Manager, Books and Special Sales

Job Summary

Requisition 1328

Sales & Marketing

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required (preferably in business, marketing or management). Master’s degree in business administration preferred.
• 7-10 years relevant business experience in an outside sales organization (preferably in publishing such as books, magazines, databases, journals, ad sales, etc.).
• Industry knowledge in the trade (adult and children’s) and library/information publishing industries is required.
• Prior experience in selling professional, business-to-business, client services, or other intangible products.
• A demonstrated record of success selling to key decision-makers at distributor, academic, corporate, and government institutions is required.
• Experience in conducting sales presentations, closing sales and managing a large geographic territory required.
• Intermediate proficiency in MS Word, Excel, Power point, Outlook, Access, and Salesforce.com or comparable sales management software.

Job Description:

• The Manager, Books Sales and Special Sales, is responsible for maintaining existing sales of and generating new sales for the APA Books publishing program (both print and electronic products) by which to achieve annual sales revenue objectives.
• The position is responsible for increasing print and electronic product sales in the aggregate and maximizing profitability at the individual distributor and reseller account level by creating, presenting, and implementing related sales initiatives and programs.
• Develops strategic product/account sales plans and forecasts for assigned products and accounts, as well as participates in and identifies new book planning as a result of sales contact with current and prospective customers.
• Plans, manages and executes the tactical aspects of sales strategies for APA print and electronic product lines, including identifying ongoing and new sales opportunities and achieving new and ongoing sales objectives.
• Manages all relationships with and identifies and pursues print and electronic sales objectives among domestic and international book distributors, agents, librarians, bookstores, and commission sales representatives.
• Identifies and pursues special sales objectives to achieve sales targets through product sales to domestic and international corporations, associations, publishers, school systems, web sites, e-bookstores, librarians, etc.
• Is responsible for and pursues bulk sales opportunities with outside organizations such as pharmaceuticals and insurance companies, distributors, agents, APA members and lay consumers. Also responsible for serialization and other licensing and rights sales, as assigned.
• Manages an extensive network of distributor partner sales teams to generate new and renewal business world-wide. Negotiates all contracts with APA’s domestic and international book distributors, reviewing such agreements on an annual or as-required basis and proposing new contract language and terms.
• Manages commission sales representatives in all aspects of the sales process from lead generation through sales closure, including all intermediate sales processes. Manages all direct-to-APA print and electronic sales to ensure there are no conflicts with distributor and reseller partners. Develops vendor/territorial sales plans and forecasts for APA and distributor sales teams. Develops and evaluates sales commission/bonus plans and sales policies.
• Prepares and manages expenses to an annual budget.
• Travels to prospective customers and agencies to ensure they are adequately stocked with samples, literature, and displays to promote assigned products. Plans daily work schedules so that a maximum number of effective calls can be made each day on existing or potential sales outlets and other trade factors to obtain orders, establish new accounts, and increase sales revenue.
• Works closely with the Marketing Manager, Books, and staff to strategize about and oversee the execution of promotions targeting key sales prospects, such as advertising via distributor catalogs and electronic promotions. Creates special product offers and packages (i.e., sales representative discount specials).
• Acts as an intermediary between distributors, resellers, and customers and APA’s Finance, Customer Service, and ITS departments as necessary. Negotiates and applies print and electronic product discounts as appropriate. Oversees the flow of orders from distributors through the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) system. Reviews and approves vendor requests for product returns, relative to APA sales policies.
• Submits periodic sales reports regarding activities and results such as daily call reports, weekly work plans, monthly sales analysis, etc.; obtains current information from the marketplace regarding competitor pricing, new products, delivery schedules, promotional techniques, etc.; and transmits significant developments to APA management staff. Develops, maintains and updates (at least weekly) accurate prospect/customer contact database.

Qualified candidates should send resumes indicating requisition number, cover letter and salary requirements to: American Psychological Association, Human Resources, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242, or email to jobs@apa.org or fax to 202-336-5501

Posted: 02/03/12