Technical Sales Specialist - Animal Health & Nutrition

Our client develops, manufactures and markets specialty ingredients that improve and enhance the health and well-being of life on the planet, providing state-of-the-art solutions and the finest quality products for a range of industries worldwide. Our corporate headquarters is located in New Hampton, New York, (Hudson Valley area) and we have a broad network of sales offices, manufacturing sites, and R&D centers, primarily located in the US and Europe. Founded in 1967, they are a publicly traded company (NASDAQ BCPC) with annual revenues over $640 million and a market cap exceeding $3.0 billion. The company consists of three business segments: Human Nutrition & Health; Animal Nutrition & Health; and Specialty Products. They employs over 1,400 people worldwide who are engaged in diverse activities, committed to developing the company into global market leadership positions.

TERRITORY WILL COVER ID/WA/OR

POSITION SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Regional Business Development Manager (RM), the Regional Sales Professional generates sales opportunities by using their technical expertise and product or industry specific knowledge. An individual in this type of role will be the primary salesperson in technical or scientific sale (acting as subject matter expert) with nutrition, veterinary, dairy, nutrient suppliers and influencers in the local sales territory. Regional Sales professionals leverage their expertise to build credibility and gather important market information allowing them to propose targeted solutions and close sales.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Influence and Selling Skills: Identify prospects for animal nutrition and health products, including but not limited to feed companies, premix companies, distribution or other channel partners, independent nutritionists and/or veterinarians and larger livestock producers. Effective in persuading, convincing, and influencing others to gain support of a specific agenda or to take a specific course of action.

• Analytical Thinking: Grasp the underlying concepts in complex information, identify root causes of problems, and formulate solutions based on a synthesis of information. Ability to provide, explain and lead customers and prospects to an understanding of the product value proposition. This includes developing and participating in strategic and tactical business growth discussions with customers.
• Information Seeking: Driven by an underlying curiosity and desire to know more about things, people or issues. This goes beyond routine questions and includes digging or pressing for exact information, resolving discrepancies by asking questions or scanning for information that may be used in the future.
• Relationship Building: Develop effective long-term professional interactions with others based on trust: trust that they will always work toward the best interest of those involved and they are sufficiently competent to provide positive results.
• Negotiating: They identify key bargaining points for all parties and work effectively toward win-win solutions.
• Business Acumen: Individuals make sound business decisions based on a strong understanding of the companys business model, strategic goals and relevant policies. Utilize value-added consultative selling skills and marketing support plans to move prospects through the selling cycle toward successful closure. Develop sales forecasts to support efficient production planning and raw material purchasing.

• Learning Agility: They discern patterns in data, recognize relationships between concepts and rapidly apply learning from one context to solve analogous problems in different contexts. Ability to organize and present technical product information to key decision makers and larger producers.

• Planning and Priority Setting: Identify the priorities, processes and practical actions that are necessary to achieve an objective or idea. Develop detailed action plans including objectives, accountabilities, timelines and contingencies. Monitor product performance and customer satisfaction and provide feedback to company as required. Keep current with the dairy industry including but not limited to potential customers, competitive products, trends affecting sales and other business opportunities. Provide competitive intelligence.
• Composure and Resiliency: Able to deal effectively w/ pressure, maintain focus and intensity and remain optimistic and persistent, even under adversity. Ability to recover quickly form setbacks, rejections and conflicts and maintain self-control in the face of provocation.

• Accountability: Take responsibility for their own performance and accept full ownership of issues, problems and opportunities, regardless of the source. Timely and accurate completion of administrative duties such as expense reporting, call reports, database hygiene, etc. Follows all safety policies and procedures including use of safety equipment (PPE) and equipment safeguards. Perform other related functions necessary to ensure business growth.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Degree in agriculture related field (preferably dairy or animal science), advanced degree in animal science or business school preferred.
• Minimum 3 years of successful sales experience with a proven record of customer growth and value awareness. Selling or support experience across a wide customer and channel partner base is important.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Travel required daily (80%) inside the territory. Territory geography will require overnight travel needed to cover the customers/prospects. Training and customer events may also require overnight travel. Work involves typical office routines and business travel primarily in automobile and airplane as needed.
• Must be highly motivated self-starter with strong interpersonal and organizational skills.