Land O'Lakes Venture37 · 6 days ago
Area Sales Manager
Des Moines, IA (USA)
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$142K/yr - $213K/yr
10+ years expLand O'Lakes Venture37 is a farmer- and member-owned cooperative that is reimagining the business of food. The Area Sales Manager is responsible for executing the sales strategy, providing leadership and coaching to the sales team, and developing long-term relationships with key stakeholders to achieve profitability and growth.
AgricultureAgTechMarketingTrading Platform
Responsibilities
Direct coaching of field staff with the assigned territory
Attract, develop and manage sales team. Identify rotational opportunities and provide regular and ongoing feedback to retain critical talent
Set reasonable sales targets to be achieved, ensure alignment and hold team members accountable to meet the companies key strategic imperatives
Align team around value proposition including brand ladder, partnered and proprietary brand strategies, patronage, pricing, digital technology and services platforms; drives owner adoption
Monitor the performance and motivate team members to meet or exceed established sales targets
Proactively communicate business unit goals and objectives
Engage in employee performance calibration and succession/talent planning processes
Develop and build sustained commercial relationships with CEO’s, General Managers, Agronomy Managers, and other key partners and manufacturers
Partners with owners by thinking strategically and making connections across the system
Aligns and communicates internally with the Business Unit Lead and sales team
Manages and grows the WinField United and owner business by setting the sales strategy that meets both the customer and WU business needs
Leads the development, implementation, and execution of the Account Plan for each assigned owner
Serve as liaison between Strategic Retail Alliance (SRA) and the owner on issues, changes and daily management of the alignment agreements
Earn owner engagement and commitment of key programs such as Services, Acre, Edge, Catalyst, etc
Share insights and market intelligence internally and with member-owners
Coordinates and aligns internal resources to maximize our investments with the owner network
Maximize system efficiencies with structured delivery strategy and management of return strategy
Measures progress and resolves issues as they arise. Serves as key communicator across organization with owner related to Account Plan execution
Work with leads at SRA accounts around execution of SRA offers
Earns owner commitment of key programs, services and solutions across the full WFU portfolio
Ensures a positive customer experience is delivered via WFU’s structured delivery plan
Ensures the timely and successful delivery of our solutions according to the owner needs and objectives resulting in profitable sales
Serves as an expert to owners on full portfolio of products and services to ensure they are equipped to meet the needs of the grower of tomorrow
Drives WinField United strategies at the owner level and clearly communicates progress
Creation and execution of the business unit plan for assigned geography in alignment with overarching BU goals, alongside key retailer growth plans
Manage successful partner relationships and strategically align team with channel partners including, but not limited to: Corteva, Syngenta, Bayer, and BASF to drive overall WinField United sales growth with key owners and customers
Champion WinField United cross-functional resources including products, services and digital to drive sales growth by leveraging tools with team members
Ensure key performance indicators are monitored, tracked and achieved; this includes sales and growth targets, gross margin targets, and expenses
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, business management or Agricultural related field, plus 10 years of industry or direct sales or marketing experience (with customer contact) and 1-2 years of people leadership experience; or, an equivalent of 14 years of successful work experience of industry or direct sales or marketing (with customer contact) experience with 3+ years of people leadership experience
Proven sales experience: sector-specific sales experience is preferred
Ability to motivate staff and lead a team
Proven track record of growth in value added product sales
Experience delivering customer-oriented solutions that drive positive sales results
Proficient in all Microsoft Office applications
Sound management, leadership, and organizational skills
Experience managing and leading a cross-functional team of direct and indirect reports
Demonstrated success in the development and implementation of business plans and budgets
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Effective communication skills (verbal and written)
Outstanding negotiation and consultative sales skills
Exceptional customer service skills
Demonstrated success in interacting with senior level executives (internally and customer/owners)
Broad and in-depth understanding of cooperative system
Demonstrate a coaching mindset
Execute as a valued business partner
Drive for total acre solutions
Lead and embrace change
Demonstrate agility
Execute with focus and accountability
Engage and include
Act strategically
Make insightful decisions
Exemplify Land O'Lakes wide leadership competencies: Collaboration, Innovation, Courage, Ownership, and Decisiveness
Preferred
Experience in all aspects of cooperative business portfolio (Energy, Grain, Ag Inputs)
Benefits
Medical
Dental
Vision
PTO
Life & disability insurance
Education assistance
A 401k
A variety of well-being resources
Company
Land O'Lakes Venture37
Land O'Lakes Venture37 provides agricultural system development initiatives with market insights and technological knowledge.
201-500 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageLeadership Team
Britta Hansen
Manager, Strategic Growth and Partnerships
Giselle Aris
Group Director, Strategic Growth and Partnerships
Recent News
South Africa Today
2025-05-29
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