The Company:
Our client is a full-service cannabis-cultivation business that designs, builds and manages cultivation, as well as sells nutrient lines. They are seeking a VP of Sales to develop and execute a strategic plan to achieve sales targets and expand cannabis customer base within Southern California. This position offers an exciting opportunity to join a fast-paced, growing start-up in an emerging industry.
The Role:
Ensure our clients sales goals are met or exceeded, trade and marketing spend come in on target and that the brand and sub-brands genuinely resonate with consumers. Provide leadership and coordination of Company sales and marketing functions. Lead the Company’s branding efforts. Develop and implement sales and marketing strategy. Build a highly effective, retail and consumer centric sales and marketing organization along with efficient systems to support the team. Monitor and analyze sales performance, trade and marketing spend and effectiveness against key performance metrics (“KPI”s).
Who you are?
Very high energy professional who has a track record of building sales and marketing organizations with the ability to be effective in a start-up environment. Success in developing a strong culture of success and goal achievement. Fundamentally understands effective trade spend strategies with the ability to implement. Has an intimate understanding of “our” consumer and their preferences.
Specific Accountabilities/Responsibilities for this position include:
- Design a cohesive sales and marketing strategy oriented around target consumer segment(s), product capabilities and key points of difference and budget requirements
- Play a leading role in determining who our customer is and what drives their purchasing decisions
- Lead the development of the brand and potentially sub-brands, which may include working with and managing the Company’s third party packaging and branding agency
- Create a sales team culture with an obsession around meeting or exceeding its goals while always staying true to our clients value of being honest with its consumers and customers
- Develop a comprehensive SKU level sales plan for the organization including sales projections and the necessary trade spend and marketing initiatives to support the Company’s product lines
- Lead the Company’s semi-annual retail pricing audits to ensure our products are properly positioned in the marketplac
- Provide sales forecasts through the course of the year
- Responsible for overseeing the development and management of all trade show events including developing a Company trade-show calendar, a team focused on executing the trade show booth setup and management of the event
- Design and foster a sales team culture of OWNING RETAIL including:
- Budtender training program
- SPIFF programs from development thru execution
- Create best-in-class and highly differentiated point of display materials with our key retail account partners
- Support key retailers by providing products that differentiate our retail partners from the rest of the pack
- In conjunction with and support from accounting develop a trade spend review and analysis process focusing on trade efficiency and effectiveness with tight cost controls Develop distributor relationships and play a leading role in negotiating all distributor agreements
- Stay on the forefront of new products at retail
- Develop a continuous competitive analysis process and review with management team Design and execute marketing collateral materials
- In collaboration with founder and CEO oversee the creation of a New Product Development process allowing the company to quickly bring new products to market Provide weekly, monthly and annual sales reporting to the management tea
Requirements:
Ideal Candidate:
The ideal candidate has a traditional corporate background in an industry other than cannabis (preferably craft brewery) and preferably is intimately familiar with (i) Adult Use retailers and Medical dispensaries including current product offerings and in-store competitive landscape, (ii) has a point of view on which segments of the consumer market are most attractive, (iii) is a new product development “fanatic”, (iv) has previously taken a fledgling brand and built it into a highly profitable national or large regional brand and (v) is looking to be a part of an exciting, fast-paced, highly innovative company in the cannabis space and has an entrepreneurial spirit.
Education and/or Experience:
- Minimum of Bachelor’s degree
- Strong, proven track record of building highly effective sales and marketing organizations with measureable success
- Proven track record of developing a brand from its infancy to a well-positioned, highly recognizable brand
- Proven track record of effectively managing trade and marketing budgets
Essential Skills & Abilities:
- You have to be a closer, PERIOD
- Ability to work a minimum of 40 hour per week
- Excellent communication and presentation skills
- Ability to effectively lead and manage talent
- Ability to develop marketing and branding campaigns
- Ability to prepare and manage sales reports for the sales team and for the management team including the ability to build and manage Excel spreadsheets
- Detail oriented and high level of organizational/management skills
- Strong work ethic with hunger to succeed
- High competency level on computer and software skills compatible with job responsibilities including CRM systems
- Professional conduct within and outside office while conducting client relations
- An appreciation for and genuine desire to work in the cannabis space