Samuel Watkins
Keller,USA
Summary
Accomplished sales leader offering a wealth of experience in CPG retail, foodservice, and wholesale distribution industries. Experience in team building, national account management, category management, AOP development and multiple go-to-market delivery systems. Extensive industry knowledge of foodservice operations across multiple sales channels, large distribution networks, warehouse sales, direct store delivery, third-party distribution, and wholesale redistribution. An agile customer-focused leader with the ability to develop winning sales strategies, tactical execution plans, and collaborative customer partnerships that drive results for consumers, customers, and the company. Strong ability to lead, inspire and develop winning sales teams, navigate matrix-based organizations, and effectively collaborate with multiple business units to deliver exceptional results.
Overview
33
33
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Area Sales Manager
PepsiCo
10.2019 - Current
- Lead, influence, and inspire a large team with the insight, innovation, and impact to deliver against priorities and exceed sales plan
- Build winning relationships, use, or develop programming, and execute with excellence to fully maximize account and market potential
- Ability to listen, understand, influence, and provide customer solutions
- Motivate, coach, and develop others by leveraging performance management and career planning processes
- Led the development of the Away from Home local airport activation strategy
- Trained, developed, and allocated resources to support account activation in the airport segment leading to increased growth and best in class account development at DFW and Love Field airports in Dallas, Texas
- Work recognized and shared as best practice at 2023 AFH national sales meeting
- Develop new talent by leading, training and sponsoring new team members as part of the PepsiCo intern program
- Supported program with leadership roles in 2022, 2023 and 2024
- Consistently deliver strong results
- Finished #2 country in 2021, top 3 in 2022/2023
- Ranked #4 P9 2024.
Senior National Account Manager
PepsiCo Inc.
06.2017 - 10.2019
- Executed joint business planning process by collaborating with key customers and PepsiCo functional teams to identify opportunities and drive incremental customer growth
- Leveraged cross-functional partnerships and collaborated with supply chain, finance, and marketing partners to develop effective contracts, programs, and initiatives to allow for new product incubation, brand development, and overall growth
- Developed new multi-year agreement with key customer, Reinhart Foodservice
- Doubled Sabra business, delivering 198% growth for 2018 YTD by creating a national sales incentive
- Activated new Gatorade Industrial sales strategy & coverage model designed to deliver growth
- Enhanced growth programming to improve customer performance in the Gatorade occupational sales channel
- Increased sales by 101% over PY +$560M in 2018
- Increased sales by 102% over PY, +$1MM in 2017.
National Account Sales Manager
PepsiCo Inc.
04.2011 - 06.2017
- Delivered +$560M in new business through industrial office supply redistribution
- Develop tactics and coverage plans to allow for broader account coverage and deeper account penetration in the industrial channel
- Leveraged cross-functional partnerships and collaborated with BUs, supply chain, finance, and marketing teams to develop effective contracts, programs, and initiatives to allow for new product incubation, brand development, macro snack expansion at Dot Foods
- Collaborated with the finance team to develop and execute new multi-year redistribution agreement with Dot Foods
- Supported sales, and developed redistribution reporting tools and resources to assist selling teams in reaching sales targets
- Achieved #1 rank nationally in 2015 for reaching $34.4M with Gatorade Occupational Sales
- Increased sales up to 106% YOY and between $36M-$59M with FS Redistribution and Gatorade Occupational Sales
- Honored recipient of the 2013 PepsiCo Ring of Honor.
Education Zone Sales Leader
PepsiCo Inc.
11.2006 - 04.2011
- Led eleven state Southeast Region Education Team responsible for delivering sales plans, meeting innovation and call coverage objectives, and managing overall team selling expenses
- Supported, coached, mentored, and developed a 14-person team through leadership and consistent communication processes
- Implemented sales strategies to support national policies
- Collaborated with finance partners to develop effective bid strategies that delivered productivity while maintaining growth
- Exceeded growth plans through the development of new execution plans that empowered the sales team in menu development, new product innovation, and merchandising solutions
- Introduced 2009-2010 bid resource guide and collaborated with corporate dietician to develop the first online bid resource library
- Generated and led the country with ~ $3.5M in education innovation sales
- Consistently met bid objectives and maintained greater than 95% annual bid retention and 5% new bid business
- Achieved $39.8M - 102% Plan + $900M in 2010, $38.9M - 101% Plan + $400M in 2009, and $34.6M - 105% Plan - #1 National Ranking in 2008.
