Chief Sales & Business Development Officer

Chief Sales & Business Development Officer    

The Chief Sales & Business Development Officer (CSBDO) is a mission critical leader in our entrepreneurial enterprise responsible for driving and overseeing all aspects of an organization’s revenue-generating strategies, ensuring alignment with business objectives and growth goals. Their primary focus is on managing the development and execution of strategies to increase revenue streams, optimize sales performance, and improve customer acquisition. This position reports to the CEO and works hand in hand with our Chief Operating Officer.  

Success of this newly created CSBDO role requires a leader who excels at understanding market dynamics, customer needs, our internal capabilities and culture. They are the thought leader for sales and marketing efforts, driving growth through strategic partnerships, lead generation, and customer relationship management. Collaborating with teams across departments including:

Retail Sales

Wholesale 

Marketing

Production

Finance and HR

This role is essential to aligning revenue strategies with our organizational goals. Crucial skills of being a data-driven leader who uses performance metrics and insights to adjust strategies and maximize revenue potential, while also focusing on customer success and long-term profitability are a “must have” along with exceptional relationship skills. Experience in a start up business and/or seriously entrepreneurial business enterprise best fits with our vision for this role.

The ideal candidate will thrive in this hybrid executive role with the strategic mindset of a marketer, the revenue focus of a sales leader, a data-driven, cross-functional approach, and strong financial acumen.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Leadership: Managing, mentoring, and motivating Director level sales and marketing professionals as a collaborative team to achieve sales targets; marketing objectives and deliver exceptional customer service.
2. Sales strategy: Develop and implement sales strategies to drive business growth, increase market share, and meet/exceed sales targets.
3. Develop strategies to improve customer acquisition, retention, and lifetime value coupled with implementation of feedback loops to gather customer insights and inform revenue strategies.
4. Align sales, marketing, and customer success teams to ensure consistent messaging and goals.
5. Collaborate with senior leadership to identify new revenue opportunities and markets fostering partnerships and alliances that enhance revenue streams.
6. Work with our Director of Sales to set goals with distributors designed to achieve monthly, quarterly and annual targets. Work with the Sales Director and our distributors’ sales force weekly to monitor progress and ensure goals are achieved. 
7. Join our Director of Sales in monthly review meetings with Distributors to identify areas of opportunities and review key marketing programs.
8. Use data analytics to monitor revenue performance and adjust strategies accordingly including monitoring customer satisfaction and loyalty metrics to identify growth opportunities.
9. Marketing strategy: Collaborate with creative and marketing leaders to develop campaigns, collateral, media and “all things promotional” to support the sales strategy and our brand. 
10. Leadership Team performance: Set performance goals, monitor team performance, and provide ongoing feedback and coaching to ensure team leader success.
11. Training and development: Identify training needs and provide guidance and support to enhance the skills and knowledge of team leaders.
12. Sales forecasting: Collaborate with the sales and production leaders to forecast sales, analyze data, and make informed decisions to optimize sales performance.
13. Relationship management: Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key customers, partners, and stakeholders to drive customer satisfaction and loyalty.
14. Budget management: Develop, monitor and manage the sales and marketing budgets, ensuring efficient allocation of resources, cost-effective strategies and adjustments are made to achieve Net Operating Profit goals.
15. Reporting and analysis: Prepare and share regular reports on sales activities, market trends, and performance metrics to evaluate results and identify areas for improvement.
16. Cross-functional collaboration: Collaborate with other departments, such as marketing, retail, and production, to align sales efforts with overall business objectives.
17. Stay updated: Keep abreast of industry trends, market conditions, and competitors to identify opportunities and stay ahead of the curve. 

JOB PERFORMANCE METRICS

• Annual and quarterly revenue/margin goals (wholesale and retail) and case volumes targets are consistently met.
• Spirit-related marketing and communications strategies, campaigns and investments are clearly defined, scheduled and communicated to the team, distributors and customers.
• Marketing plans are fully implemented, and their impact is measured and shared.
• Key markets are identified and maintained with active action plans and progress reports.
• Distributor focus on our brand remains at a high level and Iron Fish brands are a growing segment of their portfolio consistent with our goals.
• Stay tuned into customer support plans and progress reports on top accounts. 
• Monitor accurate and up-to-date records on contacts made, new placements secured and sell through success.
• Ensure that key leaders in sales and marketing are highly engaged and have the resources they need to succeed.
• Keep abreast of all laws, regulations and policies that govern the market and ensure compliance by our sales team.
• General customer satisfaction and company positioning are highly positive.

DESIRED EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

• Business - or business-related degree
•  3 to 5 years of team leadership in sales, spirits and/or hospitality experience background and managing business finances is required.
• Proven sales experience: Demonstrated track record of achieving sales targets and driving revenue growth. Background in selling, representing local craft brands and educating the marketplace within emerging craft product lines desirable.
• Established knowledge of working with profit and loss; budgets; pricing and margin analysis reports to guide progress and make decisions.
• Leadership skills: Strong leadership abilities with the ability to inspire and motivate team leaders
• Communication skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively interact with customers, team leaders, and stakeholders
• Follows and tracks emerging trends in spirits and craft beverages. Analytical skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities to interpret data, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions
• Relationship building: Exceptional relationship-building skills to establish and maintain productive partnerships with customers, team leaders and owners.
• Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment, adapting quickly to changing circumstances.
• Staff recruitment and hiring, management and supervision experience required and background in sales and managing within an agreed budget.
• Demonstrated track record of collaborating with team leaders to achieve company goals.
• Organizational skills: Excellent organizational and time management skills to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines
• Working knowledge of sales management systems (e.g., Encompass, project management/scheduling and office management systems essential.) Skilled with Microsoft Office or Google Docs).
• Ability to lift, carry, pull or push up to 50lbs.

LEADERSHIP QUALITIES

Communicates with Impact – Communicates in a clear, concise, complete and timely manner. Communicates with directness and candor, provides constructive criticism; actively engages in debating ideas and the right course of action; communicates messages that others may be reluctant to communicate (i.e., is willing to say what needs to be said).

Coaches for Performance – Clearly communicates responsibilities and expectations; assesses individual performance and provides clear and timely feedback; seeks opportunities to redirect or retrain to raise performance.

Connects and Engages with Others – Establishes a connection with and remains approachable to others; establishes open and trusting relationships, treats all individuals fairly and with respect. Develops a climate where individuals are committed to sharing information, asking for help when it is needed, and achieving shared goals.

Sets High Standards of Excellence – Consistently models and upholds high standards of excellence in performance for self and others, ensures all systems, methods and procedures are followed without exception, continuously looks for ways to improve performance.

Creates Accountability for Performance – Teaches others to take personal ownership of decisions and results (mistakes and successes); ensures others are held responsible for their behaviors and attitudes while holding them to high standards; consistently provides feedback and recognition for good work and applies appropriate consequences for non-performance, as necessary; follows up.

Overview of Iron Fish Distillery

Please visit our website for an overview of our company and brand. Our location on a farm in beautiful northern Michigan in close proximity to rivers, lakes, woodlands and an award winning all season ski and golf resort affords an amazing quality of life.