Area Sales Manager - General Trade - Food (8-15 yrs)

Role Requirements:

- Person should have FMCG background ideally from Spices, Meal Solutions and Foods space

- Minimum 8-15 years' experience in FMCG GT Channel Sales.

- Should have experience of scaling new businesses and good awareness of how to set up distribution channels, appoint new distributors, set up S&D processes and recruit teams

- Graduate/MBA in Sales & marketing,

- Good Communication & Interpersonal skills, Strong leadership skills,

- Proficient in excel, PowerPoint and SAP system use

Key Responsibility areas:

1. Target Setting & Achievement

- Setting monthly and quarterly Primary and Secondary Sales targets for each reporting team member and all distributors in line with overall organisational sales plan

- Target setting to be done at value and volume level for all key brands at SKU level

- Ensure 100%+ target achievement for each month

- Set up tracking mechanism for target achievement for each team member and all distributor drive improvement in low performing teams

- Ensuing healthy weekly phasing for target achievement and avoid month end stock dumping

2. Planning Sales Inputs and execution

- Lead planning for all trade schemes on monthly basis with inputs from central sales teams for all channels (retail, wholesale, rural markets, self-service outlets)

- Ensure 100% scheme utilisation and execution in-market

- Track effectiveness of trade schemes in achieving sales results and make necessary changes

- Identify areas for cost optimization and lowering of scheme costs to improve overall cost to sales (CTS)

- Drive innovative approach in scheme planning and execution.

3. Stock Control

- Lead rolling 3 month distributor level forecasting for all brands at SKU level

- Ensure 90%+ forecast accuracy.

- Work with central and regional logistics team for ensure adequate stock availability at CFA and distributor levels required to meet sales targets

- Ensure no stock aging at CFA and Distributor level

- Plan timely liquidation of stocks to ensure to write off

4. Implementing S&D (Sales and Distribution) Strategy

- Provide inputs to central sales teams for building annual sales and distribution strategy

- Ensure 100% adherence for all S&D guidelines in the area

- Improve market and outlet coverage basis S&D strategy

5. Trade Infrastructure management

- Maintain positive relationship with all trade partners - distributors, super stockists, sub-stockists, rural stockists and wholesellers

- Build distributor score card to track progress and make changes or improvement where necessary

- Appoint new distributors basis S&D strategy to improve market and outlet coverages

6. Sales Commercial

- Ensure timely payment of all trade claims

- Track all S&D costs and plan actions to lower overall CTS (cost to sales)

7. Market Understanding

- Build strong understanding of all competition actions in market. Track and plan anti-competition actions in market to build market share

- Track all new developments in the category wrt new launches, new consumer trends, new S&D developments etc and report to central sales teams to build actions to improve market share

- Report trade price of key categories to help formulate pricing plans

8. Develop team

- Train and develop reporting team of ASE, TSI and SO to improve their individual performance.

- Conduct monthly meetings to plan sales actions for the month in line with overall plans and ensure all teams are equipped to achieve sales targets and ensure effective deployment of S&D actions.

- Lead hiring of new team members

- Coach team to improve sales productivity at all levels

9. Data Systems and Digital

- Improve adoption of digital technology by distributors (DMS) and sales teams (SFA)

- Build strong MIS and reporting systems to track and report top KPIs

10. BTL Activations

- Support central sales and marketing teams to help execute key BTL activities like activations, sampling and visibility programs

11. Focus portfolio sales

- Improve focus portfolio sales - Must sell SKU's and new product launches.

- Build unique sales actions to improve sales of new product launches.

Reporting Relationships

- Role Reporting to RSM or GM/DGM Sales

- Team Reporting to Role - ASE (Area Sales Executives)

Functional Interactions

- Marketing & Innovations team

- Central and Regional logistics team

- Central Sales Enabling Organisation team

- Finance team

- Sales HR