Job Purpose Statement

The purpose of this job is to work with the Distributor to help, drive and improve numeric reach and market share as planned in the P&L sheet in the designated area of operation. Work with the Distributor Manager and drive a team of Distributor Sales Reps (DSRs) to deliver the key sell-out KPIs Revenue, Mix, as per defined P&L, SSO reach, SSO depth, SSO assortment as per segmentation, POST placement and productivity and ensure service levels from distributor to SSOs on credit terms and delivery in line with market practice/expectation. Must ensure SOP adherence by the Distributor on replenishment norms; daily and weekly meeting/review routines; all invoicing in DERP daily; CRM usage by DSR and self; ensure dissemination of discounts/rebates/promotions to SSOs as agreed with the Distributor by the DSRs; collect and report market intelligence; and ensure adherence to other relevant terms of trade as per contract. Own and drive off-take programme initiatives like Eeden and Shop Assistant programmes in core segmented SSOs. Support the MDO/Painter Rep team with identification of painters for the painter programme. He needs to build capability of the Distributor Sales Reps.

Organization Structure

Reports to the Regional Sales Manager/Area Sales Manager (only India)

Critical Accountabilities

KEY RESULT AREAS (KRA)

MAJOR ACTIVITIES

OUTCOME

1. Assist in Appointing Distributor Sales Reps (DSRs)

Short list candidates by conducting a first round of interview to assess the preparedness and fitness for the role. Create pipeline of such (keep the attrition of people in mind)
Focus on candidates with Paint or similar industry background
Understand location constraints of the candidate
Shortlist candidates to be interviewed by ASM

2. Training and capability of Distributors team

Train DSRs on the following:
Briefing on AkzoNobel profile
All Products USP of AkzoNobel Products and Competitors
Discounts/Rebates/Promotions Understanding and how to articulate and demonstrate the financial benefits to the Dealer
POST policy Benefits of a tinting machine
Terminologies – example: reach; segmentation; assortments etc.
Shadow market working with DSE
An aligned and competent distributor team with a reasonably good understanding of the paint industry, defined market, competition, SSO requirements, and AkzoNobel objectives.

3. Distribution deliverables

Assist DSR to appoint B1 and B2 – medium and large SSOs (ABC classification to be used until segmentation based on Retail Landscape is available)
POST expansion and productivity in the defined geography as planned in the Distributors P&L sheet (5-year rolling)
Propose to RSM/ASM on quarterly and annual tie-ups for Medium and Large SSOs to drive mix and loyalty
Build and maintain relationship with core segmented SSOs – Platinum/Gold/Silver/Dulux Point
Productivity of assets – POST and Eeden deployments

Deliver sustainable distribution and POST expansion (measured as % invoiced every month) for the distributor territory

4. Business and process deliverables

Maintain day to day contact with the Distributor(s) in a professional manner to deliver revenue, volume, mix and other Sales KPI's for the distributor territory within set policies to support the achievement of company's goals and objectives by adhering to defined meeting/review norms.
Daily meeting and review of defined Dashboards (updated every day – Mandatory; the Dashboards must be in the line of sight of the Owner/Manager)
Daily invoicing in DERP to reflect actual business
Weekly review of existing SSO performance and new SSO appointments vs. plan to understand reasons for growth or lack of growth - help DSR to understand reasons for non-performing SSOs and develop plans/interventions to ensure growth
Weekly review of assortment performance for core segmented SSOs and POS SSOs
Monthly review of DSR's beat and suggest changes modification if any to improve effectiveness/efficiency
Monthly review POST productivity vs. plan – invoicing of base + colourants – incremental
Monthly review of in-store offtake drivers – Eeden and shop assistant programmes – improvement in revenue/volume/mix of target SSOs
Review with SSOs (monthly cyclical) service levels, credit terms performance, accounts receivables performance, financial hygiene – regularity and clarity of statement of accounts, credit notes, debit notes and record feedback with Distributor/Distributor Manager with a copy to RSM/ASM
Ensure adherence to CRM usage by DSR, monthly cyclical surveys on SSO inventory and SSO hygiene (photographs)
Document all weekly and monthly reviews with the Distributor, Distributor Manager and RSM/ASM

Deliver, revenue, volume and mix for the distributor territory as per plan and ensure adherence to defined processes and tools

5. Market activities

Address complaints and drive closure (excluding POST equipment) – As required
Competitor intelligence duly recorded in CRM – Monthly
Key Account relationship management of Platinum, Gold, Silver and Dulux Point SSOs – Monthly
DSR route planning – Quarterly
Identify and help deploy Differentiated Value Propositions from the available menu for the country for core segmented channel – Annual plan and Quarterly review
Review distributor service levels vs. key competition and record improvement areas if any with Distributor and RSM/ASM – Half yearly
Drive mix and loyalty building rebates and promotions with core segmented channel – Quarterly/Annual plan and review

Key account management of core segmented channel and provide feedback to improve effectiveness and efficiency of the distributor team

6. Painter programme

Assist MDO and Painter Reps to identify and register painters; conduct painter shop meets/training/Best-By-Test meets
Coordinate with MDO to ensure offtake reflects into sell-out and hence sell-in
Assist MDO and Painter Rep team with pricing support from SSOs servicing Medium and Small projects

Ensure offtake programmes for painters translate into sell-out and sell-in

Major Challenges

Moving from an individual contributor to a people manager – even though people are not AkzoNobel FTE
Understanding Distributor operations and ways to handle the Channel via a distributor
Working with a partner who probably would be distributing paints for the first time in the country
Ability to transition from a direct SSO operations to managing a Distributor team

Key Decisions and Dimensions

Deployment of value propositions from the defined menu basis understanding of SSO
Ensuring adherence to defined SOP and contract by the distributor
Pricing support to Medium and Small projects serviced by the SSOs under the Distributor

Skills and Knowledge

University degree with 4 - 6 years of sales experience in a manufacturing company
Prior sales experience is mandatory and experience handling professional distributors in Appliances, Lubricants, Construction industry or similar will be an advantage
Should have the ability to lead and train an indirect team of people
A strong demonstration of execution skills in previous roles will be an advantage
Ability to use Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint and Word)
Clear communication skills (written and verbal communication skills) and good interpersonal and influencing skills
Willing to relocate within the country will be an advantage

Sales Manager

Devops Engineer

Sales Representative

Senior Sales Officer

Inside Sales Executive