Location: Chicago,IL, USA
Inside Sales Representative: Food & Nutrition
Inside Sales Representative, Food
IMCD US currently has an opening for an Inside Sales Representative, Food. This role is based
in the Chicago area.
COMPANY BACKGROUND
IMCD US is a leading global distribution partner and formulator of specialty chemicals and
ingredients. An entrepreneurial group founded IMCD in 1995 in the Netherlands. Our vision to
transform the distribution industry by continuously adding value to the supply chain through
expertise and innovation, is what still drives us today.
Today, we have operations in over 50 countries, where we successfully combine local
knowledge with global expertise to obtain sustainable results. IMCD is a strong, innovative
business partner and accelerator of solutions for suppliers and producers of consumer, industrial
and durable goods in diverse business sectors. Our commercial excellence and solid operations
structure facilitate healthy growth.
Successful candidates will be responsible to:
* Maintain and grow assigned sales territory by proactively selling to existing and new
customers, primarily by telephone.
* Meet or exceed sales key performance indicators (KPIs) including sales to budget, call
frequency, variance reporting and usage of SalesForce.com and Einstein (part of
SalesForce)
* Develop and maintain relationships with assigned customers.
* Qualify leads from a variety of sources and clearly articulate the IMCD value proposition
to new customers.
* Contact and setup new customers with existing business transitioned from Principals or
other distributors.
* Maintain a working knowledge of products and applications through regular attendance
of relevant IMCD Academy sessions and principal training.
* Actively seeks continuous improvement and self-development.
* Prioritize and manage time effectively to meet internal & external customer expectations
and deadlines.
* Effectively and creatively solves problems: assess the situation, have clear
understanding of request to help obtain and determine root cause and assign corrective
action.
Sales
* Contact customers by telephone and apply consultative selling techniques to sell new
products to new or existing customers.
* Address customer questions and inquiries such as product recommendations, providing
technical help and redirecting sample and literature requests to appropriate internal
contacts.
* Apply negotiation techniques to pricing discussions with customers to optimize
profitability.
* Monitor and react to sales variances to minimize lost business.
* Track activities in SalesForce working opportunities, follow-up reports and customer
summary reports. Maintain a robust pipeline of opportunities to ensure ongoing sales
growth.
* Collaborate with Regional Sales Manager to determine necessary strategic sales
approaches.
* Research potential new customers (using web searches, government industry
directories, trade shows, outside sales leads, etc)
* Cold-call prospects that are generated by external sources of lead (Principals) - only if
these accounts are not already assigned to a specific outside sales representative
* Maintain and expand the company's database of prospects.
* Overcome objections of prospective customers.
* Emphasize product/service features and benefits, quote prices, discuss credit terms, and
prepare sales order forms and call reports.
* Create and deliver qualified opportunities to Technical Account Managers where
appropriate.
* Attend periodic sales training where applicable.
* Appropriately communicate brand identity and corporate position.
* Infrequent travel may be required to attend sales meetings or trade shows / industry
events.
Administrative
* Take responsibility to ensure all requests are fulfilled with accuracy and efficiency within
defined timeframes.
* Prioritize, communicate, and effectively execute all RUSH requests from both internal &
external customers.
* Effectively respond to all requests by actively seeking, inquiring/asking appropriate
questions of both internal & external customers to obtain necessary information.
* Attend all pertinent training sessions, department meetings with active participation.
Skills:
* Ability to explain technical concepts and theories to non-technical audiences.
* High degree of resourcefulness, flexibility, and adaptability.
* Must be highly organized, flexible, and have the ability to multi-task and prioritize
* Effective communication skills with individuals at all levels of the organization, both
verbally and in writing.
* Strong customer service and troubleshooting skills.
* Technical proficiency in computer systems, including Teams, Outlook, Excel and
Salesforce
Required Qualifications:
* A Bachelor of Science degree is necessary for this role.
* Preference will be given to candidates with a Food Science background.
* Strong mathematical acumen
* Must be functionally competent on computer systems.
* 1-2 years of technical sales experience in the food industry preferred.
Desired Qualifications:
NA
Competencies:
* Business Acumen.
* Problem Solving/Analysis.
* Customer/Client Focus.
* Communication Proficiency.
* Teamwork Orientation.
Supervisory Responsibility:
This position has no supervisory responsibility.
Work Environment:
This job currently operates on a hybrid schedule rotating between in-office and remote work
environments. This role routinely uses standard office equipment.
Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:
This is a full-time position, and the hours of work and days are Monday through Friday from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m., unless otherwise directed. Additional hours may be required as needed.
Travel:
No travel is expected for this position.
Other Duties:
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of
activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties,
responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
IMCD Offers
If you want to make a real difference and work for a growing and expertise-driven company, then
we'd love to hear from you. We're looking for people who are experts in their field, be it technical,
commercial, or managerial. By joining IMCD, you'll be part of an entrepreneurial, fast-growing
group of ambitious and like-minded professionals, where you'll have the freedom to make your
own mark. We are committed to delivering value and acting responsibly. As we grow, we keep
our founders' entrepreneurial spirit intact, creating a world of opportunity. As a truly international
company, we have a presence in cities including Singapore, Melbourne, Milan, Cologne, Paris,
Zurich, Los Angeles, So Paulo and Toronto. Our Group Office is in Rotterdam, the Netherlands
and our shares are traded on the Amsterdam Euronext market, where we are part of the large
cap AEX index.