Sales Representative at Bridgestone South Africa (Pty) Ltd

About the job
Our company
Tokyo-based Bridgestone Corporation is the world’s largest manufacturer of tires and other rubber products. We employ over 140,000 people around the world, operate 3 technical centers and 178 manufacturing plants and sell products in more than 150 countries. "Serving Society with Superior Quality” has been our mission since Shojiro Ishibashi founded Bridgestone in 1931 and we look for individuals who share our passion to fulfill this mission.
Facilities & Resources
Bridgestone EMEA operates in more than 60 countries and employs over 16,000 employees in its offices and plants:

• 9 Sales Regions with offices in Birmingham, Warsaw, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Bad Hamburg, Moscow, Johannesburg, and Dubai
• 14 plants in France (Bethune), Belgium (Lanklaar and Liege), Italy (Bari), Poland (Stargard and Poznan), Hungary (Tatabanya), Spain (Bilbao, Puente San Miguel and Burgos), South Africa (Port Elizabeth and Brits), Russia (Ulyanovsk) and a joint venture in Turkey ( Izmit)
• A raw materials plant in Spain (Usansolo)
• A leading R&D facility in Italy
• A state of the art proving grounds in Italy and Sweden
• The EMEA headquarters in Zaventem, Belgium.

Sales & Products

With its leading materials technology, the company focuses on high-performance tyres:

• A major supplier of original equipment to car manufacturers (including VW/Audi
• BMW, Mercedes, General Motors, Toyota, Nissen- Renault, etc.)
• A pioneer in Run-Flat Technology tyres and major supplier to car manufacturers
• A leading manufacturer in the agricultural market
• A leading manufacturer in the motorcycle market
• A leading brand in the truck & bus replacement market and a leading supplier to vehicle
• manufacturers (Mercedes, Renault, Volvo, Scania, MAN, DAF, Iveco, etc.)

Our tyres are sold under the Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton and other brand names for :

• Passenger cars, 4x4 vehicles
• Trucks and buses
• All types of commercial, construction and off-the-road vehicles
• Tractors and agricultural machinery
• Motorcycles and scooters
• Motor sport
• Aircraft

In addition to our Products, we also provide integrated fleet solutions as well as repair and maintenance services through our extensive fleet network.
For more information on our company please visit www.bridgestone.com and www.bridgestone.eu. To experience more about life at Bridgestone, check out the following link http://www.bridgestonenewsroom.eu/
Job Purpose

• Working as a team of Sales Representatives to ensure the success of the Customer Value
• Proposition by having a deep understanding of customer needs, ensuring that the customers
• have a single source of contact and providing quick responses within
• stipulated turnaround times. Achieve, top line and profitability targets for the region and to grow Bridgestone’s regional market share year on year.

Main Responsibilities
Sales:

•  Achieve 100% of sales budget units and profitability
•  Monitor sales by channel by outlet
•  Continuously increase sales per family customer, per category
•  Achieve sales mix, as per Sales policy

Customer Relations:

•  Foster trust relationships with customers through actions and proactive support;
•  Conduct marketing and promotional activities to enhance BSAFsales through channel;

 Qualify new business;

•  Investigate product problems and deal with related queries;
•  Build and maintain trusted customer relationships and provide product training

Reporting and Business Acumen:

•  Collect market data and use intelligently to analyse customer behavior;
•  Report on monthly dealer activity, pricing movement, market changes and competitor strategies;
•  Compile monthly/quarterly reports on channel performance;
•  Plan and compile itinerary and customer call reports;
•  Advise on product range, stock rotation etc.

Technical Services & Support:

•  Provide technical product specific support to customers;
•  Customer complaint management;
•  Assist with admin and customer on-boarding procedures.

Qualified candidates for this important position will therefore need to demonstrate the following:

•  Agility –to work in a matrix and complex environment where change happens at a rapid pace
•  Courage – to share ideas, think out of the box
•  Ownership – to see the bigger picture and take ownership by thinking and acting beyond the role

Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

•  B. Degree in Sales and Marketing or Business Management
•  Minimum 3 years’ experience in similar role
•  Minimum 2 years’ junior management experience
•  Basic Financial management skills (Profit & Loss / Balance sheet)
•  Valid Code 8 Drivers Licence
•  MS Office Intermediate
•  Must be able to work independently and under pressure
•  Must have a positive momentum, solid work ethic and result driven
•  Effective decision making skills, planning & implementation and communication skills
•  Effective communication skills - ability to inspire, intellectually stimulate, direct action for achieving results

Desirable

•  Working SAP Knowledge
•  Technical /Mechanical background will be a distinct advantage

Disclaimer

• Diversity and inclusion are a central part of Bridgestone EMEA’s values at the highest level. This is key for our people to show a passion for excellence for improving society connected to the world in which we live. Our commitment to diversity, is linked to our founders mission of ‘Serving Society with Superior Quality’, which is essential in shaping and creating the organisation, serving all people, respectfully, connected to our business. We recognise that