Springs Window Fashions has been part of the window treatments industry since 1939. Headquartered in Middleton WI, we have over 8,000 associates and 18 locations worldwide. Our products are available in nearly every major retailer, in thousands of designer showrooms and showcased in large commercial buildings. Our company is privately owned with products marketed across a broad portfolio of brands including Bali, Graber, SunSetter and Mecho. We pride ourselves as “The Best Experience Company,” striving to provide the best experience for our consumers, channel partners, and associates.
National Accounts Team:
Dealer National Accounts is a dynamic team of sales professionals with a history of growing sales profitably and building meaningful long-term customer relationships. This position will be responsible to manage the portfolio of national account business, including developing and maintaining relationships with the multiple custom window treatment retailers in North America. Supported by a dedicated team of national account managers, channel marketing team and the industry's best inside sales and customer service, the Director of National Accounts position represents an exciting opportunity to take this business to the next level.
Mission:
The primary mission of the Director of National Accounts is to own and drive long-term profitable growth and achieve budgeted sales and profits for the entire portfolio of dealer national accounts. The Director of National Accounts will be responsible for understanding each account as well as collaborating with national account managers to build the business using a fact-based approach to position our products, programs, and promotions to help maximize sales and profits. The Director of National Accounts will also be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with key corporate contacts as well as their network of dynamic dealers.
Objectives & Outcomes:
The primary objective of this role is to grow sales and profits, meeting, or exceeding budget year over year. This role is also responsible for managing and coaching a team of professional national account managers and inside sales team that support our portfolio of dealer national accounts. Of equal importance is to build and maintain strong relationships with corporate clients as well as influential owners within their networks. The ideal candidate will be collaborative in nature, developing close relationships with our team of dedicated national account managers, inside sales team, channel marketers, and customer service.
* Develop short- and long-term strategies to grow share and conversions across the portfolio of accounts; maintain key customer relationships and attend important customer meetings and/or customer conventions
* Oversee the development, preparation, and delivery for all important customer presentations (conferences, events, etc.)
* Understand market pricing, our position within the market, and how to leverage that to drive profitable sale growth
* Understand and be responsible for profitability of the portfolio of national accounts compared to budget and prior year
* Understand the competition and stay on top of competitor and market changes, including price position, promotional strategies, and new product offerings
* Collaborate and coordinate with Channel Marketing, Merchandising and Product Management departments on the successful launch of new products, programs, and promotions
* Collaborate with finance to develop proforma and breakeven analyses for proposed promotions or special offers and present to leadership
* Oversee development of quarterly business review presentations and assist national accounts in facilitating to leadership
* Collaborate with Regional Sales Managers, Territory Sales Managers and Inside Sales to drive key initiatives through to execution
* Oversee the coordinate the investigation of elevated customer complaints or concerns
RequirementsEducation & Experience
* A bachelor's degree is required, preferably in marketing or business
* 10+ years of professional sales experience is required
* Experience should involve selling consumer products to national accounts
* Experience should include managing a team of account managers
* Experience selling custom products is preferred
* Ability to travel up to 35% required, including attending annual conventions and sales meetings
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
* Human Relations: Should be outgoing and pleasant as well as persistent, yet tactful. Should be a good listener and able to convey concern, interest, and thoughtfulness. Must be proactive and responsive. Must be able to have difficult conversations in a professional manner. Must have the ability to coach and manage others to bring out their best. Must be ablet o collaborate effectively with other departments.
* Analytical: Should be a fact-based decision maker and have a good analytical, problem-solving approach with ability to analyze customers' individual needs. Strong understanding of financials.
* Conceptual: Must be a strategic thinker; able to develop both short- and long-term strategies. Must be imaginative and able to tailor programs to serve customer's needs. Should be ingenious in developing ideas to make doing business with Springs convenient and preferable over the competition.
* Selling Skills: Must have strengths in solution-based selling, utilizing data (retail sales data, consumer insights, industry share data, etc.) to help gain sales and market share. Must demonstrate past successes in national account sales and share examples of these best practices and how they can apply to the window coverings industry.