Job Vacancies at Diplomat Distributors

Job Purpose:

• To implement and drive the sales strategy and action plans for Modern Trade. The region-specific plans shall be aligned to the overall Diplomat strategy and support the profitability and vision of the company.
• Facilitate and enable meeting of sales targets and revenue margins within budgetary constraints and in compliance with the trading standards and parameters/criteria set by the supplier/vendor.
• This role includes the managing of execution and implementation of merchandising standards and ensure compliance with Diplomat SA's policies, practices and procedures.
• The position manages and oversees the regional merchandising function that will ensure that all customers receive an excellent merchandising service in order to facilitate sales.

Key Responsibilities:

• Ensure all expenses are within the regional sales budget.
• Manage the costs and budget of the regional merchandising and sales teams.
• Consistently achieving sales targets.
• Channel management and growth
• Market share growth.
• Ensure all expenses are within the regional sales budget.
• Communicate the business strategy and the impact on sales targets and revenues and ensure buy-in by all concerned.
• Develop and implement action plans to grow the regional customer base and increase revenue.
• Assist with the forecasting during times of product and price changes.
• Support the finance team in debt collection and resolution of payment issues / claims.
• Share key customer, markets and competitor insights with the sales team.
• Product management and availability in stores.
• Effective people management / 3rd party agency influence.
• Leading the sales team through effective people management practices.
• Enable the merchandising and sales team to attend to first level customer queries.
• Assist in resolving high priority customer complaints regarding merchandising and sales services.
• Drive the perfect store plans and ensure alignment with Vendor requirements.
• Monitor and control customer service through monthly call cycles.
• Monitor call cycle visits to ensure customers are effectively serviced in terms of a merchandising and sales services.
• Identify, develop and build relationships with customers in the region to support and enable the business plans.
• Develop and demonstrate a thorough understanding of the customer's business.
• Ensure compliance to point of sale and price point for products and continuously communicate to all sales team members.
• Implement launches and promotions to increase sales of categories/product lines in own region.
• Monitor the set-up of displays in stores and execution of initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with merchandising and sales standards.
• Utilize regional market, customer and competitor information to analyze trends and effectively identify threats.
• Actively engage all areas of operation to facilitate support for the sales team to execute regional plans.
• Facilitate the commercial process for customers.
• Plan and conduct the induction process for new team members.
• Manage time and attendance of the regional sales team.
• Ensure compliance to all HR policies and procedures.
• Conduct effective workforce planning to ensure the regional sales team is staffed to capacity and all customers can receive an excellent service.
• Audit the department regularly to maintain merchandising standards.
• Conduct regular team meetings and involve trade marketing to inform brand updates.
• Manage the performance of the regional team to ensure outputs enable the achievement of the business plans.
• Conduct analysis of customer and sales metrics, costs and categories to inform business decisions.
• Mentor and coach the regional sales team to achieve sales targets.
• Manage and guide the merchandising and sales team through on the job training.
• Conduct training needs analysis for sales employees and implement train-ing interventions (brand promotion, counting shelf space, product knowledge, negotiation skills etc.).
• Build capacity within own team to ensure succession planning is effective
• Keeping up to date with competitors
• Business review with top customers once per month.
• Analyze regional market trends and discover new opportunities for growth
• Stay abreast of latest developments in the industry.
• Take responsibility for self-development through self-study, identification of learning opportunities.

Position Requirements:

• National Diploma or B Comm degree in Marketing or similar.
• 5 - 8 years Sales & Merchandising experience within the Modern Trade/Tier 1 environment of the FMCG industry.
• Minimum of 5 years in Regional Manager Modern Trade experience requisite (store level as well as DC/Regional level).
• Minimum of 3 years sales team management experience.
• Advanced knowledge of MS Office, including relevant Sales systems.
• Advanced skills in the following:
• Relationship building and communication
• Industry and product knowledge
• Business report writing & presentation
• Own vehicle with a valid driver's license.
• Must be based in Cape Town, Western Cape.
• Availability to travel as needed.

go to method of application »

Job Purpose
To implement and drive the sales strategy and action plans for Tier 3 High Frequency Stores in the Regional Township market. The region specific action plans shall support the profitability and vision of the company.

