Frances Valentine brings heritage and fashion together under one roof to create pieces that not only offer color + joy, but also celebrate the unique origin stories behind each individual piece.
From the craftsmanship to the styling of pieces, FV takes past waves of fashion and makes them new again, instilling a sense of nostalgia, timelessness, and colorful elegance.
Are you a results-driven sales professional with a passion for building lasting client relationships? Frances Valentine is looking for a Wholesale Account Executive to sell our Apparel, Handbags, and Footwear Collections to Specialty and Department Stores. The ideal candidate is both strategic and detail-oriented and enjoys working as part of a team. This person will manage all sales activities for their territory, including prospecting, building relationships, showroom appointments, market preparation, re-orders, sales, monitoring profitability, and managing account projections. This role will report to the VP of Sales.
Responsibilities
- Prospect, develop, and open new accounts to sell in our apparel, handbag, and footwear collections that align with FV’s brand DNA.
- Manage and grow existing accounts.
- Provide customer service for all wholesale accounts, including specialty and major department stores.
- Understand customers’ needs and proactively identify opportunities for sales growth.
- Market Prep - Schedule and track appointments for seasonal markets. Manage market showroom set-up and maintenance, and assist in the process of sending collections to other markets.
- Process orders, reorders, and returns with approval of the VP and accounting team.
- Enter and manage / update Purchase Orders (POs) in the NetSuite system and track them through to shipping by the 3PL.
- Work with merchants and the product team to gather all necessary information for PO entry, including delivery date, price, color codes, and vendor data.
- Communicate order amendments to clients (if any) and send confirmations for every order.
- Provide daily tracking information for all orders to clients.
- Pull account selling every week and update for VP (i.e., Dillard’s, Von Maur) to review style selling and overall profitability / margin. Use this data to make recommendations for new / existing accounts.
- Understand brand positioning and reach out to new clients, filter requests to the VP.
- Work closely with the VP to develop a database of prospective customer targets.
- Produce and organize educational materials for product knowledge and visual merchandising for in-store visits and seminars with the VP.
- Protect and follow the core values and integrity of the brand
- Partner cross-functionally with teams within FV to support wholesale initiatives and drive success (Marketing, Creative, Planning, Merchandising, etc).
Qualifications
5+ years of Wholesale experience within the women’s RTW contemporary and designer markets, and the Jeans industryStrong relationships with key specialty and department storesSolid understanding of market needsAdvanced understanding of ExcelTeam-oriented but also self-driven with an entrepreneurial spiritExcellent verbal and written communication skillsStrong negotiation, presentation, and ‘closing’ skillsKnowledge of cost accounting and profitabilityRequired Skills
Proficiency in database systems, Microsoft Excel / Microsoft Word. NetSuite experience highly preferredCommunicate and express ideas clearly and concisely, and possess solid oral and written communication skills.Demonstrate good judgment and ability to negotiate effectively.Must be organized, analytical, and have a strong attention to detail.Work effectively as a team player and develop positive working relationships to achieve company goals collectively. Assist when needed and demonstrate responsiveness to requests from co-workers and management.Complete assignments accurately and promptly, prioritizing your workload and meeting deadlines.Passionate and enthusiastic about fashion and culture. Remain informed about changes and trends in fashion.Compensation : Base salary range $65,000-$80,000, medical, dental, vision insurance, basic life, 401(k), paid holidays and a generous Paid Time-Off program, as well as a generous employee discount and annual clothing allowance. A host of other voluntary benefits are offered as well such as pet insurance, LifeLock identity protection, legal insurance, and more.