Sales Support Specialist

Job Purpose

Serve as the primary point of contact for Sales, providing a support link between Sales and the rest of the organization. Act as a liaison across functions to help solve issues and eliminate bottlenecks, suggest improvements to enhance account management and improve the working relationships between Sales and the back office, and help manage sales account documentation and territory needs to ensure targeted goals are met.

Essential Functions

• Serve as the primary internal point of contact for Sales and as a liaison to the back office

• Facilitate matters related to back-office issues for the Sales team, broker partners, and customers including inquiries on products, selling tools, marketing information, and other questions as needed

• Receive, disseminate, and respond to customer requests

• Coordinate legal agreements

• Coordinate RFQs, RFIs, and RFPs

• Facilitate and secure specific broker reporting requirements

• Assist Sales in the selling process including processing bid requests and documentation, etc.

• Serve as the liaison for Sales, providing project follow-up such as communicating deadlines and customer expectations

• Coordinate weekly channel conference calls; provide weekly agendas and timely notes to group

• Consult or provide expert guidance to management on various sales and customer-related issues

• Administer customer sites and portals as well as other customer management systems

• Validate sales hierarchy from sales channel and velocity through SKU and ship-to level for master data team

• Maintain key monthly reports for each channel and sales division including sales reports, financial summaries, profitability, and budget trackers

• Troubleshoot problems surrounding ordering, invoicing, and inventory issues; resolve or escalate issues in a timely manner

• Communicate notifications to Sales and customers on pertinent issues

• Serve as a subject matter expert on trade spending process and act as one of the channel contacts for TPM-related questions and support; facilitate requests for TS expense checks when appropriate

• Respond directly to customers on the phone and through email, often acting in place of the Sales rep to assist with questions, issue resolution, and general account management

• Anticipate issues, problems, and process slowdowns, implementing corrective actions to mitigate

• Identify opportunities for improvement and make constructive suggestions for change

• Comply with all food safety requirements, training, policies, and procedures

• Perform other job-related duties as assigned

Qualifications (Education, Experience, Competencies)

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

• 2+ years of experience in a role with exposure to sales support fields

• Experience working with multiple systems including SAP and CRM

• Advanced knowledge of Excel, pivot tables, Access, database concepts and functionalities

• Knowledge of planning, projects, and process management fundamentals

• Superior analytical skills with the ability to identify trends across multiple data sources

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to exercise independent judgment in issue resolution and problem-solving situations including the ability to make decisions and drive results

• Ability to coordinate cross-functional interactions

• Ability to work in a fast-paced team environment, contributing to team development and performance to achieve organizational goals

• Ability to interact confidently with sales teams, customers, and all levels of leadership