International Sales Manager

We have a great opportunity to enhance your International Sales experience and grow your career within the book trade.

The Opportunity:

We have an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated sales professional, with a background in international sales within the book trade. The ideal candidate will be responsible for the company’s base of international client accounts across set territories, they will also be expected to engage in business development activities to help grow our international business.

About the Role:

International sales are a substantial and fast-growing part of our business, and consequently we are looking to recruit an experienced International Sales Manager in this crucial sales role. The successful candidate will be responsible for the growth and development of Gardners existing business in the agreed territory, currently including Scandinavia, United States, Canada, South America, France and South Africa.

Some of the day-to-day tasks are outlined below, but other ad-hoc duties may be required:

• Growth and development of sales across Gardners full range of products and services
• Creation of sophisticated, informed and realistic strategy plans in line with company targets
• Close collaboration with relevant internal departments and our territory agents
• Field visits as required to prospective, key and new accounts
• Attendance of book fairs and trade events
• Working with the existing sales team and office to share and cultivate your knowledge of the industry
• Pro-actively developing new opportunities to increase Gardners footprint in the relevant territories.

Essential Criteria:

• Previous international sales experience within the book industry, including to the retail online sector
• Experience working with customers from the specified territories above, and particularly from across Scandinavia.
• Commercial acumen and an analytical mindset coupled with strong negotiation and relationship building skills
• Ability to provide effective sales planning and competitive analysis
• Computer literate with a solid understanding of Microsoft Office products, in particular Excel.
• Good communication and organisational skills, supported by strong attention to detail, enthusiasm and professionalism.
• Excellent project and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise your workload
• Pro-activeness and the ability to work on your own initiative, but be a team player.
• Constantly looking to self-improve, and improve company processes and systems
• Excellent communication skills, both verbally and written
• Resilience with the ability to problem solve.

About the Company:

Gardners is one of the world's largest wholesalers of British books, entertainment products and eBooks. 

Based primarily from our Eastbourne premises, we are proud to be a family-run business with our staff at the very heart of what we do. 

Our departments and teams' combined effort ensures we offer a first-class service to our global customer base, combined with a fast delivery service. 

At Gardners, we recognise that our people are our strength, and the diverse talents they bring to our collaborative workforce are directly linked to our success. We are an equal opportunities employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion across all departments.