Regional New Business Developer - Produce

FreshPoint, Inc.; Little Canada (MN); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

FreshPoint, Inc. is seeking a Regional New Business Developer in a hybrid role with 50% travel and periodic onsite at FreshPoint locations.

This sales position reports to the Director of New Business Development and focuses on expanding market presence, identifying opportunities, negotiating contracts, and transitioning accounts to the sales force. You will work with executives, brokers, distributors, and foodservice partners; develop strategies, track activities in CRM, and deliver growth by

Qualifications

• 5+ years of proven success in opening new business in food service.
• Bachelor’s degree in business or related field preferred.
• Strong Excel, Word, Outlook proficiency.
• Experience with CRM platforms and data-driven sales decision making.

Responsibilities

• Develop a comprehensive business development strategy with focus on local street, local contract, and retail segments.
• Leverage data to identify opportunities and build an effective sales plan to capitalize on those segments.
• Identify business development opportunities, coordinate sales teams to propose new business, and drive opportunities from concept to execution.
• Collaborate with the sales team to expand business development efforts and track outcomes.
• Plan and record daily activity accurately within the CRM tool and participate in ongoing training.

Skills

Sales

Communication

Negotiation

Strategic planning

Relationship building

CRM

Presentation

Account management

Team collaboration

Education

High School education

Bachelor’s degree in business or related field

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

This is a hybrid position, mostly remote, with 50% travel required and an onsite presence at FreshPoint location(s) periodically. Please note that the number of days onsite can increase based on business needs.

Job Summary

This is a sales position reporting directly to the Director of New Business Development, FreshPoint. This position will be responsible for the improvement of FreshPoint’s market position and achieving financial growth by defining long-term strategic goals, identifying business opportunities, finding potential new customers and negotiating contracts to secure their business. Working with the Presidents, Sales Leaders and Marketing Associates, the Regional New Business Developer fosters relationships with prospects and transitions these accounts to the sales force.

Responsibilities

• Works with the senior teams across multiple operating companies on the development of a comprehensive business development strategy with a focus on local street, local contract, and retail segments.
• Accountable for leveraging data to identify segment opportunities and build a creative and effective sales plan to capitalize on those segments.
• Identifies business development opportunities, coordinates sales teams to propose new business, and drives such opportunities from concept to execution.
• Collaborates with the sales team to expand business development efforts, including contributing to the annual profit plan and assisting with the implementation and execution of such plans and tracking outcomes.
• Manages systems and processes to track, measure and report on results of business development initiatives.
• Gathers information on emerging market and foodservice industry trends to understand the competitive landscape and put Sysco in a stronger position for increased effectiveness in securing new business.
• Attends industry functions, such as association events and conferences, and provides feedback and information on market and creative trends.
• Presents to and consults with senior level management on trends in the foodservice business.
• Identifies opportunities for promotions, additional services, and distribution avenues that will lead to an increase in sales.
• Develops strong working relationships with brokers, distributors, companies and foodservice industry peers.
• Supports Customer Engagement efforts to provide FreshPoint customers with expanded service channel options (e.g., Sales Coordinator, FreshPoint mobile/ecomm).
• Plans and records daily activity accurately within the CRM tool.
• Develops primary vendor programs as needed.
• Conducts quality business reviews for existing customers.
• Conducts merchandising research for customers regarding products to meet their needs.
• Reviews weekly, monthly and quarterly sales objectives and results for target accounts and prepares action plans where improvement is needed.
• Provides, prepares and cuts samples for customers as required.
• Attends sales meetings, food shows, customer events, etc. and provides feedback.
• Stays current with development in the field through participation in seminars, workshops and reading publications.
• Stays current with FreshPoint’s value‑added offerings and technology solutions, including but not limited to customer‑facing reporting tools.
• Performs administrative duties such as preparing sales budgets and reports, maintaining sales records and filing reports.
• Participates in ongoing training sessions.
• Assists with training as requested.

Qualifications

Education

• High School education required. Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., business administration) or equivalent educational level preferred.

Minimum Experience

• 5 or more years with a proven track record of opening new business in the food service industry.

Preferred Experience

• 5+ years of foodservice sales experience.
• 3+ years of restaurant management or chef experience.

Skills

• Proficient in Excel, Word, Microsoft Outlook, and having some knowledge of Salesforce is a plus.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills are required.
• Excellent organizational and presentation skills are required.
• Intermediate skills in word processing (Microsoft Word) and spreadsheet applications (Microsoft Excel) are desired.
• Ability to work with a variety of people and situations in a fast‑paced environment is required.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with a variety of stakeholders.
• Can derive insights from others through probing questions and collaborative problem‑solving.
• Superb organizational and project management skills, including the ability to execute multiple initiatives autonomously.
• Able to thrive in a fast‑paced work environment.
• Ability to use FreshPoint's proprietary Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool for planning and forecasting sales growth.
• Demonstrates mastery of consultative selling, marketing principles, prospecting, networking, coaching, and negotiations.
• Effectively coaches, counsels, trains and directs associates.