Sales Director (Wine Jobs: Sales & Marketing)

  Hobbs & Company

  Toronto, Ontario

Hobbs and Company

Hobbs & Co was born out of a passion for wine and a desire to share the stories of wines discovered and enjoyed by the Hobbs family in their travels. We have been fortunate to be able to grow our business gradually, with an emphasis on exceptional personal service and on quality wines of exceptional value. The fledgling company that began 23 years ago has flourished.

While we celebrate each new vintage from our roster of long-standing, noteworthy producers, our portfolio continues to evolve and expand to meet changing consumer tastes. And today, in addition to wine, that ‘story with every glass’ includes an exciting list of Hobbs-endorsed beer, cider and spirits.

Hobbs and Company is part of the Equity Wine Group with sister companies including Creekside Estate Winery and kwäf.

 

JOB DESCRIPTION:

• This position is responsible to direct the salesforce calling on the LCBO, Licensed establishments, private consumers and the emerging Grocery Channel
• The position will also be responsible to help identify, develop & maximize merchandizing & promotion initiatives in all Channels
• This individual is responsible for the selection, staffing, management and development of the sales team.
• The individual directs the execution of all sales and marketing programs and will assist in the development of the strategic direction / initiatives for Sales
• Identifies, develops and implements the use of fact-based sales and category management tools.   
• Identifies business & brand development opportunities and builds sales plans to address these opportunities along with the tools to measure success. 
• This is a roll up the sleeves kind of business where everyone sells, helps to deliver cross functional / divisional successes and pitches in to help as needed. 

 

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Oversees the selection, management, direction and development of direct reports.   Develops and executes performance measures including planning and assigning work/responsibilities, developing goals/objectives and managing overall performance of the sales team. 
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with core accounts. 
• Oversees the sales and expanded distribution of the Hobbs portfolio to National or Regional customers aligning with the sales strategy. 
• Uncovers and act upon opportunities to grow volume in targeted accounts by prioritizing and focusing in strategic accounts that significantly influence the brand preference. 
• Leads the development of business reviews, sales analysis, and opportunity identification in order to drive Hobbs sales. 
• Consistently provide market intelligence to improve our approach to the industry.  
• Communicates, coordinates and follows through with Managers on all relevant issues relating to the development of Key Account business. Manages and delivers the communications between the appropriate team members. 
• Represents and actively engages on behalf of the Sales team in the following activities: Annual Plan, Retail Vision, Sales Research and other strategic initiatives. 
• Oversees the execution of the Retail Vision to Customers. 
• Inspires team creativity to build the business and separate us from our competitors.

Account Support:

• Oversees and directs professional sales presentations for account reviews and sales calls, coaching the Sales team to improve content and delivery. 
• Oversees the development of account plans with promotional, distribution and budget objectives aligned with sales strategy. 
• Identifies and communicates supply chain issues to ensure maintenance of adequate product inventory. 
• Works and communicates with the sales team to ensure effective implementation of sales and marketing programs.  

 

Program Development & Execution:

• Maintains and expands sales of the portfolio (in conjunction with Marketing) via the development, selling in, and implementation of promotional programs.. 
• Measures the effectiveness of promotional and other initiatives and suggests new approaches to overcome obstacles and improve impact of new initiatives on sales and financial results. 

 

 Sales Planning:

• Builds an annual business plan that includes sales to all channels and meets or exceeds the goals of the company. 
• Develops performance metrics that measure performance against targets. 
• Coaches Sales Reps to develop corrective actions when not achieving targets. 
• Manages new product and packaging rollouts to customers.  Develops the selling and merchandising strategy (with Marketing) for all new product/package rollouts. 

 

Budgeting & Pricing:

• Manages budget allocations, execution, ROI review, and other financial responsibilities for the Sales team.
• Reviews, evaluates and suggests any pricing adjustments to ensure competitiveness while being conscious of increasing price whenever possible.
• Manages / optimizes the use of Travel and Expense budgets.
• Performs additional duties and responsibilities as required.

 

THE POSITION:

The Director of Sales will report to the President and will possess the following:

·       Proven track record in building and maintaining excellent relationships with customers as well as internal associates.  

·       Demonstrated ability to proactively identify customer issues, recommend solutions and effectively implement solutions.  

·       Recognized as an excellent people manager and coach who develops the skills and capabilities of their people.

·       Demonstrated sales and marketing budget management skills.  

·       Demonstrated diligence and ability to follow through on commitments

·       Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.  

·       Demonstrated ability to achieve targets with a minimal amount of direction.

·       Strong planning skills

·       Bachelor's degree is required.

·       10 years of Sales experience in Wine or Beverage Alcohol.

·       5+ years experience managing a team of sales individuals.

·       Computer literacy with the ability to skilfully use software applications including Microsoft Word, Power Point, Excel, and e-mail programs such as outlook.

·       Solid analytical skills.

·       Demonstrated experience in the use of syndicated data & foundational category management principles.

·       Ability to maintain 20-30% travel.

This is an exciting leadership position within a dynamic and industry-changing organization.

 

For additional information, please contact:

[email protected]

or

[email protected]

Compensation: Market competitive

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