Sales Manager

Commonhouse Aleworks is looking for a hands-on, field-based Sales Manager to grow our wholesale beer business across Charleston, the South Carolina Lowcountry and selected markets throughout South Carolina and coastal Georgia.

This is not a desk-based sales management role.

The successful candidate will spend the majority of the workweek in the market—personally calling on bars, restaurants, hotels, resorts, hospitality groups and priority independent retailers; prospecting for new business; winning draft handles and placements; growing existing accounts; recovering lost business; and helping ensure that new placements become productive, repeat-buying accounts.

If you enjoy walking into an account, earning a buyer's attention, opening doors and turning relationships into measurable sales results, this role may be a strong fit.

The Sales Manager reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer and works closely with our Southern Crown distributor partners.

What You Will Own

Field Sales & Account Development

• Personally prospect and develop new on-premise accounts throughout the territory.
• Build strong relationships with restaurant, bar, hotel, resort and hospitality buyers.
• Win profitable new draft placements and package placements.
• Reactivate lost and dormant accounts.
• Increase rate of sale within existing accounts.
• Protect existing placements and reduce account attrition.
• Convert initial placements into consistent reorders.
• Identify and pursue opportunities within priority independent package accounts.
• Maintain an active pipeline of prospective, new and developing accounts.

Territory Execution

The primary focus of the role is the Charleston / greater Lowcountry market.

Recurring development will also include Beaufort and Hilton Head, with purposeful travel to markets including:

• Columbia
• Greenville
• Savannah
• Myrtle Beach
• Florence
• other existing or developing South Carolina and coastal Georgia markets

Travel outside Charleston will generally be purposeful and account-driven rather than constant.

A company Subaru Crosstrek is provided for business travel.

Distributor Partnership

Commonhouse Aleworks is distributed through Southern Crown Partners.

You will:

• Build productive working relationships with Southern Crown street representatives and Craft Brand Managers.
• Participate in targeted ride-alongs.
• Identify opportunities using distributor sales and depletion information.
• Follow up on accounts that have stopped purchasing.
• Work collaboratively to improve distribution, account execution and rate of sale.
• Help ensure Commonhouse receives appropriate focus within the distributor network.

Senior distributor strategy and relationships remain with Commonhouse leadership; this role is focused heavily on field execution and account-level results.

Account Activation

• Conduct buyer and staff education.
• Lead tastings, sampling opportunities and account activations.
• Support tap takeovers and other sales-driving events.
• Participate in selected beer festivals and community events.
• Help accounts understand the portfolio and sell Commonhouse successfully after placement.

Some evening and weekend work should be expected when it supports meaningful account or brand opportunities.

Sales Discipline & Data

• Maintain disciplined use of VIP/Karma and other applicable sales systems.
• Track prospecting activity, account development, placements and follow-up.
• Use depletion and account-level data to identify opportunities and problems.
• Monitor placement productivity and reorder behavior.
• Maintain accurate account notes and pipeline visibility.
• Work with the COO to translate the company's commercial plan into weekly field priorities.

How We Will Measure Success

This role is accountable for results—not simply activity.

Key measures will include:

• Case-equivalent volume versus plan
• Wholesale revenue versus budget
• Productive new and reactivated placements
• On-premise draft growth
• Placement retention
• Rate of sale and reorder performance
• Priority lost-account recovery
• Strategic account wins
• Southern Crown execution
• Territory coverage
• CRM and pipeline discipline

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for a seller and a hunter.

You may be a strong fit if you:

• Enjoy spending most of your workweek in the field.
• Are comfortable prospecting and cold calling.
• Know how to earn access to buyers who may not initially be looking for another supplier.
• Have personally opened accounts and grown territories.
• Understand that a placement is only valuable if the account reorders.
• Follow through consistently after the initial sale.
• Can balance relationship selling with disciplined use of sales data.
• Are comfortable working independently and managing a large geographic territory.
• Can work effectively with distributor representatives without relying on the distributor to do your job for you.
• Communicate well and operate with a high degree of personal accountability.

Preferred Experience

We would particularly like to meet candidates with experience in one or more of the following:

• Craft beer supplier sales
• Brewery field sales
• Beer distributor sales
• Wine or spirits distributor sales with meaningful on-premise experience
• Alcoholic-beverage supplier sales
• Foodservice or hospitality sales involving restaurant and bar buyers
• Charleston / Lowcountry beverage sales
• Beaufort / Hilton Head account development
• South Carolina's three-tier beverage system

Experience with VIP, Karma, iDIG, Encompass, Circana, Salesforce or similar territory-management and depletion-data tools is valuable.

Existing Charleston and Lowcountry buyer relationships are valuable, but demonstrated hustle, accountability and measurable selling results matter more than simply having a contact list.

Minimum Requirements

• At least 2 years of outside, territory or field-sales experience preferred.
• Valid driver's license and ability to meet company vehicle requirements.
• Willingness to travel regularly throughout the Lowcountry and periodically throughout the broader territory.
• Ability to participate in occasional evening and weekend account activations and events.
• Must be at least 21 years old.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary: $50,000–$60,000, depending on relevant experience and demonstrated track record
• Target annual performance incentive: $12,000
• Maximum annual incentive opportunity: $18,000
• Company Subaru Crosstrek
• Company-paid approved business expenses
• Monthly ICHRA medical-benefit contribution following eligibility
• Discretionary Time Off
• Seven paid holidays

About Commonhouse Aleworks

Commonhouse Aleworks is an independent Charleston-area brewery built around great beer, community and hospitality.

We are strengthening our commercial organization and investing in disciplined, sustainable wholesale growth. This position will have a meaningful opportunity to shape how Commonhouse wins in the market while working directly with company leadership and our distribution partners.

We are looking for someone who wants to sell, who takes pride in building a territory and who gets satisfaction from seeing a Commonhouse beer poured in an account they personally opened.

Applying

Please submit your résumé and be prepared to discuss:

• A territory, account base or product portfolio you personally grew
• The measurable results you produced
• A new account or on-premise placement you personally won
• What you did to turn that initial sale into repeat business

Specific examples involving revenue, case volume, account growth, placements, draft handles or percentage growth are particularly helpful.

Commonhouse Aleworks is an equal opportunity employer. Employment is at will. Reasonable accommodations are available during the application and employment process as required by applicable law.