Sales Manager

National Sales Manager
100% Remote role
25% Travel
W2 hire

***Exciting opportunity to own & grow your department in this family-friendly work culture & start up***

A magnetic building toy company based in the Chicago area set on evolving the toy building category. We’re a team of ambitious, self-starters who welcome challenges and experimentation.

Our fresh, multi-faceted take on a classic playset delivers more ways kids can explore playing through structures, systems, and creative storytelling in their own unique way. Launched on Amazon in 2022, looking to expand our team to support our continuing growth.

Reporting to the CEO, the Sales Manager will lead our wholesale program, through placements in specialty, mid-tier, and mass brick, mortar, and new sales channels. Will help define toy and consumer product retail sales growth initiatives, execute sales with buyers, and activate key retail strategies that align with our strategic marketing, sales, and brand portfolio initiatives. The National Sales Manager will act as a brand ambassador, key influencer, and change agent with retailers and distributors to achieve annual sales and growth targets.

Key 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 or boutique retail space, 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.