Sales Development Manager

Land O'Lakes, Inc. is a Fortune 250, farmer- and member-owned cooperative that is reimagining the business of food. They are seeking a Sales Development Manager to partner with top retail sellers, coaching them to enhance their selling skills and execute strategic sales plans. This remote position involves significant interaction with retail sellers and requires a strong understanding of agricultural products and sales strategies.

Responsibilities:

• Manages and grows business through a defined plan and consistent communication with assigned owners and internal teams with strong focus on STAMPS, seed, and services
• Coaches and trains top retail sellers at the farm-gate on products, programs, services, and technologies with the goal of influencing grower decisions
• Utilizes pre-call planning tools and approach
• Relies on agronomy or services experts for technical knowledge as needed
• Records all relevant account details in the CRM software (Salesforce)
• In partnership with top retailer sellers, executes by using tools such as the Account Plan, Farmer by Farmer (FxF) Plan, and ACRE sprints. Measures and monitors progress against plans
• Owns and is accountable for the FxF Plan and for digital and services adoption by retailer sellers
• Coaches and communicates at the farm-gate level the total acre value proposition to the top 1,000 retailer sellers including brand ladder, partnered and proprietary brand strategies, programs, pricing, services, and digital technology and platforms
• Supports the retail seller in Answer Plot and post-harvest meetings
• Coordinates with local manufacturer representatives
• Implements Account Plan with retail sellers
• Manages discretionary and insight trial seed

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in agriculture or business-related field of study from an accredited university plus 2 years of industry or direct sales experience; or an equivalent of 7 years of successful work experience in industry or direct sales
• Ability to see the “big picture” of the organization and the farmer's operation
• Understands how the key drivers of the business relate to each other and work together to produce profitable growth
• Proactive communicator with exceptional written, verbal, and formal presentation skills
• Trustworthy with a strong level of personal commitment
• Ability to coach and mentor others by suggesting improvements and leading change
• Ability to make sound decisions and complete tasks in a fast-paced work environment
• Ability to work independently and manage productivity
• Experience demonstrating agility and leading/adapting quickly to change
• Technical agriculture product / crop expertise and ability to develop and educate others on products, services, and programs
• Ability to effectively manage projects
• Solid experience using Microsoft products (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint); virtual collaboration tools (Teams, Zoom); and CRM software (Salesforce)
• Must have current and valid state driver's license
• Travel up to 50%, including evenings and some weekends making direct farm-gate calls; may require working long hours during peak seasons