Primary Purpose: The Outside Sales Representative provides extraordinary customer service to assigned accounts with primary focus on providing in-person service to customers, developing new business, building and maintaining customer relationships and maintaining and increasing sales of a given account base.

Essential Functions:

1. New Account Marketing & Management

• Identify potential new accounts that are beneficial and profitable to the company.
• Generate potential new accounts through connecting with decision-makers and presenting benefits/features of a General Produce relationship.
• Regularly follow up with potential new accounts to establish relationships.
• Perform necessary administrative duties to establish new accounts, i.e. credit approval, complete proper forms and notify appropriate departments.
• Train new accounts on General Produce procedures including order placement, web ordering and others.

2.Customer Service and Communication:

• Answer questions and provide information to customers in response to inquiries regarding product, prices and delivery dates.
• Listen to, investigate and resolve customers’ concerns about products, price or service.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships at all levels, to help increase sales and interaction related to assigned accounts
• Maintain a working knowledge on the products the customers carry.
• Identify and pursue new sales opportunities and new products for customers’ consideration and suggestions on how to use them.
• Maintain awareness of market information and communicate customers’ complaints and information, and competitive conditions to supervisor.
• Provide outstanding customer service with an eye to increase company market share for our products and brands.
• Receive customers’ orders.
• Enter data into computer and notify customers of product availability and cost.
• Complete sales reports as determined by the supervisor

3. Product Support

• Advise customers of appropriate product for a given need based on knowledge of the product. Recommend similar, companion or substitute product.
• Participate with Procurement and Sales Departments in developing new items and special requests
• Maintain supply of product literature and provide to others upon request.
• Work effectively with the Operations Department to resolve issues related to delivery, quality and others.

Additional Functions:

• Report regularly to supervisor.
• Perform administrative duties as required by the Company.
• Attend department and other staff meetings.
• Learn and utilize all office policies and procedures.
• Comply with all safety and security regulations and procedures.
• Other related duties as assigned by supervisor.

Qualifications:

• Excellent sales and customer service skills.
• Effective written and oral communications skills with the ability to motivate and influence others either verbally or in writing.
• Ability to analyze and understand data.
• Ability to write promotional ads.
• Ability to perform multiple tasks effectively.
• Proficient in Windows-based computer applications.
• Effective time management.
• Positive attitude with an ability to be a “team player”
• Ability to perform primary functions of this position with or without reasonable accommodation.

Language Skills:

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
• Ability to write reports and business correspondence.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Mathematical Skills:

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, divide using fractions and decimals, calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, and percentages.

Mental Abilities:

• Ability to carry out defined procedures and duties with specific instructions.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with employees, peers, customers, vendors and the public.
• Ability to manage multiple projects from their initiation to completion with minimal supervision.
• Must exercise initiative, judgment, discretion and decision-making.
• Ability to communicate verbally and comprehend verbal instructions.
• Able to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral diagram, or schedule form.

Certificates, Licenses and Registrations:

Maintain a valid California Driver License with one point or less on DMV record.

Education and/or Experience:

Two to three years of college with coursework in marketing, sales, and business. In the absence of formal education, significant and progressively responsible sales work experience may be substituted. Position requires five to six year’s retail or wholesale produce industry sales experience.

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. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee must frequently stand and walk. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus. The employee must have ability to travel.

Work Environment and Environmental Conditions:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions:

• Work environment is usually fast paced with frequent short deadlines and regular instances of critical or unusual situations requiring a high level of adaptability and flexibility.
• Field of work includes offices, customers’ facilities and the warehouse and surrounding grounds.
• Hazards due to driving in Northern California and visits to warehouse and surrounding areas.