Furthermore, this role includes the identification and development of Sub-distributors to handle the logistics on behalf of Diplomat SA within the emerging market.

Critical to this role is the management and capacity building of staff which is sourced through a third party service provider. The management of the sales team shall be in accordance with the business HR policies:

• Ensure all expenses are within the regional sales budget.
• Manage the achievement of the cost savings targets of the business.
• Communicate the business strategy and the impact on sales targets and revenues and ensure buy-in by all concerned.
• Develop and implement action plans to grow the regional customer base and increase revenue.
• Build and maintain business relationships with regional customers to enable sales and volume growth.
• Build relationships with sub-D's in the region to support and enable the business plans.
• Ensure understanding of the Diplomat Vendor expectations and communicate to own regional sales team.
• Drive the Golden store and Perfect store plans and ensure alignment with Vendor requirements.
• Implement launches and promotions to increase sales of categories/product lines in own region.
• Ensure compliance to point of sale and price point for products and continuously communicate to all sales team members.
• Utilise regional market, customer and competitor information to analyse trends and effectively identify threats.
• Manage the profitability of the regional sales team through accurate tracking of sales generated.
• Ensure compliance to all HR policies and procedures .
• Conduct effective workforce planning to ensure the regional sales team is staffed to capacity and all customers can receive an excellent service.
• Manage time and attendance and overtime of the regional sales team.
• Actively engage all areas of operations to facilitate support for the sales team to execute their plans.
• Manage the performance of the regional team to ensure outputs enable the achievement of the business plans.
• Mentor and coach the regional sales team to achieve sales targets.
• Review training needs analysis to determine interventions to increase capacity.
• Build capacity within own team to ensure succession planning is effective.
• Self development to stay abreast of latest developments in area of responsibility.
• Take responsibility for self-development through self-study, identification of learning opportunities.

Position Requirements

• Completed Matric or equivalent, accredited by SAQA.
• National Diploma in Marketing preferred.
• A minimum of 4 years relevant sales and marketing experience within the FMCG industry (Tier 3/Informal Trade).
• 3 years Field Sales team management experience.
• Working knowledge of MS Office programs.
• Good working knowledge of the informal market customer profile.
• Must be a local and reside in Eastrand, Gauteng.
• Problem-solving and analytical skills to interpret sales performance and market trend information.
• Excellent negotiation skills.
• Good budget and report writing skills.
• Presentation skills, written and verbal.
• Own vehicle with a valid driver's license.

go to method of application »

Key Responsibilities
The purpose of the role is to implement the Tier 3, Sub-D / Main Market strate-gy at retail level. The primary purpose of the role is to ensure targeted Coverage, Sales, Distribution and Retail Presence Objectives are met. The channel is a must win channel and of strategic importance to the Company and its principals.

• Consistent development and updating of the Retail Outlet Universe Data base.
• Consistent achieving of Coverage, Sales, Numeric Distribution & In Store Communication objectives.
• Achieving of the trade coverage plan.
• On time reporting and completion of daily administration objectives.
• Implementation of all merchandising initiatives according to determined standards.
• Responsible for all company resources on a daily basis i.e. Vehicles, POS, Merchandising material, stock, mobile phone.
• The implementation of promotions when applicable.
• Field any trade related issues or queries at store level.
• Provide ongoing market intelligence to management.

Position Requirements

• Completed Matric or equivalent, accredited by SAQA.
• 1 - 3 years Field Sales experience *from an Informal Trade*.
• Own vehicle and a valid driver's license.
• Must have met set targets for a defined period.
• Must be a local and reside in the relevant area of operation; Johannesburg - CBD
• Basic computer skills (MS Outlook, MS Office).
• Good communication skills.
• Attention to detail.
• Basic numeric skills.