Sr. Inside Sales Representative/Animal Health

Location: REMOTE - USA

Duration: 1-year through AgileOne with a possibilty of extention 

This role will report to the Pet Acquisition AD and will be part of the US CABU Sales Enablement organization. The Account Manager will interact virtually with our key customers (shelters, non-profits, breeders, and large rescue organizations to understand their needs and consult with them to offer the right solutions. The Account Manager must work collaboratively with the field sales teams and play a critical role in supporting our customer centric business model. This position is 100% remote, may require travel to internal sales meetings. This individual would sell our company's Animal Health products, supporting pull-through activities related to the customer strategy, and ensuring demand creation of our bio-pharma and technology products and solutions. Additionally, this position is responsible for ensuring the development of account plans for their strategic accounts and positioning our pharmaceuticals and intelligence brands in accounts that center on bringing pets into the Merck Animal Health ecosystem and retaining their engagement. The Account Manager will drive a valued partnership with accounts and work cross functionally with inside sales, outside sales, marketing, and intelligence teams to accelerate our profitable growth and acquiring new pets.

Strategic responsibilities:

• Focus time and resources on the most strategic shelter customers
• Build and maintain positive relationships with executives of strategic customers; be a partner that influences business decision making
• Maintain an understanding of external environmental factors, competitors, and emerging trends that may impact customers and markets, products, and operations
• Contribute to cross-functional business teams to articulate customer(s) and the field perspective into Animal Shelter and Pet Acquisition strategy

Operational Responsibilities:

• Communicates about product in a way that's meaningful and relevant to each individual customer; customizes discussions and interactions based on understanding of customer's needs
• Primary point of contact for assigned customers, meet with key personnel/decision makers to understand account structure, business model, key influencers (Executive Director/Medical Director/Business Manager/Procurement Manager/Veterinary and facility Staff/Volunteers/and Board), customer needs and identifies business opportunities
• Develop customer strategy - outlining strategy for interactions/relationship, solutions, partner involvement and potential offerings for customer resulting in solutions, partner involvement and potential offerings for customer resulting in sales opportunities and account sales growth of AH products and services
• Position our pharmaceuticals and technology brands in accounts that centers on bringing pets into the Merck Animal Health ecosystem and retaining engagement
• Develop territory and specific account plans for all key customers
• Partner with AD, Marketing team, and Distribution Field Partners to maintain strong focus on key accounts to drive occupancy and sales growth across biological, pharmaceutical, and intelligence brands
• Along with analytics team, monitor and analyze product, customer, contract, and account level performance with key stakeholders; analyze sales results monthly and manage expenses within budget guidelines
• Identifies and selects programs/services available within Animal Health’s resources to address customer needs and provide education & training opportunities to accounts
• Works with leadership and Field Technical Services to develop and deliver relevant offerings that address desired customer needs
• Articulates and communicates relevant customer, industry, product, completive, and market trends appropriately through the organization
• Responsible for developing and meeting learning and development objectives agreed upon with leadership
• Educate and consult key customers about microchipping as an important component to pet health
• Provide customers (within accounts) with appropriate information related to customer contracts
• Develop and drive plan for educational programs highlighting US CABU’s products and services
• Ensure that all agreed upon customer initiatives are completed within established timelines
• Shares learnings with other team members to foster growth and development within the team
• Perform administrative duties, such as entering and tracking customer/account information into a CRM system, prepare and make amendments to contracts, prepare sales budgets and/or reports, keep sales records, and file expense account reports
• Support team in conducting contract and negotiation sessions with current and prospective accounts to secure or adjust agreements

Required Experience and Skills:

• Minimum of 3 years of animal health sales or comparable industry experience
• Deep understanding of the Animal Health business, the companion animal market (e.g., products, customers, competitors, etc.) and industry trends preferred
• Effective application of selling techniques and approaches, simultaneously managing multiple customers/accounts at different stages of the sales process, articulating the value of AH products using approved resources
• Demonstrated ability to identify, develop and manage a diverse mix of accounts independently within a territory, including some complex accounts, and to develop plans based on unique opportunities and customer needs
• Strategic capability to successfully manage portfolio of products at various lifecycle phases
• Excellent communication skills both verbal and written, including highly effective presentation skills
• Demonstrated technology proficiency including Customer Relationship Management (CRM), web applications, and digital selling tools
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite