Customer Service Sales

MELODY SAFFERY

**** ***** **. • Redondo Beach, California 90278 • 310-***-**** • *************@*****.***

SUMMARY

A highly motivated and seasoned product management and marketing executive with over 8 years of

experience managing and directing a $250M+ business unit. Well rounded professional passionate about

marketing, product development, customer service and managing people. Fast-learning, self-directed

individual who targets budgeted goals and works effectively with others and under pressure. Background

includes product life cycle management, manufacturing oversight, and inventory management. Exceeds client

and company expectations consistently.

• Brand Management • Consumer Insight and Research

• Product Marketing and Positioning • Ideation and Product Development

• P&L Driven • Strategic Planning

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

SUSTAINABLE CONSUMER SOLUTIONS, INC.

Principal (May 2009 – present)

Create and provide sustainable sales and product marketing expertise for the consumer products industry.

Provide unparalleled knowledge and expertise to develop business relationships between manufacturers and

retailers, launch and market new products and enable our clients to deliver a sustainable business model.

BELKIN INTERNATIONAL, Compton, CA 1991-2008

Business Unit Manager, Computing and Connectivity (2003-2008)

Oversaw all aspects of a global line of consumer electronics marketed worldwide through retail, distribution,

commercial, e-commerce and direct market channels. Delivered business strategies with compelling and

sustainable competitive advantage; enhancing the brand.

• Directed go-to market strategies, managed product positioning and pricing, executed marketing

activities driving consumer demand and increasing sales revenue.

• Supported internal sales team, demonstrated market expertise and category management increasing

revenue at various clients and sales channels.

• Sought and created partnerships with industry leaders and customers developing differentiated

products, bundles and solutions.

• Initiated primary and secondary research, relate technical concepts to consumers, developing

innovative and profitable short term and long term product roadmaps.

• Led cross functional teams of product managers, marketing communication managers, designers,

engineers, QA and operations, setting direction for product development, market positioning and brand

management consistent with business goals.

• Instituted continuous review of costing structure, bills of materials and led vendor negotiations

exceeding profit margins and ensuring products are priced competitively.

• Handled every aspect of overseas manufacturing oversight, strengthened vendor partnerships, and

identified cost-effective quality raw materials; achieving on-time and on-budget final product delivery.

• Responsible for all items contained in P&L statements.

Significant Accomplishments:

• Created and implemented market and merchandising strategies at major retail accounts in store and

online including Wal-Mart, Staples, Best Buy, Office Depot and Target; achieving a 15% increase in

overall revenue.

• Developed, launched and managed all aspects of a $20M private-label program where none existed

before; won business at Staples, Best Buy, Office Depot, Target and other major retailers.

• Defined and standardized an internal SKU-generation process monitoring product development

progress.

• Participated as a core team member in the implementation of Agile software; promoting development

iterations, open collaboration, and process adaptability throughout the life-cycle of a project/product.

MELODY SAFFERY Résumé, Page 2

Professional Experience

BELKIN INTERNATIONAL, continued

Senior Product Manager (2000-2003)

Developed and launched lines of innovative hubs, cables, input devices and accessories on a global and

regional scale, successfully maintaining the company’s #1 market position in a changing commodities market.

• Identified new-product concepts and developed product roadmaps; increasing sales and profitability.

• Communicated product value and benefits to internal and external stakeholders, developed support

resources and training procedures for sales personnel and customers, created content for packaging,

manuals and technical-support primers.

• Managed continuous review of costing structure, vendor negotiations, and inventory management;

successfully exceeding budgeted gross profit goals.

• Coordinated key international projects; increasing collaboration among global teams to support growth.

Significant Accomplishments:

• Identified and qualified new sources for cables and accessories, reducing cost-of-goods by 15%.

• Rapidly recruited, trained and managed a team of product managers; solidifying the company’s position

in the USB and computer accessories market.

• Participated as a core team member establishing worldwide company guidelines defining manufacturer

capabilities, test requirements, social and procedural compliance.

Product Manager (1999-2000)

Secured a market leadership position by achieving a 200% growth from $11M in gross sales to $34M in a

single year through the market introduction of a full line of innovative USB products.

• Drove product launch and marketing strategy; interacted with sales, development and engineering

teams defining product and service requirements.

• Built and developed powerful oral, written and visual marketing collateral and sales presentations.

Significant Accomplishments:

• Developed advertising campaigns, and created compelling marketing collateral such as signage,

brochures and product bulletins; driving consumer demand.

• Implemented a successful minimum advertised program; increasing business unit gross profit by 18%.

• Promoted within 1 year, product categories assigned included input devices, cables, mouse pads, wrist

rests, CDs and other computer accessories; absorbing and optimizing over 4,000 active skus.

Technical Support Manager (1994-1999)

Managed a team of technical support representatives, provided solutions to end user technical problems;

increasing customer satisfaction.

• Created product claims procedures, interacted with legal department; facilitating smooth and timely

product claims resolution.

• Developed processes to track the progress and analyze the efficacy of representatives; monitoring

product performance and customer service efficiency.

• Conducted weekly training classes for all technical support personnel.

Technical Support Representative (1991-1994)

EDUCATION

• Bachelor of Science - Information and Computer Science

Saint Paul University of Manila, Philippines

• Electronics and Communications Engineering

University of Santo Tomas, Philippines

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