Territory Sales Lead- Blue Buffalo (Chicago, IL)

Blue Buffalo (BLUE), is one of the strongest and most recognized pet food brands in America, and the undisputed leader in Wholesome Natural pet food, the fastest growing segment of the market. At over four times the size of the next largest brand in this segment, BLUE has become the new mainstream brand that’s delivering products that pet parents are looking for, and connecting with them in a true, authentic way. BLUE thinks of dogs and cats as family members, and believes their food should be natural and healthy. In fact, this was the motivation for the Bishop Family’s decision to create the Blue Buffalo Company. When the beloved Bishop family dog, Blue, faced a variety of health issues, Bill and his two sons, Billy and Chris, set out to create a pet food that was made with only the highest quality natural ingredients—the kind of things a family member deserves. Fifteen years later BLUE has, in many ways, accomplished what the Bishops set out to do—help our dogs and cats live happy, healthy lives. BLUE has a broad portfolio of natural pet foods, enabling pet parents to satisfy their pet’s specific dietary, lifestyle and life-stage needs, offering them no-compromise product solutions. OVERVIEW As a Territory Sales Lead, your will be delivering growth of Blue Buffalo by meeting and exceeding business targets in Pet Specialty and Independent accounts in your assigned market. The Blue Buffalo team is someone with strong influence and negotiation skills to own the full Blue portfolio with assigned customers. Strong communication skills will be critical as you interact with our customers in a variety of settings. To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate the ability to own a plan from start to finish, multitask and make decisions independently and on the fly. This role is located in Chicago, IL (or surrounding suburbs). Candidates selected for this role must be currently living in or open to relocation to this market. KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES SELLING & INFLUENTIAL COMMUNICATION Grow BLUE via selling in new and existing products in the Independent channel and ensure strong store execution in Pet Specialty accounts within defined geography Serve as the primary contact for store owners, manager, distributor representatives, and district managers Conduct business reviews with customer to review sales results and future opportunities Execute effective customer education and build and maintain productive relationships Partner closely with distributors to educate and gain recommendation Manage store inventory, monitor, and communicate pet parent progress and opportunities PROBLEM SOLVING & ANALYTICS Use insights and execute category leadership including: assortment reviews, pricing analysis, seasonal reviews and programs, new item introductions, promotional planning, evaluation and consumer usage analysis EXECUTIONAL EXCELLENCE Take personal accountability and ownership for results, and deeply understand customer needs Be enthusiastic about BLUE products, categories, and brand priorities and how to link those to the customer Provide display support Manage trade dollars and budgets as assigned LEADERSHIP BEHAVIORS Demonstrate Engaging Leader behaviors to foster an inclusive environment and embrace a learning mindset MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS At least 2 years Sales experience selling and service retail Must live within assigned geography Demonstrated ability to adopt and learn new technology and tools Ability to build partnerships and communicate effectively across and throughout an organization, including facilitating presentations Skilled in Microsoft Excel Able to conduct field travel 35 -50% of the time Able to lift and carry 30 lbs PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Pet enthusiast Experience with CRM systems and Tableau COMPANY OVERVIEW We exist to make food the world loves. But we do more than that. Our company is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, explore new perspectives and reimagine new possibilities, every day. We look for people who want to bring their best — bold thinkers with big hearts who challenge one other and grow together. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what’s next.