National Account Manager

Job Title: National Account Manager 

Location: Bentonville (AR)

Company Overview: The Allan Sullivan Company sets the standard of excellence for professional selling organizations in the CPG trade. Built on the idea that the sales team that will win in the market of tomorrow is the one that can best merge top sales talent and robust analytical technologies to accelerate turning insights into action, we are intimately involved with our client’s business priorities and strategies in a collaborative manner. We deploy cutting edge technology to bring world class service levels to emerging and mid-tier business that would otherwise be economically unattainable, and we provide a disciplined, methodical growth plan to our client’s product portfolio at all points of consumer engagement.

The Allan Sullivan Company is not for everyone – we choose our partners and employees carefully. We pursue excellence in everything we do by focusing on clear standards, personal ownership, and delivering value to our clients and retail partners. We invest in developing our people and creating opportunities for long-term growth, and those who embrace our culture of being Happy, Hungry, Humble, Smart, and a Warrior will find a team committed to their development and success.

Position Summary: The National Account Manager role is a critical member of the sales team and is the owner of the line review operating cadence for Walmart and Sam’s Club. Responsibilities include pre-review preparation, post-review deliverables, and management of cross functional team for initial setup of all item information, replenishment, and data management/analytics. Their role begins at the start of the line review process and ends once new MODs/POGs have set and are in a regular operating cadence. This role is the critical link in developing and deploying a client strategy at the retailer and as a result must have strong retail strategy and interpersonal skills. This person’s responsibilities are as follows, but not limited to:

• Understanding the client’s and buyer’s objectives and challenges to find a solution for both parties.
• Communication with the buyer and client – as needed and per the Allan Sullivan Co. operating cadence.
• Critical and Strategic Thinking to determine the best outcome in each situation
• Line Review Ownership: Prep, Status, Coordination, & Execution - Line Review documentation and information dissemination and management of support team.
• Internal collaboration with Sales, Operations, and Marketing to provide the best-in-class experience to clients and buyers.
• Ad-Hoc analysis and pricing/assortment support, leveraging fact-based selling around brand, shopper, and financial trends.
• Remain current on industry trends, market conditions, competition, and the ever-changing consumer demographics.
• Periodic visits to client facilities as well as on-site entertainment such as lunches and dinners.
• Local Level Knowledge – Vendors, services, contacts, etc… Know the people to get things done when no one else can get it done.

Behavior Traits

• Extreme Ownership – your default behavior is to take ownership for all aspects of the success of the endeavor you are responsible for.
• Team Leader – you should be able to indirectly manage and lead cross functional team members on projects and executing line reviews
• Cultivate & Maintain – you should naturally cultivate relationships and seek out opportunities to connect with and build trust with all your stakeholders. You should be able to easily mix business and personal and know how to move a conversation forward toward specific business objectives without being off putting.
• Solicit and Inform – your communication style should be one that solicits input to a task and or informs cross-functional team members of actions taken. DO NOT ASK PERMISSION – go and do, but keep everyone in the loop when it impacts how they create value for our clients or The Allan Sullivan Co.
• Time Multiplier – your primary indicator of success is if our clients and our team members see you as a person who lightens their burden rather than adding to. You must use your gut – anticipate needs and preemptively meet them, attempt first to learn and complete a task before asking someone to aid you in its completion, respect their time – get to the point and be concise in conversations.

Desired Experience & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, or a related field.
• 4 - 6 years’ experience in either retail buying or CPG sales roles – Preferably a blend of experiences in Sales, Business Development, Category Management and/or Marketing within a mid to large sized CPG company or Retail Food / Beverage space.
• Excellent attention to detail, communication, and interpersonal skills (written and verbal, along with the ability to problem-solve and negotiate.
• Demonstrated time management, self-motivation, and project management skills.
• Desire to work in a small company and a “do what it takes” attitude, both as an individual and a team player.
• Ability to work-from-home, come into a satellite office, and travel as needed.

If you believe you have the skills and experience to excel in this role, then we encourage you to apply and become part of our dedicated team at The Allan Sullivan Company.