The Team Lead – Foodservice Field Sales role involves leading and managing a high-performing sales team in an assigned zone to achieve revenue targets through effective people management, field sales execution, communication, strategic planning, and process improvement. The individual will have intimate knowledge of the foodservice channel, and preferably within ice cream and/or frozen desserts category. They will be responsible for developing and implementing sales strategies, conducting field visits with Area Managers foodservice operators and distributors, managing the assigned broker market, and aligning sales efforts with overall business objectives. They will also focus on building and maintaining strong relationships with key clients and stakeholders, ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction, and fostering a positive team culture.
Responsibilities Include:
Field Sales Execution:
- Develop and implement sales strategies to achieve revenue targets. Aide the Area Managers/Brokers in identifying sales targets and sales planning to ensure Branded Growth targets are met or exceeded.
- Monitor and analyze sales performance metrics to identify areas for improvement in 1:1 discussions with Area Managers at least monthly.
- Travel for regular field visits with Area Managers throughout the year to support Area Managers /Brokers with operator and distributor calls as well as food shows and trainings as needed.
People Management:
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing sales team.
- Conduct Growth Sessions and provide constructive feedback throughout the year to develop the Area Manager (and Broker Market).
- Foster a positive and inclusive team culture.
Process Improvement:
- Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency and effectiveness across the field sales teams.
- Solicit feedback, monitor metrics, and evaluate the impact of process changes.
Strategy & Problem Solving:
- Develop and execute long-term strategic plans to drive business growth.
- Use gap analysis tools and industry insights to identify opportunities to gain new slots, swap slow moving slots, and sell more Wells Branded items.
- Align sales strategies with overall business objectives and problem solve as needed.
Relationship Management:
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key operators and distrbutors.
- Address operator or distributor concerns and ensure high levels of customer satisfaction from our Area Managers / Brokers.
- Ensure the team properly utilizes HubSpot for all operator and distributor calls and enters data correctly.
- Monitor team performance metrics within HubSpot and train accordingly.
Financial Planning:
- Prepare and manage sales budgets, forecasts, trade offers, and P&L to align with annual targets to achieve goals.
- Monitor financial performance and report on key metrics through various tableau reporting tools.
Cross Functional Collaboration:
- Work closely with Marketing, Sales Support, Wells & Customer Brand teams, Noncommercial and National Account teams, and other departments to achieve business goals.
- Work closely with the National Business Development Managers for our Tier 1 and 2 Distributors (Sysco, USF, PFS, GFS, Vistar, BEK) to help execute distribution initiatives in the field and provide feedback from the field.
- Participate in cross-functional projects and initiatives to achieve common goals for sales and distribution teams.
- Ensure alignment and effective communication to your team.
Supervisory
- Reports to the Director, Field Sales and Distribution
- This role has 8+ Area Managers in assigned zone as direct reports, and 1 Broker Market as indirect reports.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business or related field
- Minimum 8 years of proven sales & leadership experience. Must have CPG knowledge and prefer a minimum of 4 years of Foodservice experience.
- Intimate knowledge of Foodservice channel, with a preference within ice cream, novelty and total frozen desserts.
- Problem solving and analytical skills, possesses functional and technical skills to do the job at sufficient level of accomplishment.
- Strong influential communication, including negotiations and leadership skills.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
- High level of interpersonal skills to help foster and develop relationships that will continue to help grow the business base and create opportunities for future growth.
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office.
- Develop strong working relationships within assigned team and cross functional teams, operators, and distributors to ensure effective leadership against common goals.
- Ability to prioritize and multi-task within a broad scope of responsibility and a fast-paced environment.
The base pay range for this position is $131,295 to $175,691 annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors permitted by law. This pay range represents the anticipated salary for this position at this time.
Wells Enterprises is an EEO/AA employer M/F/Vet/Dis
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Wells Enterprises, Inc. is the largest privately held ice cream manufacturer in the United States. Founded in 1913 by Fred H. Wells and run by the Wells family for generations, the company is an independent operating company of the Ferrero Group, one of the global leaders in sweet, packaged foods.
Wells produces more than 200 million gallons of ice cream per year and distributes products in all 50 states. Wells manufactures its signature brand Blue Bunny®, lower-calorie Halo Top®, the iconic Bomb Pop®, and Blue Ribbon Classics®.
Wells employs nearly 4,000 ice cream aficionados across the country. The company is headquartered in Le Mars, Iowa, where Wells has made Le Mars the “Ice Cream Capital of the World” as the largest manufacturer of ice cream in one location. Wells operates two manufacturing plants in Le Mars, Iowa, a manufacturing plant in Dunkirk, New York, and a manufacturing facility in Henderson, Nevada. Learn more at www.wellsenterprisesinc.com.
What We Offer
At Wells, we’re proud to support our employees with comprehensive benefits that enhance health, financial wellness, and include paid time off (PTO). Eligible employees may also receive an annual incentive bonus based on Company performance. Learn more about our benefits here.
