Wine Sales Team Manager

Primary Functions:
While spending 80% of the time in the trade, will plan, direct, and coordinate the activities of designated Wine Key Accounts Sales Representatives to ensure that established goals and objectives are accomplished in accordance with prescribed standards, priorities, time limitations and supplier requests. Advises, makes recommendations, trains, and assists in the formulation of goals and objectives. 

Major Responsibilities:  

• Supervise assigned sale reps and merchandisers on a weekly basis.
• Motivate sales force.
• Execute monthly brand-building sales goals.
• Maintain business unit/ individual route records.
• Conduct Sales/Authorization calls on selected chain accounts.
• Deliver regular sales performance evaluations.
• Recap, maintain and report activities to Sales Manager.
• Train sales staff to ensure proper account pre-planning so that brand-building sales goals are achieved, and all company policies and procedures are properly followed.
• Insure proper coverage of sales routes during vacations and sickness.
• Develop, maintain, and instruct sales reps on proper merchandising standards set forth by corporations and suppliers.
• Keep sales reps updated on all new P.O.S.
• Ensure that merchandising standards and goals are met.
• Develop and implement resets and proper shelf management.
• Ensure Dot-rotation system is followed by all sales reps.
• Keep managers informed on route changes, customer changes, competitive activity, problems or opportunities.
• Work with supplier reps to achieve goals and pass along to sales reps.
• Evaluate territory Sales, Quality Assurance Budgets, Key Account Performance and Market Plan Execution.
• Attend weekly meetings with Sales Manager.
• Conduct weekly meetings with sales team.
•  Service customer needs and solve any problems that might arise.
• Evaluate sales routes for effectiveness and make needed changes to maximize our sales potential.

• Ability to train, lead, supervise and motivate.
• Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
• Ability to conduct meetings.
• Ability to apply commonsense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
• Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of an organization.
• Must be computer-literate in Microsoft Office applications.
• Have attained a four-year college or university program certificate; or four to six years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Extensive knowledge of and experience with wines is required.

About Alliance Beverage:

In 1963 a man named Larry Gary, originally from the west side of Chicago, decided that owning a beer distributorship in Grand Rapids Michigan would be more fun than running a bowling alley. That was the moment that the company called Kent Beverage began.

At the same time a man named Tim Sullivan, originally from the east side of Detroit, was happily running a construction business. However, when Tim noticed his friends, who owned beer distributorships, were having more fun, he had to get one of his own. And he did, when he purchased B&B Beer in the late 1970’s!

Both businesses grew and prospered. Both businesses were passed from fathers to sons and continued to succeed in their territories until one day, over a pint, these two families decided to form a joint venture whereby the two companies combined would be stronger than the sum of their parts. They called the company Alliance Beverage and it was born May 13, 2013.

From the beginning, our company has recruited the best talent available, contributing to the highest standards of performance~ because we work together with commitment, & integrity.

Today, Alliance has more than 450 team members and services over 5,000 customers across the Western half of Michigan. With three distribution facilities and six sales offices, our employees live and are active in the communities they serve.