Channel Sales Manager - Photography and Optics

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:

Our client is a well-established importer and distributor of home appliances, personal care appliances, photographic equipment (cameras and lenses), device memory and storage. 

Responsibilities:

Responsible for sales within the photographic and optics (cameras and lenses) channel to all related retail stores.

• To grow the South African market in sales and profit aligned to the company’s commercial strategy agreed with their distributor in South Africa
• To develop and position the company’s brands across these markets as differentiated, technology led brands:
  • To grow market share, sales and profits sustainably, across the photographic and optics channels
  • To leverage full retail potential for all product categories
  • Manage all sales aspects of the company’s relations with their South African Distributors
  • To lead retail commercial terms and negotiation, forecasting, execution plan and training teams, to drive sales performance in all channels and all markets
  • Responsible for Product Sell into major networks
  • Increase attachment rates within the photographic and optics space
  • Creating and implementing sell out strategies in the retail environment
  • Managing photographic and optics budgets
  • Forecasting

Main accountabilities and supporting activities:

Deliver sales results and profitability:

• Elaborate the distributor forecast in detail of sell in by week and by store with activity plan
• Drive effective channel strategy execution and range implementation with distributors to maximise and optimise the company’s profitably in line with market goals
• Work with the Marketing, Retail, Online and Finance Teams to execute integrated Masterplan for the emerging markets
• Responsible for delivering monthly sales volumes and profitability
• Train and upskill the capability of the sales and demonstrator team to increase effectiveness and rate of sale per store – driving best practise across the region
• Drive distributor sales planning processes to increase forecasting accuracy and ensure monthly delivery of results

Distributor Partnership and engagement in new markets:

• Assess current distributor network and/or scope new partners
• Execute playbook of geographical expansion in all phases
• Lead complex negotiations with retailers around commercial terms
• Manage multi-channel Profit and Loss
• Develop Category Management plan by channel for each distributor
• Lead top to top meeting and quarterly business review
• Track monthly internal and external profitability with finance (Distributor Profit and Loss vs Company’s Profit and Loss)

Company’s Brand awareness and communication plan

• Develop the brand building investment plan together with Marketing and Sales teams
• Analyse the consumer insights and market data to take in considerations consumer behaviour in building the plan
• Forecast market share and market value
• Define target for category and penetration to be reached in 5 years
• Drive the conversation around the company’s plan with distributors and local stakeholders to be integrated within their plan

Line Management of the Sales team in the distributor:

• Manage and develop the distributors sales team to ensure capacity and capability to deliver the company ambition
• Lead the controlled retail with 3rd party, by defining demonstrators KPI’s for performance and measure weekly

Legal Compliance:

• Ensure contracts and legal agreements are in place and compliant to internal legal guidelines
• Ensure compliance with competition and bribery guidelines

Other duties, as required:

• Relish the opportunity to pick up new activities that fall broadly in the purpose of the role
• Fix things that you can see need fixing
• Identify problems and find solutions

Qualifications and Experience required:

• 5+ years of sales experience, preferably with distributors and 3rd party retailers (photo and optics being a distinct advantage)
• Past work experience with full accountability to sales forecast and negotiation
• Have a track record in working on a complex project with multiple stakeholders and stretching goals
• Track record of leading a key account with high performance objectives
• Experience in managing a small team and/or training

Skills and Competencies required:

• Excellent organisational and planning ability
• Strong Project management skills
• Excellent analytical skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Presentation skills – able to communicate confidently at all levels of the organisation and with external senior stakeholders
• Ability to work in a fast paced and challenging environment
• Team player - leading by example
• Adaptable/flexible – able to multi task
• Approachable
• Organised
• Strong communicator
• Willingness to travel in the market
• Strong motivatiion
• Passionate about the company’s technology