MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
Internal Sales Management
- Take full responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Internal Sales function.
- Lead, manage and develop the Internal Sales team.
- Allocate responsibilities and workloads effectively.
- Establish service standards, procedures and turnaround times.
- Monitor order processing accuracy, productivity and customer service levels.
- Ensure customer queries and requests are handled promptly and professionally.
- Conduct regular Internal Sales meetings and monitor outstanding actions.
- Train and develop Internal Sales employees.
- Address performance concerns and implement corrective action where required.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy and customer service.
In-House Order Management
- Oversee the complete order process from receipt through to invoicing and delivery.
- Ensure all orders are processed accurately and within required timelines.
- Monitor daily incoming and outstanding orders.
- Ensure correct customer codes, product codes, pricing, discounts and delivery details are applied.
- Monitor stock availability, shortages and backorders against customer orders.
- Communicate potential supply issues proactively.
- Liaise with Warehouse, Logistics, Buying, Imports and Finance regarding order fulfilment.
- Prioritise urgent, promotional and opening orders where required.
- Monitor orders placed on hold and ensure timely resolution.
- Investigate short deliveries, incorrect deliveries and order discrepancies.
- Ensure customer-specific requirements are adhered to.
- Maintain visibility of the order pipeline and escalate significant stock, delivery or customer risks.
Key Account Management
- Manage allocated national and strategic key accounts.
- Act as the primary Head Office contact for allocated customers.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with buyers, category managers and relevant decision-makers.
- Understand each customer's strategy, processes, requirements and commercial expectations.
- Develop account-specific sales and growth plans.
- Identify opportunities to increase sales, distribution and product penetration.
- Prepare for and attend customer meetings, range reviews and business reviews.
- Prepare professional customer presentations and proposals.
- Monitor sales performance by account, category and product.
- Identify declining performance and develop corrective action plans.
- Resolve escalated commercial and customer service issues.
- Coordinate internally to ensure customer commitments are delivered.
- Protect existing business while actively pursuing incremental growth.
- Monitor competitor activity and identify opportunities for additional shelf space, product listings and promotional exposure.
Product Listings & De-listings
- Ensure listing forms, product information and customer documentation are complete and accurate.
- Maintain an accurate master listing tracker and follow up outstanding approvals.
- Communicate approved listings to relevant departments and ensure correct implementation.
- Monitor listing activation and initial customer orders.
- Identify range gaps and recommend additional listings.
- Monitor products at risk of delisting and investigate poor-performing listings.
- Develop corrective actions where appropriate.
- Coordinate delisting communication and administration.
- Maintain accurate records of active, pending and discontinued listings.
Range Reviews & Customer Presentations
- Coordinate preparation for customer range reviews.
- Analyse existing range performance and identify high-performing, underperforming and opportunity products.
- Work with Buying and Product Development to identify suitable new products.
- Prepare customer-specific range proposals, pricing and supporting documentation.
- Coordinate samples required for presentations.
- Ensure presentations are professional, accurate and commercially relevant.
- Maintain and follow up post-meeting action plans.
- Ensure agreed listings, quotations, samples and follow-ups are completed.
Promotions & Customer Initiatives
- Manage and coordinate customer promotional opportunities and calendars.
- Coordinate promotional submissions and documentation.
- Ensure promotional pricing and product information are accurate.
- Liaise internally regarding promotional stock requirements.
- Monitor promotional orders and fulfilment.
- Communicate confirmed promotions to relevant departments.
- Track promotional sales performance and analyse actual sales versus forecast.
- Identify successful promotional mechanics and future opportunities.
- Coordinate customer-specific seasonal initiatives and special projects.
- Ensure Field Sales teams receive relevant information for store-level execution.
Sales Reporting & Analysis
- Take responsibility for accurate and timely Internal Sales and Key Account reporting.
- Prepare daily, weekly and monthly sales reports.
- Monitor sales against budget, forecast and previous periods.
- Analyse performance by customer, product, category, promotion and market.
- Identify significant trends, opportunities, risks and underperformance.
- Prepare management summaries and business reviews.
- Provide sales information required for management meetings.
- Maintain reporting accuracy and ensure reports are distributed within agreed deadlines.
- Assist with annual and monthly sales budgeting.
- Support commission reporting and sales allocation processes where required.
Sales Forecasting & Demand Planning
- Prepare and maintain customer forecasts.
- Forecast promotional, seasonal and new listing requirements.
- Review historical sales and monitor actual sales against forecast.
- Identify significant forecast variances.
- Communicate anticipated demand changes to Buying and Supply Chain.
- Highlight potential stock shortages and excess stock risks.
- Provide customer intelligence to support inventory planning.
- Support stock allocation decisions during supply constraints.
- Ensure anticipated customer requirements are communicated sufficiently in advance.
Cross-Border & Export Management
- Take full commercial responsibility for cross-border and export customers.
