National Sales Manager Retail Consumer Division

Reporting to - Head: Sales

Job Purpose

To identify new business opportunities and manage customer relationships and objectives in order to assist in the achievement and delivery of strategic organisational objectives.

Required Learning

Grade 12

Minimum ten years experience in an FMCG / Retail / Trade Marketing/ Operations environment with a proven track record of managing resources, people and customers

Strong negotiation skills

Solid computer skills with particular knowledge in Microsoft (Office Excel, Word, Outlook) products, retail merchandising systems & POS.

Excellent presentation and communication skills are essential.

Key Job Outputs

Engage NKAMS with regards to customer plans and interrogate previous plans and performance against agreed plans, ensuring comprehensive understanding and alignment to customer strategic objectives

Ensure comprehensive understanding of customer strategic objectives through interaction with relevant stakeholders.

Manage stakeholder expectations in terms of operational complexities and ensure synergy of operations and strategy.

Provide various operational and strategic proposals in line with the greater business strategy.

Balance customer demands and operational capacity.

Design organisational structures to ensure optimal delivery of customer objectives and understanding of business processes

Responsible for driving the operational aspects of the business to include sales, logistics/supply chain and warehousing

Overseeing the day-to-day management of the Retail Key Accounts Team

Devising strategies for driving sales growth across the Retail business

Analyzing existing approaches to the development of business and making changes where appropriate.

Implementing new business initiatives across the Retail business

Working closely with members of the team to generate new business.

Identifying sales opportunities as a result of market changes

Acting as a key contact for large customer accounts

Form strategic partnerships to leverage existing networks.

Setting tough but achievable revenue targets for the key account managers

Negotiating sales contracts with customers and ensuring their profitability

Negotiating price increases, trading terms and product deals

Maximizing product sales on a national basis.

Implementing sales strategies

Ensuring the effective implementation of promotional grids and trading terms

Nurturing relationships with customers at all levels to encourage sales and customer loyalty.

Performing trade visits to various regions around South Africa on an ongoing basis.

Planning, implementing and monitoring national budgets.

Working with the marketing team to devise marketing materials and tools to support new business teams

Monitoring customer satisfaction with existing customers to ensure service delivery.

Be aware and have a sound understanding of competitor analysis and distribution.

Manage the Sales and Merchandising agents.

New Business Development

Source new business opportunities in line with operational capabilities Grow current business and manage cross selling opportunities

Negotiate fees to mitigate risks, operational complexities and managing expectations

Manage the development of contracts in line with business expectations.

Effective customer engagement and management

Actively build, maintain and grow strong relationships with Customers and relevant departments, Customer and internal stakeholders

Work to align Group and customer objectives with business plans.

Attend regular meetings to update management, review plans and optimise processes including third parties

Manage expectations of the reality of a synergised business

Manage effective flow of information.

Maintain contact with customers, indicating minutes and deliverables discussed.

Negotiate and manage the transition of any operational changes.

Develop solutions that have minimal impact or compromise of customers.

Achievement of profitability, sustainability and financial targets

Compile forecasts and budgets and present to the Sales Head for sign-off

Implement, monitor and manage budgets, providing regular reports the Sales Head

Timeously identify variances in budgets and formulate action plans to address based on history of accounts

Ensure sustainability and growth of profitability Analyse business and budgets, ensuring sustainability of profits

Implementation and optimisation of business strategies and plans

Regularly analyse relevant data and conduct gap analyses to determine delivery of strategies and plans

Interface between customer needs, NKAM needs and Operations, ensuring effective communication at all times

Develop and implement measures to address problems/gaps.

Manage customer expectations verses delivery by operational teams.

Ensure continual focus on improved delivery/customer relationships.

Ensure compliance of the NKAM team to instituted processes and procedures.

Keep abreast of industry trends and best practice solutions to ensure that plans ensure delivery of expectations

Effective leadership and team management

Through effective inspirational and practical leadership, facilitate the creation of accountable, full service teams who understand and strive to meet the needs of all customer, customer and group objectives

Create and encourage a culture focusing on delivery of objectives

Continually inspire, motivate and develop people to understand what is expected of them co-create a team / organisational culture of high accountability)

Take full responsibility for performance of all direct reports, motivating and managing them in relation to quality standards and agreed benchmarks and objectives, focusing on all aspects of sound people management, such as:

Performance Management

Career path planning

On-the-job training, coaching & mentoring.

Effective self-management

Follow through to ensure that personal quality and productivity standards are consistently and accurately maintained.

Demonstrate consistent application of internal procedures.

Plan and prioritise, demonstrating abilities to manage competing demands

Demonstrate abilities to anticipate and manage change.

Demonstrate flexibility in balancing achievement of own objectives with abilities to understand and respond to organizational needs.