Regional Sales Manager Ola KZN at Unilever

Main Job Purpose

The Regional Sales Manager for OLA is responsible for the development and execution of the customer business plan; as well as landing the customer and pricing strategy, achievement of turnover and the P&L of Ice Cream customers.

Increasing OLA brand market share through strong trade relationships, ensuring qualitative trade brand presence - all by introducing innovations within set timeframes ensuring maximum visibility and immediate action on out of stock.

Job Summary

• Customer Facing
• Landing correct recommended sales prices for ongoing and promotional deals
• Landing promotions and deal changes
• Optimizing promotional grids by evaluation and driving share-winning packs
• Execute category volume drives with the relevant internal and external channels
• Drive the correct product mix portfolio for specific regions and clusters
• Focus on landing the correct mandates (pricing, innovation & execution activities etc.)
• Launch successful innovations by understanding the customer story, driving speed to shelf and highlighting benefits
• Close customer deals by negotiating promo terms, trade funding and counter parts according to the category strategy
• Monitor customer performance by tracking customer contribution and market share for major categories
• Work with the Unilever field sales team to drive instore activities
• Pre-planning and pre-evaluating investment decisions to deliver positive return on investments
• Analyze & discuss trade visit scorecards with Operations Manager and CCN

Drive and manage CCN regarding:

• Stock, Sales Reviews, Marketing Initiatives, SHE requirements, Cabinet Team Support, Quality issues, Incentive Compliance
• Manage Route to Market (RTM) and call efficiencies
• Report quality issues in trade to Operations Manager
• Distribution and execution of new Point of Sale by using RTM
• Represent Ola during activation events
• Support the Cabinet team:
• manage and follow up ad hoc issues with the cabinet team i.e., request for new cabinets

Conduct a monthly (or cyclical) Sales and Business Review with Concessionaires:

consolidate and present sales performance:

• target VS previous year,
• Trade visit feedback,
• Promotional activity plans
• Cabinet operations.
• Attend relevant monthly (or cyclical) UFS meetings

Consolidate and present:

• Sales Review per store, Damage issues addressed, new launches, Ice Cream training, distribution analysis
• Prepare Trade Contact reports and send to CCN and your Operations Manager
• Identifying new business opportunities
• Identify new regional channel opportunities in liaison with CCN and the customer marketing team i.e. resorts, new accounts
• Identify new branding opportunities (these are permanent and exclusive) in liaison with CCN and the customer marketing team
• Identify new eventing opportunities (these are once off deals) in liaison with CCN and the customer marketing team
• Identify new vending opportunities (these are permanent) in liaison with CCN and the customer marketing team
• Identify and report any competitor activities and discrepancies (i.e. price increases), new trends to the Operations Manager and category managers
• Ensure that all customer queries / complaints/ issues are dealt with effectively and efficiently as per the Unilever target of Customer Service excellence
• Actively participate within account management meetings
• Manage the profit and loss for the OLA category
• Customer demand forecasting
• Budget management
• CCN new rep training
• Weekly trade visits

Key Requirements

• A willingness to travel
• Bachelors / B-Tech Degree
• 2-3 years’ experience in driving negotiations through Key Account Management within the FMCG industry (ideally Out of Home)
• 2-3 years’ experience in delivering results through strategic 3rd party RTM with warehousing, distribution and sales

Skills:

• An understanding of Sales principles in Modern trade will be beneficial
• Understanding of in-store activity
• Pricing strategies
• Management of category specific profit and loss