- Manage all cross-border and export customer relationships.
- Drive growth within existing export territories and identify new opportunities.
- Develop relationships with prospective distributors and customers.
- Prepare export quotations and commercial proposals.
- Coordinate export orders internally and ensure customer requirements are clearly communicated.
- Monitor export order progress and liaise with Logistics regarding shipment requirements.
- Monitor export sales performance and profitability.
- Maintain export forecasts and sales plans.
- Identify additional listing opportunities within export markets.
- Conduct regular customer and distributor reviews.
- Monitor market developments and competitor activity.
- Maintain accurate export customer, pricing and agreement records.
- Escalate material commercial or operational export risks.
Agent, Broker & Distributor Management
- Manage all appointed agents, brokers and distributors.
- Establish sales targets and performance expectations.
- Maintain regular communication and monitor performance against targets.
- Review customer and territory performance.
- Drive new sales and listing opportunities.
- Ensure partners receive current price lists, catalogues, promotional information and sales tools.
- Follow up sales opportunities and outstanding customer matters.
- Coordinate orders with Internal Sales.
- Conduct regular business and performance reviews.
- Identify underperforming territories and implement corrective action.
- Recommend changes to representation arrangements where required.
- Identify opportunities to expand representation into new markets.
New Store Openings, Revamps & Closures
- Maintain the master tracker for new stores, revamps and closures.
- Receive and coordinate opening order requirements.
- Ensure opening orders are processed accurately and on time.
- Coordinate stock availability and communicate opening information to the Field Sales team.
- Monitor opening orders through to delivery.
- Coordinate revamp requirements and administration relating to store closures.
- Ensure relevant departments receive accurate store information.
- Maintain accurate records of new, revamped and closed stores.
Customer Service & Query Resolution
- Ensure consistently high customer service standards.
- Take ownership of escalated customer queries.
- Investigate recurring customer service failures and identify root causes.
- Coordinate corrective and preventative action with relevant departments.
- Maintain professional and timely customer communication.
- Monitor outstanding issues through to resolution.
- Escalate significant service risks where required.
Pricing & Commercial Administration
- Maintain accurate customer pricing information.
- Ensure approved pricing is correctly communicated and implemented.
- Coordinate customer price changes and resolve pricing discrepancies.
- Maintain records of customer-specific agreements.
- Ensure quotations are accurate and professionally prepared.
- Monitor validity dates and agreed commercial terms.
- Escalate margin and pricing concerns.
- Ensure no unauthorized pricing or discounts are offered.
Customer Master Data & Administration
- Ensure customer master information, contact details, delivery and account information are accurate and current.
- Maintain customer-specific requirements and procedures.
- Coordinate new account documentation.
- Ensure filing and record-keeping standards are maintained.
- Maintain customer correspondence and commercial documentation.
- Protect confidential customer and commercial information.
Stock & Inventory Coordination
- Monitor stock availability relating to key accounts and in-house requirements.
- Identify slow-moving and excess stock sales opportunities.
- Work with Buying and Management on stock clearance opportunities.
- Monitor stock requirements for promotions, launches and new listings.
- Highlight shortages that may affect customers.
- Support stock allocation decisions for constrained products.
- Identify opportunities to move ageing inventory through suitable customers.
- Ensure commercial commitments consider stock availability.
Interdepartmental Coordination
- Act as a key commercial link between Sales, Buying, Imports, Warehouse, Logistics, Finance, Marketing, Product Development, Field Sales, Regional Management and Executive Management.
- Communicate customer requirements and commercial commitments clearly.
- Follow up internal actions and coordinate customer deadlines.
- Escalate risks before they impact customers.
- Maintain strong cross-functional relationships.
Team Leadership & People Management
- Lead, motivate and develop the Internal Sales team.
- Set clear responsibilities, objectives and KPIs.
- Conduct regular performance discussions and provide coaching and training.
- Identify training and development requirements.
- Address poor performance promptly.
- Participate in recruitment, selection and onboarding.
- Ensure adherence to company policies.
- Work with HR on disciplinary and employee relations matters where required.
- Develop succession and backup capability within the department.
- Create a culture of accountability, accuracy and customer service.
Meetings & Communication
- Attend relevant management and sales meetings.
- Conduct regular Internal Sales meetings.
- Provide feedback on key customer developments, sales opportunities, risks and issues.
- Maintain action lists and ensure agreed actions are completed.
- Participate in planning meetings with Buying, Finance, Logistics and other departments.
- Represent the company professionally at customer and industry meetings.
Controls, Compliance & Accountability
- Ensure compliance with company policies and procedures.
- Maintain accurate records and audit trails.
- Ensure customer commitments are appropriately authorised.
- Protect confidential pricing and commercial information.
- Identify and escalate operational and commercial risks.
- Ensure customer documentation is complete and accurate.
- Maintain appropriate controls over orders, pricing and customer information
