Unilever - Assistant Sales Manager - Modern Trade

JOB SUMMARY (JOB DESCRIPTION) :

Modern Trade/ Key accounts

Customer Infrastructure & satisfaction : The ASM is responsible for ensuring a robust Customer Infrastructure is in place in the territory. Distributors are appointed by the ASM wherever necessary and it is his responsibility to track their overall performance on key metrices. ASM is supposed to optimize the quantity & quality of customers in his area such that there are no service gaps while ensuring adequate service levels for trade and financial viability for customers.

- He monitors the financial health and profitability of all Customers and also negotiates TTS discussions with GTM Customers. The ASM also needs to step in from time to time to resolve customer issues which cannot be handled at a field-force level. Along with his team (FF) the ASM is also responsible for primary & secondary customer complaint resolution.

Growth & Execution : The ASM drives Top-line growth in the area and ensures all execution metrices are also in place. He is responsible for QGP splitting between sales officers and tracking them on a continuous basis. He will also need to monitor channel-wise and category-wise growths in the territory. It is also the ASM's responsibility to ensure all new launches are landed in the area and to ensure all merchandising activities are run well. Execution metrics are the input metrics for delivering share gaining growth and are hence very important.

Drive a team of 10-25 :

- Team handling & team building are the most important aspects of an ASM's role. The ASM role is a key leadership role with 10-25 direct reportees.

- The ASM is responsible for managing the team, motivating them and getting them to deliver their metrices. He needs to understand the working style and strengths and weaknesses of each person to get them to reach their potential and also needs to provide developmental inputs on a continuous basis. How an ASM binds his team together is often a make or break factor in performance of a team

- Ensuring right trade support as per category-channel construct and competitive context: The ASM works closely with the Team to ensure the right kind of trade support is provided to help deliver metrices. He also feeds back competition activities/ops etc to the Team to ensure we are competitive in the market. The ASM will need to meet with trade several times in a month to pick up inputs on these. The ASM needs to ensure higher focus on categories of future & channels of future so as to ensure a balanced category-channel construct, sustainable from growth point of view.

- Liaising with key Partner Functions: The ASM liaises with the Supply Chain Team to ensure packwise estimates are built correctly for the area. He also ensures norms build up at an RS level are hygienic and supplies from depots are in order. He also ensures that the stock build up at Customer points are at the acceptable level. The ASM works with the Commercial Team to ensure customers are healthy and that payments to company are in order.

- Ensuring controls & financial hygiene: Along with Commercial & Supply Chain team, ASM is supposed to have check on system hygiene at customers on aspects like extent of sales return, extent of damage/ shortage claims, mismatch between primary & secondary, physical vs. book stock mismatch, trade discount hygiene etc. ASM needs to play an active role in probing cases of deviation from norms on the above mentioned aspects.

KEY REQUIREMENTS (EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & SKILLS) :

Required Skills :

- Demonstrated leadership skills

- Sound analytical skills

- Negotiation and Consensus Building

- Takes Initiative

- Team player who understands people well

- Proven ability to thrive in ambiguous environment.

- Result orientation

- Ability to express thoughts logically and succinctly

Relevant Experience:

Essential :

- Bachelor's degree required. MBA is preferred.

- Analytical skills and demonstrated ability to manage the business by the numbers.

- Jobs involving quick decision making

- Has good track record when it comes to delivering results (academic/ professional).

- Jobs involving extensive oral communication, people interaction & negotiation

Desirable :

- Experience in a highly analytical, results-oriented environment. Preferably FMCG.

- External customer interaction.

- Experience of jobs involving active listening skills, highly consultative and solutions-oriented.

- Deep understanding of the retail and wholesale landscape in India with prior interactions with sellers and distributors is desirable.

- Experience in selling new products and developing markets