Regional Sales Manager

Position Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree with a business, marketing or management concentration and/or equivalent work experience.

Position Overview: As regional manager for Milbank, the individual will directly oversee one of Milbank’s four geographic regions--responsible for all products and all sales channels in the region as well as the overall profitability of the region. The RSM must strive to meet or exceed all sales goals using all resources and tools available. In addition, he/she must demonstrate professionalism, a can-do attitude and lead by example for the team, the reps and others on the sales team. The RSM must be a strategic thinker, always looking for ways to grow Milbank’s market share in the region and effectively manage manufacturer reps and drive their performance to meet Milbank’s sales goals.

The RSM is a strategic position and should be regularly interacting with key management personnel of key distributors to drive growth and provide ongoing communication to sales management on trends, feedback and improvements needed. In addition, the RSM should be working with agency sales management to ensure their respective teams are driving growth for Milbank and that key sales objectives are being met.

Experience/Skills/Abilities: Seven or more years’ experience in a sales management capacity with preferred emphasis on electrical industry, managing manufacturer’s reps as well as proven ability to manage a sales team.

Key Performance and Evaluation Metrics:

Sales Metrics

• Achieve or exceed established sales goals for all independent agents in the assigned region.
• Demonstrate consistent year-over-year growth with profitable product lines and drive forward new product opportunities in each independent agency.
  

Planning/Goal Setting

• Responsible for development of annual Regional Development Plan (RDP) for each representative in the region, aggressively pushing quantifiable sales objectives each year. The RSM must monitor the RDP on a quarterly basis and provide the Senior Director of Sales with mid-year updates and progress toward goal achievement.

Training

• The RSM must be able to conduct essential training for their agents on product overview and at times be present for distributor lunch’n learns.
• Assist Milbank district sales reps and managers with training for end users as applicable.
• Must ensure their respective teams (district sales personnel) are working toward becoming Milbank product experts and can effectively communicate with all individuals in the sales process to convert/grow business (engineers, contractors, distributors, etc.)

Communication

• Must communicate effectively with manager, scheduling periodic calls or meetings to provide an update on sales and operations in the region.
• Be able to help sales management develop Customer Service and Inside Sales personnel and create a team environment.
• Must have above average follow-up skills and timely responses to emails/calls from management, the team and internal and external customers.

Attitude

• Must have a winning attitude, always looking for creative ways to grow the business.
• Must have a positive attitude with personnel on your team as well as with others on the sales team.

Culture

• Must promote the values, mission and driving force of Milbank and understand its culture.

Accountability

• Have a high level of accountability for yourself, your agents, your team and others in the organization and understand you will be accountable for all sales and operations in the region.

Financial

• Strive to increase profitability in the region--effectively manage expense budgets.
• Responsible for working with representatives to develop annual sales goals and input into Milbank’s Annual Operating Plan (AOP). In addition, the RSM must monitor the sales forecast every 30 days and adjust as needed to ensure Production is aware of increases or decreases in business.

Other Duties and Responsibilities

Product Development and Introduction

• Responsible for coordinating new product requests with the product management team and Engineering.
• At times, the RSM and his/her team will participate in Voice of Customer (VOC) initiatives to ensure we are meeting the needs of the market and our customers.

Regional Management/Territory Analysis

• Work with management to establish the strategic direction for the respective region in the areas of market strategy, sales strategy and marketing plans.
• Interface with other functional departments to understand the needs of the customer and help in developing solutions that support market needs.
• Must be able to analyze historical and current sales data to determine gaps or areas of opportunity where focus needs to be directed or where corrective action may be required.
• Will be responsible for generating and submitting reports to the Senior Director of Sales in a timely manner.
• Evaluate manufacturer agencies to ensure their business objectives are aligned with Milbank’s and recommend changes as needed.

Continuous Improvement

• Operate in the role of sponsor/change agent of the implementation of lean, change management, culture transformation and policy deployment principles and tools in the department.
• Work cooperatively with others to implement best practices leading to improvements throughout the organization.
• Establish and work toward aggressive performance goals.
• Utilize resources, inside and outside the company, to enhance learning for self and workforce

Lean Enterprise

• Establish and utilize frameworks and systems, including tools such as visual management, problem solving, standard work and kaizen.
• Adhere to and promote the HR Pledge.
• Cooperate and commit in a team environment to achieve goals and deliverables.
• Resolve difficult or complicated challenges using the problem-solving process.
• Actively embrace our core principles.

Management and Supervisory Responsibilities

Position is responsible for the overall direction, coordination and evaluation of the personnel on the team.

All issues that arise in the region are your responsibility to resolve and must be resolved quickly and professionally in the best interest of Milbank, utilizing managers in other departments as needed. Major issues that may affect Milbank in a negative manner, financially, legally or in brand perception, must be immediately reported to the Senior Director of Sales.

May manage and direct district sales managers, district sales representatives and sales specialist. Oversee all independent rep agencies and customers in the assigned region.

Travel Required: 60%-75%

Hours: Regular 40-hour workweek with the understanding this job requires a “do what it takes attitude” within reason.

Working Conditions: Heavy travel in the region meeting with key decision makers, independent agents and your sales team if applicable. Will work in office either in Kansas City or virtual office in your region.