Vice President Sales, East

About Us
Demeine Estates is a family-owned producer, importer and marketer of the world’s finest wines based in the heart of Napa Valley, California. A leader in luxury wines in the U.S., Demeine Estates sets the standard in exceptional marketing, fine wine sales, and distribution services. Founded by The Lawrence family and Carlton McCoy Jr., MS, and led by President Philana Bouvier, Demeine Estates curated portfolio also consists of both premium family-owned domestic and international producers who represent exceptional wines anchored by quality viticulture. www.demeineestates.com
We are seeking a Fine Wine professional with an extensive background in selling and representing a luxury import portfolio who is knowledgeable and passionate about fine wine sales.
The Eastern Divisional Vice President will maintain an in-depth and thorough knowledge of the marketplace and market conditions and will develop and implement strategies to assure an increase in market share and sales. They will work very closely alongside distributors to properly manage their performance across all channels of sales ensuring distributors’ execution of goals. The role requires an individual who wishes to maintain personal involvement and relationships with key accounts by calling on the most influential customers (on-premise and retail) in the market and will present the Demeine Estates portfolio of wines with enthusiasm, refinement, and finesse in a manner that reinforces its marketing message. This Position will ideally be based in New York or Florida.
Responsibilities
Leadership

• Ensure relationships with existing customers are maintained and strengthened.
• Communicate the strategic objectives to the sales team, including allocations, pricing and programming, goals, and updates.
• Build trust within the sales and marketing teams and Lawrence Wine Estates’ and other producer organizations.
• Proactively identify challenges with executing the sales plan and develop recommendations and execute tactics to overcome them.
• Use financial and sales data to effectively manage the department’s revenue, budgeting, and forecasting.
• Develop strategies necessary to achieve each brand’s objectives and profitability growth establishing key priorities and goals for each market and channel.
• Collaborate with Senior Vice President, Sales to develop annual sales plan and budget to meet the Demeine Estates’ goals and assists in developing the annual pricing and programming plan.
• Prioritize team’s efforts for execution, ensuring strategies and team’s efforts are consistent with the Demeine’s goals.
• Attend and participate in sales promotional activities, surveys, charitable and trade events.
• Understand and communicate information regarding company products, services and policies and procedures to new and existing customers.
• Recognize opportunities to generate and develop new business and distribution.
• Manage, develop, and support Regional Managers in the East region. This includes, but is not limited to: bi-monthly business reviews, bi-monthly spend reconciliation, and profitability by market.
• Ensure Eastern Region’s sales and revenue goals are met or exceeded, working within established budgets.
• Resolve any customer, quality and/or competition issues.
• Demonstrate leadership through sound business decisions, high ethical standards, accountability, values, and behaviors.
• Work collaboratively with management to provide feedback on wine styles, packaging, competitor information, and general market trends.
• Be the key player in ensuring that sales strategies are implemented at wholesale and retail levels.

Sales Team

• Build a high performing regional sales team that is motivated, engaged, goal oriented, and provides exceptional service to internal and external customers.
• Document performance via company’s performance management program.
• Ensure optimal staff and organization to achieve stated goals hiring additional sales staff as needed.
• Review and analyze performance to sales budgets by product, territory, category, and priority.
• Partner with Sales Support Manager to coordinate communication and workflow between Sales Managers and Sales Administration functions.
• Manage and develop the Eastern Regional Sales Management team of three, defining clear expectations and levels of accountability for the team.
• Ensure sales team is executing on account visits and marketing initiatives, including market surveys, travel and key events and that Demeine Estates is top of mind within the distributor selling organization.
• Provide opportunities for growth and development.
• Manage the team’s performance on an on-going basis, providing feedback and coaching in a timely manner.
• Ensure that the sales staff is properly oriented, educated and motivated to achieve stated goals.

Distributor Accountability

• Cultivate, increase, and enhance relevant on-premises accounts through frequent dialogue, monitoring and formal business reviews with distributors.
• Personally conduct bi-annual Distributor Reviews with Regional Managers in all top tier markets as determined by volume and opportunity.
• Make calls on key divisional accounts.
• Personally attend as many secondary and tertiary market reviews as makes good business sense based on growth potential and market importance.
• Monitor inventory to ensure sufficient inventory levels required to support planned sales activity
• Develop strong relationships with distributors, maintain consistent dialogue and closely manage distributor performance versus plan including placements, depletions, stock levels and sales focus.
• Manage distributor performance versus plan including placements, depletions, stock levels and sales focus.
• Conduct distributor sales meetings.
• Working with Regional Managers, develop, foster, and maintain strong relationships with critical players within the distributor’s selling organization to ensure that the Demeine Estates’ portfolio of wines are a priority within the distributor organization.

Requirements

• Proven negotiation and relationship building skills with a track record of success in creating deeply leveraged relationships and establishing new relationships.
• A minimum 5 years’ experience in wine sales with a minimum of three years in selling fine wines in the Eastern divisional part of the United States.
• Strategic planning abilities and experience with attention to financial budgeting and financial management.
• Ability to maintain a travel schedule of 50% and some weekends/evenings as necessary.
• Solid understanding of all sales channels within the wine industry.
• Understands wholesale dynamics and properly manages distributor performance across all channels of sales.
• Strong on-premise focus with established relationships with key on-premises accounts.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with strong presentation skills and experience with PowerPoint type group presentations to various audiences.
• Strong computer skills and comfort with wine sales and inventory management systems. Strong PC skills (Windows, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Ideally based in either NY or Florida state.
• Demonstrated excellence in the management of distributors in Northeast and Southeast including Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits and RNDC among others.
• Valid driver’s license: physical ability to accomplish travel by car and plane; ability to sit and operate computer; ability to lift 40 lbs.
• Documented success of consistently meeting and exceeding sales goals and objectives with proven success selling luxury brands; strong fine wine marketing knowledge a plus.
• Proven track record of success working within franchise markets.
• Proven experience and abilities in educating and motivating buyers to successful completion of sales.
• Control state experience a plus.
• Proven success and experience with a multi brand, multi-tier import portfolio.
• Entrepreneurial, can manage business without intricate corporate infrastructure.

This position reports directly to the Sr. Vice President, Sales. Salary range does not include additional bonus opportunity.
Compensation: From $155,000.00 to $175,000.00 per year