Key Account Manager - South Africa at Valvoline

Job description

Overall Scope of Role:

The position reports to the Business Manager South Africa and is focused on finding, engaging and winning new business customers and long term relationships with Key Accounts in South Africa. This is a Direct Sales role that will drive our business growth forward across the direct sales and B2B sectors. This role is critical in the continued fast paced growth for Valvoline in the region. This person will be expected to provide business development leadership, sector and customer insight and can assist in the development of innovative sales and business solutions that uses our strong Customer Value Proposition to win new customers. This role is providing development potential with opportunity for future, more senior positions within the regional sales and marketing organization.

Key Responsibilities of the Role

• Achieves sales targets through pitching to and winning new Key Account (Direct Sales/B2B) customers and holds responsibility for the effective on-boarding of new customers.
• Identifies market potential by qualifying accounts.
• Initiates sales process by developing a pipeline of leads, qualifies the leads, scheduling appointments; making initial presentation; understanding customer requirements.
• Closes sales by building rapport with potential account; explaining product and service capabilities; overcoming objections; preparing contracts.
• Responsible for the development and achievement of sales through the direct sales channel.
• Focuses on growing and developing existing customers, together with generating new business.
• Writes business plans for all current and opportunity tender business.
• You will act as the key interface between the customer and all relevant divisions.
• Ensure work within agreed authority levels on credit management, pricing and debt to ensure there is minimum risk to the Company and treat confidential information securely.
• Expands sales in existing accounts by introducing new products and services; developing new applications.
• Contributes information to market strategy by monitoring competitive products and reactions from accounts
• Maintains and builds excellent stakeholder engagement with all levels of seniority within customer account and prospect accounts.
• Recommends new products and services by evaluating current product results; identifying needs to be filled.
• Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities.
• Accomplishes marketing and organization mission by completing related results as needed.

Skills and Characteristics of Ideal Candidate

• Degree level education / Master’s degree in a relevant discipline would be preferred but is not essential subject to proven business experience.
• Minimum of 5 years proven direct sales experience in the lubricants, associated automotive / chemical business or any other industry in the B2B, Technical Products, Key Accounts, Direct Sales sectors in the African region.
• Fluency in oral and written English and Zuid Afrikaans is essential, as are financial analytic capabilities commensurate with this role.
• Proven capability to drive sales results in both B2B and B2C areas with a high level of proven competence and success in distributor management and distributor retail sales.
• Track record of providing innovative sales solutions to business challenges through "value" based differentiation in a "sell through" environment.
• Demonstrated ability to develop / influence a high-performance sales team that can deliver sustained sales results delivery in a distributor partner through sales support and training. This is essential to create an extension of the Valvoline team winning culture.
• Coaching skills: capable to influence others out of the reporting line, active listener, capable to provide constructive feedback.
• Demonstrate capability to take decision with uncertain data.
• Capable to stand in front of confronting discussion, do not be afraid of managing conflicting calls and work to create win-win solutions.
• A highly motivated and self-starting individual that is driven by results delivery in an entrepreneurial, fast-changing environment
• A demonstrated ability to be a team player that can build productive working relationships at all levels within organizations both internally and externally.
• Excellent negotiation skills that enable business growth through securing opportunities and providing profitable / optimal solutions distributors or internal teams.
• Capable to build a stakeholder map and adapt his communication style within different level of organisations.
• Demonstrated successful team leadership experience
• Excellent communication skills, effective communicator via telephone and email.
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills, a team player who can partner up, down and across the organization.
• Hands on, proactive and problem solving mentality, always looking for process improvements and able to work on different projects at the same time.
• Desire to continually learn and develop as an individual as well as the team.

Valvoline is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

We do not accept resumes from external staffing agencies or independent recruiters for any of our openings unless we have a signed recruiting agreement in place to fill a specific position.