Sales Zone Manager at Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa

Responsibilities

Dealership Sales Management 

• Carry over orders (review and determine which sales can be brought forward)
• Stock analysis
• Sales vs. objective reviews
• Coach Sales Manager
• Dealer Sales Team Organisation structure and people quality assessed, and changes recommended where required.
• Forecast Mid-month Estimate (probe, understand and determine what actions can be implemented to rectify if below target)
• Achieve Retail and Wholesale sales objectives.

Dealership Retail Performance Management

• Review of objectives (month, quarter, pre and post analysis)
• Cross-sell analysis
• Dealer Action Plan (preparation, presentation, and review)
• Lead, manage and coordinate the Sales Review process with Dealer Planning and the Regional Manager
• Connectivity uptake 
• E-Commerce rollout 
• Manage all systems/CX processes with the CX manager. 
• Management: Dealer Standards/FGE processes with CX Mngr
• Manage and ensure dealer satisfaction. 

Sales Planning Meeting

• Review Sales Objectives/program targets 
• PBR: Review financial benefits of Dealer Target achievement 
• ‘Sell’ the programs for month ‘A’ e.g., FDAF/Marketing advertising/New SVP’s/New incentives/Carryover incentives etc.; pricing changes; show Ford developed merchandise props and direct mail, advertising layouts etc.
• ‘Plan’ with dealers their actions to achieve program targets e.g., develop/understand Dealership merchandising activity for the month/quarter.
• ‘Execute’ Dealer and Company Plans

Order To Delivery Process

• Conduct Detailed Stocking Opportunities File (SOF) Review/ Sales Availability Meeting (SAM) with dealer.
• Ensure compliance and adherence to all sales systems. 

Customer Satisfaction Initiatives

• Customer Satisfaction: Sales (review performance, counsel and assist in process improvements – all aspects)

Business Management

• Facility (advise, counsel in conjunction with Dealer Development Manager who takes the lead to follow up on Dealer plans)
• Dealership sales staff levels (review/advice and counsel)
• Guard the Ford Brand image in accordance with Company policy requirements input as per Market Rep plan. 

Training

• Product Knowledge 
• 8-Step sales process 
• Sales Consultant coaching and development 
• District Sales Managers are responsible for soliciting enrolments in training courses managing their District to achieve 100% Dealership staff participation and qualification.

Meeting Attendance and Participation

• Monthly / Quarterly Reviews and Regional Dealer Meetings
• Dealer of the Year and Sales Merit Club
• Special Events (other)

Miscellaneous

• Provide competitive information feedback in a weekly feedback report, specifically including competitive merchandising actions and incentives.
• Bulletin management 
• System and integration support 
• Department support 
• Back-up for other Field Sales Managers when they are on annual leave etc.

Qualifications

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIES 

• Strong business acumen & Presentation Skills; written and verbal; able to walk people of various levels of an organization through project details and business cases, utilizing efficient and effective methods, as determined most appropriate for the audience and contents.
• Relationship building – able to read and connect with key business partners (incl Dealers) and establish collaborative partnerships.
• Able to work under tight deadlines, pressurized environments.
• Excellent analytical skills and the ability to do detailed root-cause analysis.
• Proven effective planning and time management skills.
• Problem-solving skills 
• Conflict Management skills 
• Project & business Plan development and implementation experience
• Must be able to work independently and take own initiative to ensure the expected results are achieved.
• Have a can do, find a way attitude and a very strong emotional resilience.

QUALIFICATIONS and EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Business Management/Marketing/related field 
• Min 5 years Retail Automotive industry experience or OE field experience (ideally as a District Sales Manager) with a combination of other OE M&S experience is a must.
• Detailed Process knowledge of Dealer Sale operations, Systems and Procedures
• Must have worked in at least four of the following six areas, of which Ford Sales Planning and Automotive wholesale Marketing are both a mandatory prerequisite: - (Sales Planning - Order Control/ OTD analyst; Marketing; Ford Credit; Business Management; Aftersales (Service/Parts); Fleet; automotive retail sales)
• Up to date on the latest trends and technologies impacting Consumer Experience at transactional level.
• Frequent travel across the dealer network will be required, therefore a valid driver’s license is a must.
• Fluency and proficiency in English is a must