MS Walker Brands Regional Sales Specialist (Illinois/Wisconsin)

M.S. Walker has an immediate opening for a Regional Sales Specialist in the Chicago, IL area for the MS Walker Brands team. Are you a road warrior with experience selling wine and spirits to retail and on-premise accounts? Do you enjoy telling stories, creating cocktail recipes and influencing drink menus? Join our efforts and be part of the team that takes this portfolio’s market impact to the next level! 

Information regarding the brands represented can be found at:

http://www.mswalker.com/national-brands/

https://www.mswalker.com/nationalspirits

Also, on Instagram at @mswalkerbrands

Responsibilities:

Sales / Trade Engagement / Education  

• Achieve sales success:
• Visit 75+ accounts on a monthly basis
• Daily interactions with key decision makers
• Cultivate and curate “partner” accounts
• Make new retail and on-premise volume placements (features and permanent)
• Selling in and merchandising retail displays in existing and new retailers with the most up to date point of sales materials
• Activate each brand’s cocktail strategy at retail and on trade
• Achieve competitive brand adjacencies at retail for existing and new placements
• Achieve in service volume cocktail placements in the on-premise channel
• Follow up to train staff on DNA, provenance, features and benefits of the MSWB portfolio
• Follow up to conduct consumer events, seminars and tastings in key accounts
• Serve as regional facing product knowledge expert for the portfolio; with a passion for storytelling and effective way to communicate brand's features, benefits, heritage and personality
• Educate consumers, trade, and distributor/broker partners on benefits of the MSWB Portfolio
• Contribute to social media content that documents the MSWB’s impact in the regional community
• Support and work with sales teams at distributor in the market, at meetings and events
• Create and manage agenda for MSWB Brand team and brand owner/dignitary market work, events etc.  

Events

• Support retail, on-trade and consumer shows as required; attend the brand's presence and other events in core markets
• Minimum of 4 in store tastings a month between Thursday afternoon and Sunday afternoon

Reporting 

• Provide monthly recaps of all activities 
• Track KPIs, sales and reach goals regularly 
• Report markets trends and competitor activity

Estimated salary range: $60k-$90k based on experience and achievement of performance bonus programs.

Requirements

Who you are: The ideal candidate will possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities to be successful in this role:

• An Entrepreneurial Mindset with excelling selling skills
• High Energy & Enthusiasm - Be a motivated self-starter who can work on a very small team as well as independently
• Possess excellent time management and organizational skills
• Must be 21 years of age or older at the time of application
• Must live in the assigned territory area with reliable transportation and have the ability to travel throughout territory
• Bachelor’s Degree or higher
• Minimum of 5 years professional experience in alcohol beverage sales
• Knowledge of wholesale distribution and operations
• Able to regularly work during evenings and weekends
• Strong interpersonal skills required
• Microsoft Office and Google Suite proficiency
• Desire to work in a fast-paced, growing company
• Strong relationships in both the independent off and on-premise channels.
• Deep knowledge of spirits and cocktail development. Experience as a bartender creating craft cocktails is a plus.
• Natural and charismatic storyteller, with strong public speaking skills, who has a passion for sharing their cocktailing tales with others
• Credibility with the on-trade is essential; be part of that community with existing network, bartender groups, presence and respect within the community of gatekeepers
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including writing and delivering presentations
• Deadline-oriented, self-starter who is proactive and holds self to high standard of work quality
• Ability to interface with the distributor personnel
• Strong and active social media presence

Benefits

We offer a Comprehensive Benefits Plan that includes the f