Trade Marketing Representative at British American Tobacco

ROLE POSITIONING AND OBJECTIVES

The value proposition of a Territory TMD Representative is to provide BATSA with a competitive advantage, ensuring that our portfolio of brands is available in the right place, in the right quantities, at the right time. Ensuring that BATSA has the opportunity to grow volume and share across multiple categories.

In owning the commercial relationship with the Customer, the Representative can ensure that BATSA offers superior customer service and establish BATSA as the Benchmark Supplier within the FMCG industry by consistently meeting (and exceeding) Customer expectations.

The Territory Trade Representative acts as the human interface of our brands.

WHAT YOU WILL BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR

BUSINESS RESULTS

• Own the commercial relationship within the outlet to drive both Volume & Share Growth of BATSA FMC and New categories. Facilitate relevant discussions with outlet owners/managers in relation to the performance of the categories and what initiatives could/should be actioned in order to drive growth.

Evolution of Trades’ Digital transformation

• Educate, onboard and manage defined retailer engagement programs (B2B) in the trade in accordance with company strategy, implementation and agreed compliance measures. Primary focus to ensure customers are aware and achieve performance targets and rewards, whilst being compliant on hygiene factors in order to earn.
• Retailer engagement: Educate, engage, and motivate retailers and/or kiosk staff to speak on BATSA products and brands to adult nicotine shoppers, using the B2B digital platform to drive growth. (Brand Advocacy)

Execute trade fundamentals through both digital and physical engagement.

• Product availability: Ensure the right product mix (carton, pack, pods, cans and stick) availability at the right place aligned with Brand Coverage Targets. Manage the retail stock levels and forward stock pressure to avoid Out of Stocks to less than 2%.
• Own the commercial relationship within the outlet to drive both volume and share growth of BATSA FMC and New categories. Facilitate relevant discussions within the outlet owners/managers in relation to the performance of the tobacco category and propose initiatives that could/should be actioned to drive growth.
• Product visibility: Ensure that all BATSA touchpoint materials are refreshed according to retail contracts, cycle, and shopper campaign plans though merchandisers where applicable, through Retailers and kiosk staff as well as by self. In addition, implement and maintain planograms in accordance with execution guidelines.
• Product quality: Ensure that stocks are monitored and rotated at certain intervals for complying with the stocking policy of the company (FIFO - First In First Out) and returned product products collected aligned with the policy through the approval of the Regional Manager and Route to Market Manager.
• Pricing: Manage instore pricing compliance across all categories, leveraging commercial tools and programs ( B2B, Key account contracts)by ensuring that pricing is communicated in every outlet, either with a pricing poster, PI labels or DIGI 8. Negotiating for the RRSP compliancy for packs and stick pricing in outlets to ensure that our consumers get the product at the correct price.

Resource Management

• Timely collection of payments and avoiding overdues and bad debts with the minimal disruption to sales by defining and allocating the right credit limit defined by credit policy to retailers. Ensure Letters of Demand are handed over timeously to ensure customers are always aware of the status of their accounts, especially when their accounts are overdue. Offering the payment plan options to retailer to collect any outstanding monies to the company before handing over the account.
• Ensure customer database maintenance is performed daily, weekly, monthly and that there is 100% accurate information across current and new outlets registered, with focus on contact and classification information. Ensure all customer & market surveys are completed accurately and aligned to agreed timings.
• Efficient management of time through call cycle planning to achieve minimum required calls per day, whilst proactively identifying new customers to grow the existing customer database to increase the BATSA footprint. Ensuring that relevant discussions on the commercial offers are had to drive profitability for each outlet.
• Ensure an efficient and safe usage of company’s assets such as vehicle, product, merchandising materials, IT equipment and supporting tools meeting the company’s EHS & security policies and inventories are balanced off as per procedures.
• Planning: Ensure Daily and weekly preparation done in line with the objectives to achieve 100% route coverage and obtain the correct materials and stock to perform activities and relevant tasks.
• Ensure all ad-hoc requests for market related feedback or pilot programs are fully understood and delivered within agreed timings.
• Achieve Build exceptional external relationships with the trade by giving assistance and support through regular communication to drive customer partnerships. Weekly opposition reporting to ensure that BATSA remains competitive in the market and to assist with better planning for our brands.

LEADERSHIP RESULTS

Ownership of territory performance:

• Strive for improved business performance within own territory, through understanding drivers of performance (Own and competitor) and proposing and executing initiatives to increase volume and/or share.

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge/Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification (preferably in Marketing) or Matric/Grade 12 qualification with previous experience as a sales representative within a FMCG environment.
• Valid Code 08 Driver’s licence.

Skills

• Excellent selling, communication, and negotiation skills.
• Active listening.
• Story Telling.
• Presentation Skills
• Territory management
• Time management and planning.
• Technology and the use thereof through various sales tools and/or platforms.
• Collaboration internally to deliver compelling business proposals to customers.
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office.
• Effective relationship building skills and openness to feedback.
• Strong commercial understanding: (Bankable profit, Margins and Mark up).
• Product category understanding.
• Inventory & stock management.