Crop Associate - Gold Star FS - Alpha, IL

The FS brand represents a standard of excellence for agricultural and energy-related products. It's the people who represent the FS brand that set it apart. As local cooperatives, FS Companies believe it is their responsibility to ensure that our earth, our communities, and businesses perform together, sustainably. FS Companies are committed to ensuring the continued profitability for the company, their owners, and their customers, while enacting to help the environment and greater good.

Crops Associate - Gold Star FS

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY STATEMENT

Under the direction of the Crops Department Sales Manager, trains to generate profitable sales in the assigned territory through learning target marketing, competitive analysis, providing value-added agronomic products, services, and recommendations, ensuring the credit worthiness of customers, and promoting credit programs as marketing tools.  

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Implements marketing plans and develops sales strategies that generate profitable sales in the assigned territory.

Utilizes target marketing and professional sales techniques including the FS sales interview road map, cropping programs like Green Plan, emphasis of appropriate features and benefits, and contact management system when calling on patrons and prospects.

Develops territory and competitive analysis to maintain a current knowledge of the marketplace and the competition.

Provides value-added agronomic products, services, and recommendations to patrons and prospects.  Schedules product delivery and application to patron locations.  Conducts regular patron meetings on product and technical information.

Provides customer service by using soil testing, crop scouting and other programs, follows up on customer complaints, and seeks a reasonable “win/win” resolution.

Ensures the credit worthiness of customers, quotes prices and credit terms, and prepares sales contracts for orders obtained.  Promotes the use of credit programs as a sales tool and helps provide the required information to establish credit.  Works closely with the

credit department in collection of accounts receivable.

OTHER JOB FUNCTIONS

Responsible for maintaining the assigned vehicle according to company standards, adheres to the uniform policy, and maintains the appropriate professional image.

Ensures field signs are displayed on all customers’ fields to promote FS products.

Performs other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

Education and Experience

Normally requires a college degree in agriculture, marketing, or other business-related discipline and at least 2 years of related experience and/or training or equivalent to demonstrate the ability to generate sales in an assigned territory.

Normally requires the ability to obtain the Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) certification to demonstrate agronomy training and experience.

Functional Competencies

Understanding of all agronomic product lines along with sales ability/persuasiveness, face-to-face selling skills, assertiveness, tenacity/persistence, resilience, competitive adeptness, credit worthiness, and product proficiency.

Proven professional communication, persuasion, presentation, and customer service skills.

Demonstrated planning, organization, time management, and problem-solving skills.

Proven ability to work independently, in a team-oriented environment, and achieve results through others.  

Demonstrated math skills and the ability to calculate discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume, etc.

Ability to use the computer to enhance business processes.

Core Competencies
Demonstrated core competencies including business knowledge, collaboration, communication, customer focus, decision making and skill development.

Other Requirements

Must have and maintain a valid driver’s license and have the ability to travel independently and overnight as needed.

FS. Bringing You What's Next. We are an equal opportunity employer, including protected veterans and qualified individuals with disabilities. Employment may be contingent upon receipt of an acceptable and job-related background check, motor vehicle report, and/or reference check, as applicable and permissible by law.