Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Something & Nothing is disrupting the global soda category with award-winning premium sodas for modern, conscious consumers sold across the US, UK and Europe. The Regional Sales Manager will lead distribution and sales growth across the Central region, owning grocery and foodservice accounts, distributor and broker relationships, promotional execution, forecasting, and regional team development.
Responsibilities
- Lead the full sales cycle (prospecting, negotiation, onboarding, activation and ongoing relationship management) to win and grow distribution across natural and conventional grocery, both chain and independent
- Own the relationships with our distribution partners, keeping their sales teams engaged, educated and excited to sell Something & Nothing
- Grow distribution across the natural grocery buying groups (INFRA and NCG)
- Grow distribution in our priority foodservice channels: travel, business and industry (B&I), restaurants and cafes, with colleges and universities as a secondary channel
- Build promotional and trade marketing plans for customers and distributors that stay within budget, and review promotional history to assess trade spend and ROI, so that sales grow and profitability improves at the same time
- Create and deliver the in-store demo strategy for your region, and use point-of-sale materials to bring the brand to life across every customer type
- Make sure national and regional strategies are executed properly at store and operator level, and that non-compliance is either fixed or compensated
- Find customer partnerships that showcase how the product gets used: everyday refreshment, food pairing, cocktail and mocktail mixer, and alcohol replacement
- Work hand in hand with our retail and foodservice brokers to build and land the plan for each account, including leading the broker-supported category presentation to key regional accounts
- Support distributor sales reps and our third-party field team (Basemakers) to get the most out of every location, running ride-alongs, sales meetings and performance reviews
- Create and run incentive programs for distributors, brokers and Basemakers
- Manage and attend our presence at distributor, customer and industry events, food shows and trade shows
- Work with our Category & Insights Manager to analyze performance across the region, and share what you find with distributors, brokers and field teams
- Use our CRM platforms, and feed what you learn back into the strategy
- Build accurate, insight-driven forecasts with the US sales and finance teams and bring what you are learning in the trade back to the rest of the business
- As the region grows, you'll be responsible for hiring salespeople to cover specific areas within it, and for coaching and supporting them once they're here
- You will be responsible for them: for hiring them, for developing them, and for how their areas perform
Skills
- You have personally owned a multi-state territory, including the planning, the travel and the numbers
- You have won or materially grown distribution with at least one top-tier regional grocery banner, and you can walk us through exactly how you did it
- A track record of delivering year-on-year sales growth and beating revenue targets
- Proven success managing distributor relationships and operator accounts
- Experience selling across natural and conventional grocery, both chain and independent, as well as club, mass and foodservice customers
- A solid grasp of pricing structures, rebates, trade spend and ROI, and menu cycles
- Experience coaching and developing other people's performance, including people you had no formal authority over
- Strong commercial and analytical instincts, and the confidence to build a regional strategy and then execute it
- A strong communicator in writing, out loud, and as a listener
- Highly organized, resilient and self-directed, with genuine discipline around pipeline management
- You love being in trade, in front of customers and distributors
- A valid driver's license and access to reliable transportation
- Experience launching brands or building early-stage territories
- Existing relationships with regional chains and major distributor houses
- Experience with CRM tools and forecasting systems
- A real passion for food, beverage and hospitality
- You'll be based in Texas or Colorado, within easy reach of a major airport
- We have a preference for Austin or San Antonio, since our Texas accounts are spread across the Triangle and HEB is headquartered in San Antonio. That said, Dallas, Houston and Denver are all open to the right person, and where you're based will help shape where we hire next in the region
- This role involves significant travel: expect to be on the road 40–60% of the time, concentrated in your core markets, plus travel to other parts of the country for shows and company events
- The role involves handling product: you'll need to be able to lift up to 50 lbs repeatedly when moving cases, running demos and setting up at trade shows. If you need a reasonable accommodation to do any of this, tell us and we'll work it out with you
- Some work outside standard business hours, including evenings and weekends, depending on what the trade needs: events, shows and customer commitments
- 5+ years in a sales role with a CPG brand, manufacturer or distributor. Beverage experience is strongly preferred
- Conversational business Spanish is preferred. A lot of the independent retail trade across Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma operates in Spanish, as do many of the distributor reps you'll be running ride-alongs and demos with
Benefits
- Full-time employment at a fully remote organisation
- Share options under our employee options scheme
- 25 days of annual leave, plus statutory holidays
- 4 rejuvenation days on top of your annual leave
- Medical insurance through BlueCross BlueShield, available from day one. We cover the full cost of the lowest plan option ($733 per month).
- 401(k) with company match: 100% on the first 1% you contribute, then 50% on the next 2–6%.
- Mobile phone allowance of $50 per month
- Work-from-home allowance of $50 per month
- Mileage reimbursed at $0.75 per mile
- All the soda you can drink
- Opportunity to build an exciting emerging brand
- You will have access to support, coaching and development so that you have both the technical skill and the mindset to deliver your responsibilities.
Company Overview