A well established Western Canadian wine and spirits importing company is seeking an enthusiastic and experienced full-time wine and spirits territory sales manager for the Vancouver and Vancouver Island market. The successful candidate will represent and grow our portfolio of premium wines and spirits through a variety of sales channels.
The ideal candidate needs to be a self starter, have excellent organizational skills and be professional in all aspects of fine wine and spirits sales. A typical day may consist of meeting with large retail chains, smaller boutique retailers, beverage decision makers with restaurants and hotels, touring accounts with a producer, preparing marketing materials, organizing product tastings/events, and assisting the head office with BCLDB listing applications.
If this describes you and you have both the experience and desire to work in both the retail and on-premises wine and spirit sales channels, then please send us your resume and cover letter (outlining your qualifications as described below).
DUTIES & RESPONSIBiliTIES
• Develop and effectively execute the territory sales plan and corresponding sales strategies
• Organize and execute monthly promotional activities and brand building strategies such as product features, by-the-glass & by-the-bottle placements, secondary displays, shelf placement, chilled availability, etc.
• Effectively petition new and existing customers to promote our brands on their shelves - strong oral and written communication skills are essential
• Maintain and develop productive business relationships with all key decision-makers including BCLDB decision makers, industry clients, private buyers and industry professionals such as wine writers, bloggers, etc.
• Ability to influence accounts with strong negotiation skills- strong understand of sales margins & other financial metrics are important
• Professional presentation preparation of proposals for strategic key accounts
• Ability to present in front of multiple individuals in a professional manner, with a strong level of confidence
• Establish and maintain a sales call cycle of 40 calls per week and track sales activities arising therefrom
• Willingness to explore and test new sales channels
• Enthusiastically participate in various trade and public tastings and events
• Host and entertain our suppliers with the utmost professionalism
• Promote the portfolio through social media channels and contribute to the company’s website
• Operate within an approved expense budget
• Flexibility to work varied hours including evenings and weekends (as required) including overnight trips and travel from time to time
• Ability to manage tasks and to exercise independent judgment without supervision
• Excellent organizational skills, accurate and detail oriented
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
• 5-10+ years' experience as a sales representative in the wine and spirits industry. Preference will be given to those candidates who have previous experience managing a portfolio of wine and spirits including successful BCLDB experience
• Established client base in both retail and restaurant/hotel wine and spirit sales; proof of your book of business will be required of interviewees. A client list of high net worth and/or wine collectors interested in fine wines and spirits will be considered a strong asset
• Level 3 WSET certification (or equivalent) will be considered an asset
• Demonstrated knowledge of fine French and Italian wines will be considered an asset
• Competency with Microsoft Excel/Word/PowerPoint/Outlook
• Valid Driver's license in good standing
• Current Serving it Right certification
• Ability to lift up to 30 lbs repeatedly throughout the day and stand for extended periods of time