Key Account Manager

Description:

• Business:
  • Key Account Management- Develops key account plans to create long term value for customers, including account strategies, defined objectives, milestones and specific opportunities. Establishes strategic relationships with key accounts to sell products, services and alternative solutions to create competitive advantage for the customer. Mobilizes internal resources to serve the customer.
  • Sales Strategy Development- Work with management to develop a business plan, accurate sales, demand forecast and sales strategy. Utilize technical understanding of food ingredients to introduce value selling or value price concepts.
  • Demand Forecasting- Develop demand forecast by closely working with the key accounts and establish a supply plan in line with the customers production plans.
  • Reporting– Maintains accurate records of all sales activity, including customer call reports, sales analysis, quarterly updates, and salesforce.com data, etc.
  • Credit Management – The credit cycle of assigned key accounts must be well-managed with no overdue payments and appropriate-to-size of business total credit. In case of credit through third-parties, must ensure customer’s orders are processed without delay and the 3rd party credit provider is adequately financed.

• Agility and Innovation:
  • Product and Application Development- Advises and works with customer to create innovative solutions. Advises customers and internal stakeholders using deep knowledge of Ingredion products. Designs trial plan utilizing the breadth of technical resources available to create innovation solutions.
  • Market Analysis- Conduct market analysis of customers, understanding market trends and competitive pricing.
  • Customer Value Creation- Creates solutions based on implicit customer needs. Applies deep understanding of customer strategy and an understanding of explicit and implicit customer needs to create value. Quantifies and articulates the current and potential value created for the customer. Identify opportunities to solve customer problems with existing products or new requirements.
  • Rapid Customer Response: - Must ensure that the customer is receiving timely updates via leveraging the Customer Service Team. Holds the Customer Service Team accountable for servicing his/her assigned customers as per the agreed Turn Around Times (TATs).

• Relationships and People:
  • Contract Negotiations– Negotiate annual contracts with customers and manage the development, accuracy and delivery of those contracts. Create and conduct proposal presentations and RFPs.
  • Customer Relations- Continually reinforces value proposition with the customer. Constructs and delivers persuasive sales presentations to diverse audiences. Handles audience questions while continually reinforcing key elements of the value proposition.
  • Communication- Develop and maintain effective channels of communication with the field sales group in order to better communicate all issues related to pricing, market trends, sales initiatives, technical requirements, new product development applications and overall market direction. Understand the competitive landscape, monitor competitive developments and activities of competitors in the marketplace. Maintain communication with customer service and credit to assure both customer needs and contract obligations are being met. Communicate with demand planning team for timely and accurate forecasting. Effectively communicate this information to management and sales team members.