Regional Sales Manager - Westville at RCL Foods

RCL Foods entrusts the Regional Sales Manager to: 

• Develop and implement appropriate solutions in the form of value propositions to meet or exceed all sales goals, performance quotas and process expectations in the relevant region.
• Grow the business in the assigned region by planning, organizing, training, directing agents and managing the supply chain. The business objectives, set by the division, will then be achieved through flawless execution of all Operational Objectives (Sales and Logistics).
• Provide tactical and operational leadership and support to the regional sales team.

Minimum Requirements    

• Com or Degree in Management, Business Administration and/or Marketing Diploma
• Valid Code EB drivers’ license
• 5 to 8 years' experience in a marketing and sales function that includes coordinating sales teams and managing complex and/or significant customer relationships.
• At least 2 years Area Sales Manager experience

Duties & Responsibilities    
Sales Management

• Develop and execute the regional sales strategy.
• Generate leads regarding prospective contract opportunities and drive deal closure.
• Develop proposals, negotiate terms and conditions and implement contractual agreements for regional accounts with accountability for delivering strong financial results.
• Implement the national sales strategy across the region.
• Manage and monitor strategic target achievement.
• Manage and coordinate accurate regional sales (volume and product) forecasting and ensure alignment to and input into the national planning processes.
• Attend national meetings as required.
• Drive the implementation of the pricing strategy and practices.
• Develop key internal relationships in various functional areas and at various levels.
• Develop, implement and manage regional marketing objectives.
• Drive horizontal and vertical growth opportunities.
• Constantly analyse statistics regarding the number of sales made in a given time period, the resulting profits, and the need for new clients and products.
• Drive the achievement of applicable strategic and operational targets.
• Coordinate sales team promotional activities across the region.

Planning

• Target Setting- Monthly sales targets, as supplied by the NSM to be broken down by: Region - Inland region divided into Limpopo, Northwest, Vaal, 3x Spar DC, 1x Shoprite DC, 1x Metro DC and Mpumalanga area. Break down by rep by sku by customer.
• Annual Regional Plan- Design Annual Business Plan with KAM for customers. Business plan in line with Company/Departmental strategy (Brand Strategy). Review - monthly, weekly and quarterly reviews with KAM’s, Agents and the NSM and present back to KAM and NSM on a monthly basis.
• Prioritize Activity per Agent:- Brand vs Brand e.g. Yum Yum versus Nola Mayonnaise. Promotional execution – Speed to market, execution of promotion and feedback to KAM. Representative execution – Forward share, Merchandising Objectives, POS execution. Private label vs Primary brand - % Share required and allowed.

Managing Supply Chain

• Forecasting - Forecast Depot Stock weekly requirements. Ensure the NAM regional promotional activity is included in the weekly regional forecast-synching forecast with Regional plans - ad hoc drives etc.
• Stock Control - Weekly Review of physical stock vs model stock. Get involved in resolving shortages –communicate back to agent and trade. Communicate stock problems to centralise planning, agents and management
• Back Door Alignment - Weekly reduction on returns and “do not order” stock. Manage Daymon, Metro PL as well as Pack and Stack to reduce cost of returns. Monthly meetings with various DC’s and DC controllers to limit damages and returns – design a plan in order to limit these returns.

In-store KPI (Key Performance Indicators) Achievement

• Primary space- Shelf Health (Clean product and shelf, correctly positioned, visible PI label). Shelf layouts as per planogram. Adherence to all merchandising requirements.
• Secondary Space- Correct usage of POS material – In store theatre. Positioning- high traffic areas, relevant to product (Rusks in Coffee and Tea section as opposed to washing powder section).
• Reporting- Report on Competitor price – Price survey is not always enough - deep cut deals from opposition etc. Competitor activity – promo’s, launches, in store promotions and activities. New products by Competitor – photo, original product etc. Identify new listing and display opportunities. Pull and analyse reports from Display track via the internet to monitor movement of POS to store after promotions have started.

Communication

• Internal communication- Weekly Regional Report (Format) to NSM – via mail. 20x Weekly Scorecard Reports – file for NSM when visiting Region. Monthly Price survey to be conducted – check before submitting, comment on price issues before submission to administrator. Report on all expenditure – cellphone, vehicle and ad hoc (category D). Promotional Feedback – National Account Activity – execution of promotions and feedback to KAM and NSM. Category Management Feedback – Report deviations and successes.
• External communication- Cycle Brief meeting – Monthly-Informative, Interactive and value added. Buyer and Trade Contacts – via Trade Contact Report – weekly and mail to KAM and NSM. General Operational Contacts –

Customer Relationship Management

• Maintain and expand the customer base by building and maintaining good relationships with key customers and recognising new customer opportunities.
• Understand key customers’ operations and strategies as well as their requirements and trends.
• Gather regional market intelligence on national accounts and key regional accounts.
• Manage and coordinate regional resources in line with customer plans in order to achieve strategic objectives (call planners etc).
• Ensure the customer service policy is rigidly implemented and maintained.
• Resolve escalated customer queries and issues professionally and in the best interest of all parties.

Regional Management

• Lead the regional team towards meeting strategic objectives and targets through regular communication and utilisation of the full organisational talent management tool set.
• Manage and deliver on succession plans to enable the development of a future generation of leaders and specialists and ensure optimal turnover and retention levels are maintained.
• Champion training and development of the team through the utilisation of available training opportunities or by contributing to the development of new training solutions in collaboration with regional and national training specialists.
• Conduct regular performance appraisals with subordinates and ensure that the process is cascaded throughout the regional team.
• Develop and manage high performance multi-disciplinary teams in order to solve problems within the region.
• Encourage skills workshops between multi-disciplinary teams and across the regional team to realise the transfer of skills.
• Conduct weekly management meetings and ensure that records are kept and shared across the team and that action plans agreed to within team meetings are delivered upon.
• Manage the employee relations climate and ensure corrective action is taken where required in line with relevant legislation and company policy.
• Monitor team performance and provide regular feedback.
• Coach and support team members where necessary to achieve objectives