Outside Sales Representative for Retail Partners – Kingston, Ontario
Join our team of talented, passionate, and dedicated professionals in a fast-paced, growing environmentally conscious company. Located on beautiful farmland in Delta, BC, our head “office” is a fantastic, renovated farmhouse with scenic views of our lush gardens and fields. We care about each other and what we do and are looking for an experienced individual who shares our values of supporting community, diversity, nature, organic principles, and inspiring joy.
The successful candidate will be a positive, independent, self-starting individual who possesses strong sales skills. You will maximize business growth through the acquisition of new Retail Partners as well as maintenance and growth within existing customers. Your strengths will lie in your ability to genuinely engage with our team, provide excellent customer experience, contribute positively to the organizational culture and have a strong desire to grow the business. You are responsible for growing and maintaining the business in your territory by creating on-going, positive relationships with Retail Partners.
This role is 65% merchandising and 35% selling.
Our Company
West Coast Seeds believes, first and foremost, in the principles of organic growing and sustainable agriculture. Namely, we feel that food and all plants can be grown without the use of synthetic chemicals and that the seeds we supply are an important component within the broader approach to organic gardening. We support growers as custodians of the land they grow on — however large or small — and through adopting organic gardening techniques such as composting, companion planting and planting pollinator-friendly plants, we help repair the world by nourishing the soil and ourselves.
Founded in 1983, West Coast Seeds’ purpose was to source and supply seeds of a higher quality than had been available to home gardeners. Following the traditions of organic farming and gardening, the focus was on offering untreated seeds suitable for organic growing. Today we offer over 1,000 varieties of untreated, non-GMO, open-pollinated and hybrid vegetable, herb, and flower seeds, as well as a wide range of unique bird feeders and quality gardening supplies.
The Role:
- Merchandising racks to stimulate sales.
- Developing partnerships to increase sales, acquiring new Retail Partners, prospecting for potential partners, maximize footprint within existing Retail Partner.
- Selling displays, racks and product inventory.
- Developing territory to maximize sales volume, market share, product distribution, space allocation and customer service.
- Utilize additional materials to stimulate sales.
- Maintaining and increasing racks; cleaning racks, rotating product, inventory management, stocking racks with overstock.
- Providing excellent customer service to assigned Retail Partners, creating and maintaining goodwill with all customers.
- Eliminating out of stocks through effective order taking.
- Returning stock at end of season.
- Working closely with warehouse team to ensure effective service delivery.
- Completing required paperwork and processes in an accurate and timely manner.
- Collecting custom orders from Retail Partners for processing.
- Expected to acquire a good working knowledge of West Coast Seeds products and operations to be able to answer questions posed by Retail Partners or the public during the performance of their duties. Must have detailed knowledge of the WCS Growing Guide.
- Reporting of issues, inquiries, and market intelligence gathered during conversations with Retail Partners.
- Monitoring competition by gathering current marketplace information on pricing, products, new products, delivery schedules, merchandising techniques, etc.
- Recommending changes in products, service, and policy by evaluating results and competitive developments.
- Resolving customer complaints by investigating problems; developing solutions; making recommendations to management and following up.
Attributes and Skills:
- Knowledge of customer service principles and practices.
- 1-2 years of selling experience is an asset.
- You have great analytical and organizational skills.
- Proficient with Office, Excel and iPads.
- Consumer Products experience is an asset.
- Great oral presentation skills.
- Can work independently and with minimal supervision.
- Background/experience in gardening, farming, horticulture, or related product knowledge is an asset.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including a positive & professional manner.
- Enjoys collaboration and teamwork.
- Attention to detail, accuracy, and the ability to work in a busy environment.
- Able to problem-solve, multi-task, and organize workloads.
- Knowledge of marketing and inside sales would be a definite asset.
- A good driver with a valid clean driving license and own vehicle.
- Physically able to lift and carry displays and 50-pound boxes.
The Perks:
- Competitive compensation, benefits, RRSP contribution and vacation time.
- Company discount on seeds and gardening supplies.
- A flexible working environment that promotes a healthy work-life balance.
- The opportunity to participate in community & educational events promoting organic growers & supporting gardeners and learn about our community and organic gardening.
- Participate in a culture of charitable giving, where we support numerous charities both financially and through seed donations and donate upwards of 6,000 lbs. of fresh produce annually.
- An opportunity to be meaningful and impactful within your work and projects.
Pay: From $21.50 per hour
Benefits:
Application question(s):
- Do you have your own reliable vehicle?
Experience:
- Merchandising: 2 years (preferred)
- Customer Facing: 1 year (preferred)
Work Location: In person
