Sales - Bakeries & Food Service

Undergraduates

Job Overview

General Mills Bakeries & Foodservice offers a chance to start your career with the following sales positions:

Territory Manager

• Secure and drive incremental sales volume through distributors and key operators.
• Maintain sound consultative customer relations and good will with assigned distributors and key operators.

Business Management Associate (Headquarter-based)

• Work closely with field sales team on sales execution.
• Assist in developing customer focused marketing plans.
• Provide business and customer analysis.
• Manage ongoing business initiatives.

Career Path

A Bakeries & Foodservice sales career provides a balanced number of field and headquarter based customer experiences. These positions offer a customer focused exposure at a number of levels.

Customer Zone Director (Headquarter-based)

• Lead a customer focused cross functional sales team with a national account or geographical area.
• Recruit, hire and develop a sales team.
• Develop and execute customer business plans in order to grow sales and profit.

National Accounts Manager

• Manage and develop the business of the assigned base of National Account Operators.
• Target and sell new National Account customers.
• Lead cross functional project teams between General Mills and Account Headquarters Management.
• Develop and communicate account execution plans to Field Sales to drive compliance and volume growth.
• Develop and execute business plans for all key National Accounts.

Product Sales Manager (Headquarter-based)

• Act as a liaison between marketing and sales.
• Develop customer targeted promotions and activities.
• Lead high performing project teams to achieve business goals.
• Provide input into Marketing and R&D product development.
• Work closely with field sales team on sales execution.

Market/Region Sales Manager

• Provide effective leadership and vision to a direct or brokered field sales team while ensuring region profitability, top-line growth and expense objectives.
• Participate in the development of annual marketing and sales plans by providing the field sales perspective to sales management.
• Demonstrate the ability to embrace, communicate and support the division's plans and strategies at the region and territory level.

Key Account Manager

• Develop and implement collaborative business plans with key customer.
• Develop targeted customer merchandising programs to drive sales and profit.
• Successfully manage a diverse product portfolio.

Training and Development

Entry level sales positions can start with either a field sales position or in a business center. These positions will generally be a 18 to 24 month assignment that will prepare your for additional sales responsibility. Regardless of which path you take to start, a new hire will begin by going through an initial 12-week training program. The primary focus of this training is on-the-job learning with your manager. In addition, your training is supplemented by a number of self directed learning modules, workshops and field trainer "work withs."

Beyond the Bakeries & Foodservice division specific training, additional courses for your career development are offered at the General Mills Institute. These offerings include personal development courses as well manager and leadership training.