National Commercial Sales Manager

**Position**: National Commercial Sales Manager

**Division** : Sales

**Location**: Johannesburg

**Reporting to** : Commercial Sales Executive

**Employee Type**: Permanent

**Purpose of the Role**

The core purpose of the National Commercial Sales Manager is to formulate and execute sales strategies and growth plans, and to lead a team to ensure the Company’s principal and customer objectives are achieved through increasing customer experiences and retention, brand market share growth and brand profitability.

**KEY RESPONSIBILITIES**

**Business Performance**
- Design and implement sales strategy for the market to ensure attainment of company sales goals in conjunction with Commercial Sales Executive (CSE).
- Build and set annual sales forecast & budgets for all brands together with Marketing and the Key Accounts Analyst, to reach overall company objectives and profitability goals.
- Develop specific retailer execution strategies to achieve market share growth, ranking and performance objectives.
- Develop, build, and nurture business relationships through regular trade visits to grow the business and cultivate brand loyalty and commitment.
- Drive the correct behaviours and programs to develop a retail sales force that has longevity (reduced staff turnover), delivers exceptional customer experiences, and achieves their sell out budgets.
- Oversee the dissemination of sales information to measure and report on sales performance.
- Manage sales SLAs with other regions where required.
- Management of key accounts:

- Establish productive and professional relationships with key personnel in assigned customer accounts
- Negotiate and close agreements with large customers
- Works with the retailers to ensure negotiated inputs by the Brand Managers for promo and launches are allocated correctly by door to ensure high levels of sell through
- Implements monthly retailer meetings to review numbers, discuss opportunities.

**Customer Service Delivery**
- Lead the Training team to manage the implementation of brand’s customer journeys to our retailer partners.
- Ensure proactive resolution of and take immediate corrective action on out-of-stock-lines in the trade.
- Manage correct implementation of merchandising and planogram guidelines.
- Oversee the management and maintenance of stock in stores to ensure maximum sales potential.
- Ensure correct and timeous implementation of launches, promotions, and replenishment.
- Ensure correct management of promoter pool to maximise potential within the retail environment.
- Create and implement plans consistent with business objectives.
- Ensure that instore execution reflects the brand’s positioning and expectation of the business.
- Execute launch and promotional activations and plans to ensure: Targets, profits and positions are achieved across the business.

**Sales Management**
- Monitor sales performance vs. budgeted numbers (compare retailer by store vs. national picture)
- Analyse and evaluate the actual sales results against the set target for the relevant period.
- Ensure sound Training strategies support and enhance sales and drive development.
- Ensure understanding of demand planning principles to complete stock analysis.
- Analyse areas of underperformance and initiate the appropriate intervention for corrective action to minimize future negative sales impact.
- Anticipate and address obstacles that hinder maximum sales generation.
- Conduct regular audits to ensure that all necessary scorecards, policies, procedures, and processes are in place and adhered to.
- Identify and implement new ideas to drive sales.
- Work together with the General Manager and Marketing Team, to build the brand.
- Identify problem stores, high performance stores top down - collaborate with direct reports and formulate strategies to prioritize and grow nonperforming stores.
- Collaborate with support functions e.g., marketing, events, HR, to ensure support and respective strategies are in place.
- Ensure submission of monthly commission and reports to all retailers and internal stakeholders timeously.

**People Management and Leadership**
- Encourage, implement, and reinforce the company values and leadership principles.
- Ensure an open, motivated, and harmonious work environment.
- Manage the performance of self and all direct reports (formally and informally), ensuring that regular feedback is given/received, coaching, and mentoring on performance is given/received, to enable continuous improvement.
- Be actively involved in individual development plans, develop such plans for all direct reports and ensure that the agreed development interventions are delivered.
- Ensure that KPIs are conducted on all staff to identify the appropriate performance management requirements.
- Monitor, analyse and manage team expenses.
- Support direct reports in driving the required growth via implementation and regular review of the area business plans.
- Lead, manage and develop direct repo