Sales and Product Manager
Mission
To maintain and develop sales of a portfolio of products and services to the relevant industry area in the country to achieve agreed business targets and meet customer needs. To manage a specific product portfolio within a specific market segment in order to meet principal targets, product gross margin and working capital targets, by contributing to and implementing the Business Strategy.
Main Accountabilities
- To manage, develop and understand the needs of a growing customer base, making regular visits to these accounts and building, maintaining and managing relationships with key contacts at all levels
- Negotiate prices and volumes with customers in order to maximize returns to the business
- Seek out, analyse and develop new accounts, promoting sales of the product portfolio in line with business growth strategies.
- Agree on and achieve annual sales budgets with the Commercial Manager and Business Manager
- Ensure best-in-class customer engagement through optimal usage of the CRM system (Dynamics 365) and the integration of the different IT systems (Outlook, CRM, Team. Advocate the use of the Customer Portal and the e-Lab (if applicable)
- Gather, analyse, interpret and present market, product, competitor and industry data to enable development of the forward strategy of the business
- To visit and represent the company at trade fairs, exhibitions and conferences, networking with representatives from a broad range of companies
- Pro-actively monitor and review payment terms against customer portfolio, ensuring that payment terms and methods are adhered to, keeping business risk to a minimum. Ensure that payment terms and cash flow implications are considered at time of negotiation for all new and existing business
- Implement the business strategies to ensure long term interests of the businesses are protected
- Set direction for Sales prices ranges
- Optimize purchase prices by negotiation with principals
- Analyse and understand the strategy of principals in your portfolio in order to elaborate a marketing plan (market/product – client/market – client/product segments)
- Maintain and develop relationships with Principals in order to retain existing business and gain new business
- Act as technical support for the commercial teams (synthesize the information obtained from principals in order to cascade it to the commercial teams)
- Prepare the necessary arguments for the commercialisation of the products to improve the impact on the sales force on the field and generate more projects
- For Principals not covered by group contracts, negotiate and secure contracts in order to ensure long term security of supply
- Monitor, report and act on market and competitor activities in order to ensure that product strategies reflect current market activity
- Monitor principal targets and define corrective actions
- Responsible for reporting to principals
- Translate the Group’s Sustainability Strategy into concrete job-related action items and contribute actively and timely to the implementation of the sustainability KPIs
Experience, Skills & Education
- Bachelor degree in relevant field
- ± 3 years of experience in a commercial role in the relevant industry
- IT/digital savviness (CRM Dynamics 365, customer portal, usage of integrated Microsoft tools, …)
- Excellent communication skills
- Proven analytical skills
- Fluent in English
- Negotiation skills
- Good presentation skills
- Ability to work under pressure
- Ability to liaise with people at all levels
- Knowledge and networks within country area industry
- Understanding of products and their application
- Able to work as a team player
- Financial / Commercial Awareness
Reporting line and organisational level
- Business Manager or Commercial Manager
Internal and external stakeholders of the role
- Internal: Product Managers, Sales Managers, Commercial Manager, Business Manager, Back office Team
- External: Customer portfolio, Relevant Principals