Education Area Sales Leader
PepsiCo Inc.
11.2004 - 12.2006
- Led region in education innovation sales at ~$2M 2004-2006
- Delivered 57% of the zone's total targeted innovation volume for 2003, generating $92M in incremental volume
- Generated $130M in incremental new product sales volume in Zone's largest school district Dallas ISD
- Promoted to develop PepsiCo business in the K-12 segment, by working with top fifty school districts, top ten colleges and universities and served as a primary link with distributor bid departments.
Distributor Territory Manager/ Market Development Manager
PepsiCo Inc.
09.1998 - 10.2004
- Learned the foodservice business with focus on K12 LVL account development, college, and universities and QSR operations anchored by engagement with local Subway FAF boards
- Worked-with assigned strategic foodservice & vending distributors and assigned operator accounts to meet or exceed annual sales plan targets
- Developed customer specific growth plans, by driving national account compliance, and seeking new business opportunities within my assigned territory
- Provided accurate sales planning, forecasting, and proactively managed selling expense budgets and Region Investment Funds.
District Sales Leader
Frito-Lay, Inc.
12.1995 - 09.1998
- Responsible for leading and managing Route Sales Representatives (Lg & Sm Format, Bins, Pre-Pick & Bulk 24) to increase market share and profits while minimizing expenses and unsaleables
- Managed between $9 -$11 million dollars in sales through eleven direct reports within the Albuquerque Zone
- Established successful customer growth agreements through effective buyer engagement and key account calls
- Field sales leader for PO1 shared resource text with Pepsi and Frito-Lay in Rio Rancho, NM
- Managed eight direct reports and cross trained all merchandisers on Frito-Lay and Pepsi servicing all locations over 20-week test.
Route Sales Representative
Frito-Lay, Inc.
04.1991 - 12.1995
- Developed accounts to achieve maximum sales growth through promotions, new product distribution, merchandising and account development
- Sold to large variety of Large Format, Small Format, Club, Military, and small Express accounts
- Experienced in Route Sales, TDD and Box 24 GTM systems.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Macro & Micro Economic Studies
University of New Mexico
Skills
- Strategic Thinking
- Key Account Development
- Solution Based Selling
- Customer Negotiations
- Cross Functional Collaborator
- Market Activation
- Inspirational Servant Leadership
- Talent Development, Teacher & Coach
- Agile & Flexible Leader
Awards
- AFH - Raise the Bag Award | 2023
- Reinhart - Grocery Supplier of the Year | 2019
- AFH Breaking Barriers Award | #1 Nationally | 2016
- PEPSICO - PRESIDENT'S RING OF HONOR| 2013
- Sabra - Yehuda Pearl of Excellence| 2011
- Leader in K12 Innovation Sales| 2008
- Best of the West - Sales Award|2000
- Wired to Win - Sales Award| #3 Nationally |2015
Timeline
Senior Area Sales Manager
PepsiCo
10.2019 - Current
Senior National Account Manager
PepsiCo Inc.
06.2017 - 10.2019
National Account Sales Manager
PepsiCo Inc.
04.2011 - 06.2017
Education Zone Sales Leader
PepsiCo Inc.
11.2006 - 04.2011
Education Area Sales Leader
PepsiCo Inc.
11.2004 - 12.2006
Distributor Territory Manager/ Market Development Manager
PepsiCo Inc.
09.1998 - 10.2004
District Sales Leader
Frito-Lay, Inc.
12.1995 - 09.1998
Route Sales Representative
Frito-Lay, Inc.
04.1991 - 12.1995
Bachelor of Arts - Macro & Micro Economic Studies
University of New Mexico
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