Job Description

As the Market Development Specialist, you will be responsible for driving direct and indirect sales of our client's products by educating, training, and building relationships at assigned big box and specialty retail stores.

PURPOSE:

This position will be responsible for product knowledge, demonstrating the product, promoting the LMS platform, developing and building solid partnerships, and ultimately increasing product sales. The MDS will also be responsible for collecting and reporting on virtual training, in-store training, in-store activities, assisted sales programs, competitive information, and maintaining the brand presence at retail through merchandising display maintenance/cleanliness and POP.  This position will report to the Regional Manager.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCT AWARENESS IN THE MARKETPLACE

• Train, develop and educate retail sale specialists on the features and benefits of client's products
• Build strong partnerships, which will be pivotal in this supporting role
• Merchandise retail locations with visual displays and in-store promotional material
• Implement and troubleshoot visual merchandising
• Gather, summarize and report on field and channel feedback and insights regularly, aiding in the growth and support of the brand 
• Collect and report visit data, issues with displays and products, and competitive market data and insights and photos 
• Complete reports thoroughly and on time using the online platform (access to internet and computer required)
• Coordinate and execute special awareness and sales events at retail locations
• Participate in ongoing training to become a product expert and actively engage with teammates and managers through MeWe and other communication platforms
• Work with store managers and sales associates in big box retail environments to develop plans that will create sales and education experiences.
• Provide impactful training and education to retail sales associates on the features and benefits of client's products
• Sign up store sales associates and management for LMS Platform
• Increase market engagement with LMS Platform

 BUILD, CREATE AND MAINTAIN A VIRTUAL MARKET PRESENCE

• Provide inbound and outbound retailer support through email, phone, video, and chat/instant messenger
• Drive campaigns, promotions, and other initiatives as directed by management
• Effectively complete assigned reporting functions
• Establish and maintain effective communication and coordination with Fitbit, area personnel, and management
• Should be considered the 'subject matter expert' for product- and retailer-related inquiries, including promotions, sales, NPI (new product introduction)
• Create content for self-generated Virtual Training/Events

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent of four to six years retail, customer service, or sales experience

SKILLS AND REQUIREMENTS:

• Strong skills with Microsoft Office suite including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Thorough understanding of the fitness wearable and electronics space and visual merchandising in a retail sales environment
• Ability to motivate, influence, and promote client's products to the consumers at the retail level
• Excellent communication skills
• Multitasking and analytical skills
• Demonstrated ability to meet tight deadlines and to change priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining the highest levels of customer service and detail
• Self-driven with the ability to take the initiative, work independently, and prioritize workload
• Excellent time management and organizational skills
• Team-player and creative, strategic thinker
• Strong negotiation and persuasion skills needed
• Excellent planning and organizational skills
• Some evening and weekend work may be required, particularly in our high seasons, such as spring and holiday times
• Reliable transportation to travel to multiple stores daily within assigned territory and approximately
• 15% of the time outside of the market

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to:

• Regularly sit, stand, walk, bend over, grasp, talk and/or hear, and drive
• Occasionally carrying and lifting office supplies up to 10 lbs.
• Occasionally travel via flight or other modes of transportation
• Continuous hand/eye coordination and fine manipulation

ADDITIONAL INFO:

BDS Connected Solutions. (“BDS”) is an equal opportunity employer in every aspect of employment, including but not limited to; selection, training, development, and promotion of the most qualified candidates and employees without regard to their race, gender, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited by state or local law. BDS is committed to equal employment opportunity in all other privileges, terms, and conditions of employment that may not be covered in this statement. BDS is an at-will employer.

BDS Connected Solutions offers a complete suite of Connected Commerce solutions that blend Advocacy, Training, Retail, Virtual, Experiential, and Digital environments to influence the modern buyer, regardless of where they are on their shopping journey. Since 1985, BDS has been inspired by innovation; as we continue to evolve as a trendsetter in today’s disruptive market, we enable our clients to do the same. Our industry-leading experts never stop working to discover, design and deploy custom buying solutions that empower brands to achieve and exceed their unique sales goals. BDS is headquartered in Irvine, California with regional offices in New York City, New York; Chicago, Illinois; and Columbus, Ohio. Visit us at www.BDSsolutions.com for more information.

Company Description

BDS was founded in 1984 as a field marketing agency by three partners (Baker, Dean, and Sherwood) whose vision was to provide an excellent working environment for employees. They believed that by putting employees first, employees would in turn take exceptional care of their clients. The rest was history. In the early years, BDS was a boutique agency that ran consumer promotions and sampling events. Since then, we have grown to become the leading marketing and sales solution provider in the United States. Today, BDS and our employee base of 7,000 representatives have the privilege of collaborating with Fortune 500 brands, world-class manufacturers, and global retailers. BDS is a powerhouse company that has flourished through a number of notable acquisitions. Those strategic partnerships have allowed us to develop a robust suite of integrated solutions to meet our clients’ ever-changing needs and influence the modern customer journey – at any time, in any place, and in any way. The first major addition to BDS was in 2006 when we acquired Channel Partners to enrich our Training and Assisted Sales offerings. The following year, Keystone Marketing Specialists was acquired, which added the Flex Force shared model, along with the Retail Access training platform. Later in 2013, BDS brought RMSe on board to offer Installation and Construction services as an in-house capability, further expanding our solutions to include the retail environment. In 2016, BDS partnered with Apollo Retail Specialists and its equity partners to form BDS Solutions Group, LLC., a platform organization that has allowed us to significantly expand our field team and service offerings to influence buying decisions throughout the entire customer journey, including the post-purchase stage. Then in 2017, we acquired digital marketing agency WOWbrands, to generate demand and influence sales in the digital space. To continue to further our footprint beyond brick-and-mortar, we acquired award-winning experiential agency, MAG, in 2018 to connect with consumers through real life and virtual events. Most recently, in 2021, BDSmktg and Creative Channel joined to form the industry’s most progressive, sales-powered channel solutions provider, integrating as one company – BDS Connected Solutions. While we have evolved quite a bit over the years, one thing has never changed: our culture. We continue to be driven by being a People-Led, Digital-First, Customer-Obsessed organization. Additionally, we are proud to staff award-winning industry experts and amazing teams of hard-working people who we call colleagues and friends. We’ve worked our fair share of late nights, weekends, and client emergencies, and we have lots of great stories to tell. Just ask any BDSer. Better yet, let’s create a new story together!