The Outside Sales Development or Market Development Specialist (MDS) will be responsible for developing customer relationships within an assigned geographic area. The goal of the MDS is to grow the company’s business in the assigned marketplace. This will include opening new business and growing categories of sale in our existing account base. The MDS will be required to develop an understanding of their marketplace including the competition in each of our strategic categories. This position will work closely with local sales management to develop an understanding and strategy for the company to pursue within their area.
What is an average day for an MDS?
The focus of the MDS will be to make as many calls as possible in their assigned area in order to achieve the above defined growth and market condition goals. Estimated 20+ calls per day.
MDS Career Path
There are three primary paths an MDS can go down:
- Continue on the MDS path
- If an MDS is having success at the position, they will continue to advance in the position with annual performance reviews and continuing to master various product categories
- Become an MDM (Market Development Manager)
- A Market Development Manager works in conjunction with groups of Market Development Specialists to help bring on board new MDS personnel. This role will help hire new MDS’s, train them as they join the company, and help monitor their performance and strategize.
- A Market Development Manager can also specialize in a product category or a specific customer industry
- This path can lead to helping to manage a category across a region or the entire company
- Become a Sales Manager
- An MDS can move into a role running a product category and working with sales personnel and MDS’s within a particular geographic area
- This role will work in conjunction with local management to help manage the sales and performance in a given area
- This path can lead to opportunities to manage a location or a category within a region or across the company
Ongoing Account Management Responsibilities
Our MDS team is responsible for identifying potential new accounts, opening the new accounts, and handing the new account over to someone to maintain it in a manner that best guarantees the long term success of the account with WB Mason. In most cases, the MDS will open the account with one or several orders, and after about a month, transfer that account to someone who will be responsible for maintaining it on a day to day basis. Should that account need in person attention, that MDS will be called upon to visit that account to deliver a sample, sell a category, etc. There will be instances where an account is either of a larger size or greater complexity and needs special attention in the hand-off process. In those cases, the MDS may remain as the primary account contact for an extended period of time prior to transferring it.