Overview:*Key Account Manager - South East.*
We are looking for an Account Manager to own their sales region and lead-gen strategy to make the role their own.
In return, you will have direct visibility of the real difference you can make to the lives of children through ensuring great-tasting and highly nutritious meals whilst helping Schools overcome their challenges.
apetito has seen significant growth within the Education sector, through a clear focus on providing exceptional quality meals to students in Multi Academy Trusts, Independent Schools and Special Educational Needs and Disability Schools.
Our proposition is genuinely revolutionising school catering with the highest quality food, which is the safest in the market, coupled with the broadest range, which offers something for every child.
We help schools overcome cost and recruitment barriers through our UK-first pre-prepared system, allowing schools to save money and reallocate funds to improve front-line learning.
Our model for school meals is creating a wave in the market, and we are now seeking to more than double our sales team to help us revolutionise catering for hundreds more schools and improve the nutrition of thousands more children.
To support our mission, we’re looking for results led sales people to enthusiastically seek out and engage customer prospects.
Using the product – system – service model, tailored solutions will be required for every customer to boost top-line revenue growth, customer acquisition levels and profitability - this truly is a consultative selling role.
We are looking for motivated and passionate sales people with proven business development skills.
You will communicate with key decision makers in schools, therefore, the ability to build trust and forge strong working relationships quickly will be key and the ability to close the sale is essential.
We are also recruiting for Key Account Managers in the East Midlands, West Midlands and South West.
Who we are:apetito is the UK’s leading food supplier to the health and social care sectors serving more than 1,300 care homes, health care and education settings.
Our meals are expertly crafted by our dieticians and chefs, and then frozen to lock in the goodness.
Wiltshire Farm Foods, our sister company, is the UK’s largest ready meal supplier cooking and delivering over 330 different delicious frozen ready meals across the UK.
Generating new business growth across Key Accounts, with a personal sales target of £385k in-year revenue. 15 New schools pa.
* Ensure Sales growth is in accordance with strategic targets around setting size, delivery frequency and pricing to generate profitable growth in line with budget.
* Work with Retention Managers (CDM’s) to identify and develop further avenues for expansion within existing customer base.
* To create and pursue a detailed database of high value, target prospects.
* To promote apetito in the Education sector through extensive networking.
Proven experience of achieving and exceeding sales targets – focused on target achievement
* Consultative, solutions-led sales experience, not hard product sell
* Strong commercial experience – be able to justify a business-case
* Objections handling focused around resistance to change/financial issues
* Proven experience of developing and managing an account relationship
* Good GCSE (or equivalent) to support a high standard of business communication skills and numerical analysis
* Full UK driving licence for at least 2 years
*Experience of food/nutritional standards
* Good Networking experience
* Food Hygiene training
*Personal Qualities:*
* Due to the geography of this role and the nature of working with customers in school and nursery settings, flexibility with working hours will be needed.
Travel to customers across the region and to national events, including overnight stays, will be a regular requirement - typically 1 night per week.
A company car is provided to facilitate this and a clean (or virtually clean) driving licence is essential.
As this role involves working in settings with children it is exempt from The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and requires an Enhanced DBS.
Competitive salary – accredited Living Wage employer
* Company car
* 25 days holiday per year, plus bank holidays
* Option to purchase up to 5 additional days holiday per year
* Generous annual bonus scheme
* Pension scheme - employer matched contributions up to 5%
* Life assurance scheme worth 2x annual salary
* Free turkey or voucher at Christmas
* apetito perks scheme including salary sacrifice options and retail discounts
We are driven by a passion for service and dedicated to feeding some of the UK’s most vulnerable people.
We proudly support British food and farming, focusing on using the best ethical and sustainable produce in alignment with our goal to reach Net Zero by 2040.
We embrace inclusion, empowering individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Our commitment to making a real difference extends to customers, communities, and staff and we're on a mission to build an inclusive workplace where everyone reaches their full potential.
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Redhill RH1 5JY