Sales Representative

Summary

At La Colombe we believe that being a good coffee partner means more than just offering a great cup of coffee. The Wholesale Team supports the city’s most talented chefs, restaurateurs, hotels, cafes, and offices to ensure they execute consistent, high quality coffee programs. The Sales Representative plays a crucial role in this mission. The Sales Representative will own the customer experience, assisting clients to design and implement a coffee program that meets La Colombe’s standard of excellence. Manage a portfolio of legacy clients, allocating company resources appropriately to fulfill the clients’ needs. Source, convert, and onboard new clients to meet business targets. Develop ownership of relationships with keyhospitality professionals. Assist account management team with day-to-day needs pertaining to the book of business. Work directly with the market sales manager to create a target list of accounts and activelywork to convert these target accounts into new business.

The Sales Representative will display grace under pressure, eagerness to undertake difficult tasks, and a sense of urgency when needed. At La Colombe, no task is too small, and the Sales Representative should embody this in all client interactions.

Responsibilities

SALES Respond to incoming leads, with a 2-hour turnaround during business hours. Work with Market Sales Manager to create a target list of accounts. Utilize CRM tools to track leads through the sales process and use La Colombe methodology to qualify leads. Negotiate and execute contracts in line with the equipment lending model. Create customized proposals to convert qualified leads into new clients and win business. Maintain CRM to communicate, track, and onboard new deals.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT Provide consultation on all aspects of the coffee business, coffee equipment, product choice, layout design, and general business insights. Communicate and interact effectively with internal departments including client services, technical services, production, marketing, and retail. Work with the Food Service and National Accounts teams to execute complex deals. Maintain a flexible schedule allowing for, when needed, periodic travel, weekends, and after-hours work.
CUSTOMER SERVICE Deliver the highest degree of customer service at every stage in the customer experience with thorough, reliable, and timely responses. Communicate professionally with client stakeholders at manager, executive, and ownership levels. Anticipate and proactively take charge of challenging situations finding solutions for clients in line with La Colombe’s resources.
LEADERSHIP Set a positive example for the Account Management team: assist in their day-today activities, providing guidance, insight, and assistance with client requests. Be on time and prepared for meetings both internally and externally. Contribute to discussions, bringing a thoughtful point of view. Take ownership of a book of business.
COMMUNICATION Develop productive working relationships with members of other departments including technical services, client services, marketing, operations team, production, fulfillment,
and retail team. Identify key stakeholders to move deals and projects forward, while considering their time and resources. Update Market Sales Manager on deals, leads, and health of book of business regularly. Bring Market Sales Manager into the fold for large opportunities.
INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE Stay current on new restaurant and hotel openings both locally and nationally. Participate in coffee related events including trade shows, throwdowns, seminars, and
other after-hours events. Seek out new coffee products, equipment, and industry trends. Establish relationships with chefs, managers, and hospitality staff to improve your network.

Requirements

REQUIREMENTS

• Passionate about coffee.
• 3 - 5 years' experience in Hospitality, Business to Business Sales, or the coffee industry.
• Proven record of accomplishment in your professional career.
• Positive and professional communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to interact with all levels of internal and external contacts.
• Must be a self-starter, a quick learner, and able to take constructive feedback.
• The ability to efficiently manage various high-priority responsibilities while keeping management informed.
• Flexibility to work occasional nights, weekends.
• Occasionally assist lifting, moving, and/or carrying coffee equipment
• Ability to travel locally (50 miles) and regionally (100+ miles), (70%, 30%, respectively)
• Ability to travel for up to 2-3 consecutive nights once or twice per month
• Valid driver's license and vehicle
• Ability to frequently work out of local La Colombe facility, visit existing and potential new customers in person.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• 1 - 3 years of business-to-business sales experience
• Fine dining, specialty coffee, or 4-star hotel experience.
• Experience using sales tools (salesforce, HubSpot, etc.)
• Experience with Microsoft/Google suite (excel, word, PowerPoint, or equivalents)
• Coffee Certifications (Q-Grader, AST, etc.)
• Thorough understanding of coffee’s journey from seed to cup, brewing techniques, extraction
• theory, and mastery of coffee equipment.