Position: Divisional Sales Director : Johannesburg Gauteng

Environment: Technical Chemical Specialist Sales within Construction

Company Overview:

Our client is a proudly South African Company serving blue chip and multi-national clients, with footprints in South Africa and Africa. They function in a specialist sector of chemical industrial manufacturing with a high quality sought after comprehensive product range used in a variety of applications (construction, mining, food and beverage, commercial buildings, agriculture and more). They have been delivering world class products and technology with proven success for over 30 years. Their manufacturing facilities are located in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The prime objective of the regional director will be to build a sustainable, well trained and focused sales team with the ability to solve technical problems and add value to customers. This will require in-depth knowledge of the specialist products, construction and corrosion protection markets. An intimate understanding of the range of products and chemistries involved by division, will be important so that customer needs can be fulfilled.

The divisional sales director will be part of the EXCO team and must manage, drive and build the Gauteng sales department, including the internal sales administration functions, to meet the financial plans as per regional budget. The person will be responsible for developing and implementing the annual budget for the region. A minimum of 12% growth per annum would be expected.

Monthly sales reports must be generated investigating sales against budget, margin analysis, variance analysis, competitor activity and feedback on project pipeline and growth strategy. This includes performing top 20 regional customer sales analyses, assessing the results and adjusting strategy to meet budget. All this must be done in conjunction with the overall company strategy, vision and mission and goals.

Strategic initiatives to be driven and processes to be implemented as well as driving new sales strategy and market opportunities will be critical to the success of the roll.

The ability to building customer relations on all levels, from ground level up to executive level is most important.

Key responsibilities.

1. Achieve regional sales targets
One of the most important functions of any sales team member, including the Regional Sales Director, is to secure sales for the company and develop new customers. This is done both directly and through team members. Maintaining key account relationships would be critical.

2. Build Relationships
A regional sales director must build and maintain key relationships with the top 20 Gauteng customers. Using excellent interpersonal skills the director would be expected to network and develop new relationships with potential clients and stakeholders and follows up with potential and current clients through phone, email and sometimes regular visits. Industry networking it vital to the position. Also important to build internal team moral and energy within the branch as a whole and not only within the sales team.

3. Manage Sales Team

4. Administrative functions
Daily reporting and forecasting for the branch. Regulatory and statutory information support to the board of directors. Sales forecasting and planning in line with the production team.

5. Reporting functions: Directly to the MD

Monthly reports to the Managing Director will include:

1. Presenting regional sales results by rep and by customer.
2. Top 20 customer analysis. Margin report analysis.
3. Sales variance analysis.
4. Monthly/weekly sales meeting feedback with your sales team.
5. KPI analysis
6. Quarterly budget review

Core skills:

• Extensive experience in sales management with a successful track record on growth strategies and implementation
• Demonstrated ability to close deals
• Proficient in problem solving with a positive attitude
• Resilient
• Propensity to own and not to hand off problems and responsibilities
• High strategic thinker
• Innovative forward thinker
• Attention to detail
• Excellent communication and people skills, able to build collaboration and cohesiveness with the team, organization and with clients
• Excellent presentation skills verbal and written
• Strong numerical and analytical abilities
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs, such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel
• CRM systems
• Excellent knowledge of Customer Relationship Management Strategy with customer profiling and segmentation in order to position the business correctly in relation to its customers and their expectations
• Quality assurance
• Understand the importance of brand recognition and brand building, should be the embodiment of the business values of the company in terms of high ethical standards and excellence
• Ability to manage, motivate and energize a team in order to facilitate growth
• Ability to obtain competitor information and compare against our products
• Strong research skills and ability to identify growth markets in the economy at large

Specific Preferred skills:

• Having industry sector-specific sales and management experience that is knowledge of the construction industry, specialist flooring industry, corrosion protection and coatings industry
• A technical BSc Degree or Diploma in chemistry, construction management, quantity surveying, SAPMA paint qualifications. MBA would be advantageous
• Proficiency in common sales and data management software for example Pastel
• Knowledge and experience of how construction projects unfolds and the different stages of construction projects
• Minimum 15 years’ experience in a related industry and specific proven track record in sales management