the following physical, cognitive, and environmental requirements apply:

• Mobility: Must be able to drive a personal vehicle to and between customer locations throughout the assigned territory daily. Walking and standing in retail/commercial outlets for extended periods (4–6 hours per day) required.
• Lifting/Carrying: Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull products and point-of-sale materials weighing up to 50 pounds on an occasional basis (less than 1/3 of the workday), incidental to the sales visit.
• Manual Dexterity: Ability to operate a motor vehicle, mobile device, laptop computer, and handheld scanning equipment.
• Communication: Ability to communicate effectively with customers, coworkers, and management, including delivering in-person sales presentations and conducting business reviews.
• Cognitive: Ability to analyze sales data, category performance metrics, and space allocation data; plan and prioritize a daily sales route; exercise independent judgment in developing account-specific selling strategies; and negotiate contracts and pricing agreements.
• Vision: Ability to read sales reports, product labels, shelf tags, and mobile device screens; assess shelf conditions, product placement, and point-of-sale execution in customer outlets.
• Schedule: Ability to work a variable schedule that may include early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays based on customer and business needs.