Market Development Manager

Overview

SUMMARY OF POSITION

The Market Development Manager - Chicago is responsible for driving market strategies and plans in accordance with corporate initiatives by performing the following duties personally and in collaboration with internal Sales and Marketing leaders, and independent sales reps. Strategies and tactics are initiated and implemented to fully leverage the strengths of the organization while optimizing results.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Fluent in Spanish (preferred) due to frequent interaction with Spanish-speaking contractors
• 2+ years of sales and/ or product marketing experience within contractor/ pro trade industries; paint, HVAC, building & construction, marine or automotive aftermarket industries preferred
• BS/BA in Business a plus
• Proven record of achieving results and understanding corporate strategic planning process
• Entrepreneurial drive to take a business into new, uncharted territory; ability to work independently
• Self-directed, motivated and organized with the ability to effectively plan and communicate a productive work schedule in concert with department and company goals and initiatives
• Ability to develop strong rapport and maintain communications with internal team and stakeholders despite remote location
• Motivation to get the job done to exceed performance standards
• Demonstrated success in managing teams of people and/ or projects with a demonstrated ability to grow into a managerial role
• Strong computer skills including MS Office
• Strong presentation and business writing skills
• Ability to travel overnight, 10-25% of the time

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Job site visits may require extensive standing, require use of safety gear or be subject to intense heat, cold or inclement weather
• Schedule flexibility to include weekend/ after hour workload
• Extensive travel, including frequent flying, driving long distances or for long periods of time
• Ability to work in front of a laptop or PC workstation for extended periods of time
• Occasional standing, sitting, walking, and talking on the phone

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This is a remote position with the need to participate in off-site meetings and vendor meetings.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

Responsibilities

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Develop strategies around product training and education, product demonstrations and sampling, and contractor field trials which are conducted with trade contractors, end-users, key influencers such as retail/ branch personnel and sales reps to converse with contractors/ end-users, or to gain support of our products and brands from key influencers
• Effectively optimize all available resources and relationships to identify conversion targets; deliberate and persistent engagement is required to understand needs and actively seek solutions to drive conversion
• Execute Sales & Marketing promotional programs in support of product launches to drive POS at the retail/ branch level, or to foster end-user conversion
• Engage at the store/ branch level and trade events to build relationships and trust within network
• Organize activities and supplies needed, document programs, and capture both quantitative information and market intelligence and insights that may lead to innovative product development, new marketing/ distribution strategies or opportunities to increase sales
• Positively impact sales by directly influencing end-users and key influencers through the development and effective execution programs; progress and results will be measured by key metrics in accordance with corporate initiatives
• Expert in territory by having an intimate understanding of market trends, sales outlook and key opportunities, and by monitoring customer and end-user behaviors, actively seeking feedback to gain further understanding
• Provide the company and national accounts with market and “voice of customer” insights for key meetings, annual customer reviews and product development and market research efforts, serving as the "eyes and ears” of the company
• Collaborate with independent sales reps within the territory, providing direction and support of corporate initiatives
• Communicate goals, outcomes and competitive intelligence to internal and external customers and stakeholders
• Develop strong peer network and maintain regular communication with supervisor; additionally recognizing the importance of communicating relevant and critical information or opportunities in a timely manner to appropriate parties
• Build and maintain strong relationships with contractors/ end-users and key influencers, developing own territory network
• Appropriately manage expenses while optimizing all resources
• Adhere to company’s travel and expense policies, submitting monthly expense report as required