Account Manager, Alt Channels
On-siteMinneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Job Summary
Manage day-to-day service issues between marketing, product, and retailer buying teams while creating rapport with the entire buying team, including executives, buyers, planners, and replenishment personnel. Establish timelines for line reviews and execute collaborative base-line and promotional forecasts with all buyers, reviewing business plans quarterly to adjust and communicate changes. Analyze weekly POS data for trends, promotional lifts, and competitive challenges, incorporating findings into monthly business plan meetings. Prospect new channels outside traditional retailers to secure customers such as Home Depot, Lowe's, and Auto Zone, and respond to all customer requests in a timely manner. Travel approximately twice quarterly to meet with customers and provide weekly updates on business state and new initiatives to the Head of Alt Channel Sales.
Required Qualifications
- 3-5 years or more of sales management/sales experience within the toy industry
- Superior relationships with retailer management, buyers, marketing managers, replenishment & planning personnel
- A proven track record of building sales and profitability in a competitive business environment
- Bachelor's Degree in Business required
- Possess elevated financial acumen - Margin/Forecast Planning/ Budget Management
- Excellent strategic and disciplined planning skills
- Well-developed sales, people, communication, administration, sales policy, planning and leadership skills
- Ability to think on your feet and contingency plan
- Formal knowledge customers' communicative/administrative/planning tools
- Complete knowledge of FOB Import and Domestic shipping procedures
- Exceptional computer skills (Microsoft office – Excel, Word, PPT, Teams)
- Ability to travel, roughly 2X quarterly or as needed to meet with Customers
- Must analyze POS data on a weekly basis
- Be in front of 'Early Reads' - anticipating challenges to first of season POS
Desired Qualifications
- Create rapport with the retailer's entire buying team, including all executives, buyers, planners, and replenishment team
- Work with buying teams to understand their needs, performance metrics, time tables, etc
- Respond or acknowledge all customer requests in timely manner
- Be the expert on the products, categories, and competition in and outside your areas of responsibilities
- Manage day to day service issues between marketing, product, customer marketing, and retailer buying teams
- Establish and present timelines for line reviews, item conformation time lines, 'set' and other relevant dates
- A bottom-up (item level) forecasts must be built in adherence to Global Forecast time line
- Collaborative base-line and promotional forecast must be executed with all buyers
- Seasonal Business Plans for each buyer (per category/brand) will be created
- Review Business Plans (SAP/Promotional Plan/Forecasts) with each buyer on a quarterly basis
- Adjust and communicate all adjustments to Head of Alt Channel Sales Team Leader/Marketing/and Supply Chain
- Provide weekly updates by Buyer - State of business/New initiatives, placement/promotional updates etc to Head of Alt Channel Sales
- Follow through recaps of buyer meetings (in season and placement feedback/conformation)
- Monthly retail stores checks to review MGA product placement & competitive landscape
- Will participate in all National Sales and Show meetings/events
- Post Line Show Meeting: Provide detailed responses to product offerings to Head of Alt Channel Sales Team Leader
- Expand Toy distribution by opening new customers and increasing POD's
- Prospect new channels outside of traditional Toy retailers to secure new customers ie: Home Depot, Lowes, Auto Zone
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