National Sales Manager

Our client is a small but mighty toy company now looking to expand their team to support their continued growth. As the Sales Manager, you would lead their in-store initiatives, particularly the acquisition of specialty and mid-tier customers. You would help define their toy and consumer product retail sales growth initiatives, execute sales with buyers, and activate key retail strategies that align with their strategic marketing, sales, and brand portfolio initiatives. As the National Sales Manager, you would also act as a brand ambassador, key influencer, and change agent with retailers and distributors in order to achieve annual sales and growth targets. This is a 100% remote role with travel as required.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for negotiating and securing retail sales at all channels of distribution.

• Developing and maintaining retail buyer relationships to achieve retail sell-in targets.

• Manage external sales partners, train new partners on product and brand.

• P&L Responsibility, including budgeting and forecasting for targeted categories and retail programs.

• Identify and develop new business strategies and categories outside of traditional toy categories with an entrepreneurial approach to new business growth.

• Conduct and coordinate sales presentations with retailers & licensors.

• Attend and represent the company at key trade shows, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of industry trends and developments.

• Strategy and business planning: Define the strategic plan and priorities to grow the retail business.

• Build annual budgets, retail sales, and marketing plans.

• Communicate effectively in written, visual, and interactive formats.

• Identify new trends to maintain our position as an industry leader and innovator.

• Attend industry events, trade shows, and customer meetings.

• Collaborate with the Marketing team to organize exhibitions for sales shows.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Advertising, Marketing, or similar preferred.

• Minimum 8 years experience in sales, ideally in the toy industry, with a proven track record of meeting and exceeding sales targets.

• High-level, existing relationships with mid-tier, specialty, e-commerce, buyers, distributors, and marketing agencies at all channels of North American retail distribution.

• High-powered sale-orientated individual with highly developed relationship building, presentation, and influencing skills, coupled with excellent leadership and managerial skills.

• Strong knowledge of the retail industry and retail operations, including planogramming and vendorization.

• Capable of analyzing market trends and identifying new sales opportunities

• Proven and effective interpersonal skills and ability to develop relationships with personnel at all levels, both internally and externally.

• Fluent in Microsoft Office Suite - Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; able to create, understand and interpret financial data in Excel, including sales forecasts and budgets.

• Frequent travel is required.