ROLE OVERVIEW
Developing trust relationships with a portfolio of clients and sourcing prospects both locally and internationally within the stationery and education sector. Acquiring a thorough understanding of key customer needs and requirements while working in field. Expanding the relationships with existing customers by continuously proposing solutions that meet their objectives. Researching and sourcing of new potential clients and prospects to build the company client base and portfolio in both the private and public sectors that are driven by sales.
SALES
- Actively seeking out new sales opportunities through lead generation initiatives, cold calling, networking, and research in both the public and private sectors including businesses, organisations, or government agencies.
- Identify and engage with potential new customers both locally and internationally.
- Responsible for sales and building business by identifying new prospects and selling the product line.
- Studying the company’s target market and identifying avenues to generate new leads.
- Communication with all clients, prospects and internal staff.
- Prepare and present appropriate presentations and proposals on products and unique services including sales and distribution of line and customisation opportunities.
- Develop a sales pipeline and forecast to achieve company and your targets.
- Negotiation of terms of sale, agreements and closing of sales with customers.
- Providing customers with detailed and accurate quotation and costing calculations.
- Work with management to create a comprehensive sales plan and strategy in line with company visions and objectives to ensure retainment of sales goals and targets.
- Assist with developing sales plans aligned to marketing initiatives.
- Develop sales campaigns in conjunction, with other divisions, that are aligned to the brand and the company objectives.
- Identify promotion plans, new product promotion strategies.
- Engage existing customers to explore the possibility of selling new solutions to meet their current and future needs.
- Position the company as lead stationery solutions partner for all customers.
- Develop new channels and customers to ensure full coverage by channel, product, and categories.
- Attend regular meetings and visits with clients including instore and onsite to build effective communications with our clients.
- Participate in setting pricing strategies in coordination with the management and finance teams.
- Responsible for market surveys and collecting information within the industry including instore sales, competitors, and new products within the market.
- Provide regular feedback to the team and to management regarding performance, industry updates and trends.
- Play an integral part in generating new sales that will turn into long lasting relationships.
- Responsibilities include growing the company''s revenue by ensuring that key clients are satisfied with the services provided, identifying new business opportunities for key clients, and attending all meetings, conventions, and training workshops.
- Communicating and collaborating with the advertising, design, marketing, sales, and logistics departments to ensure that key clients’ needs are met.
- Generating new business from existing clients or contacts and will develop new relationships with potential clients.
- Collaborating with the team and management to maximize profit by up-selling or cross-selling.
- Responsible for maintaining and updating records of all pricing, prospects, sales and activity reports.
- Weekly and monthly sales report submission and management.
- Achieving quarterly set targets and working with management with targets.
- Continuously review and evaluate above and below the line activities to ensure the sales objectives and operations are in line with company’s strategies.
CLIENT RELATIONS
- Develop trust relationships with a portfolio of clients to ensure they do not turn to any other service provider.
- Responsible for handling of customer relations with both new and existing business by ensuring customers are satisfied and adequately taken care of.
- Lead point of contact for all key client matters, anticipate the client’s needs, work within the company to ensure deadlines for the client are met, and help the client succeed.
- Ensuring excellent customer interactions from relationship throughout the sales cycle.
- Communication with all clients, prospects, and internal staff.
- Ensure that customer service and marketing outreach are all working together, and, in conjunction with management, assist with processed to inform improvements in customer retention and customer satisfaction.
- Client service executives act as a liaison between external customers and internal departments of the company.
- Resolve customer complaints via phone, email, mail or in person promptly and professionally, assist where you can and refer where appropriate.
- Responsible for regular contact with clients and look for opportunities to deliver added value to client relations.
- Being able to solve customer requests but will proactively offer ideas and insights to improve the customer''s issues and challenges.
- Interact with clients through email, telephone, and in-person meetings, as well as interact with other employees to resolve customer concerns.
- Serve as the direct link between the management and the client, managing day-to-day affairs and ensuring customer satisfaction.
- Build positive and productive relationships with clients for business growth and development.
- Liaising with internal departments to ensure client needs are fulfilled effectively.
- Conduct regular reporting concerning clients to stay current on client’s short term and long-term goals and identify opportunities to grow current client accounts including cross service expansion.
- Attending external meetings with clients, including deliveries from time to time, as this role is based primarily in field.
- Assist with lead generation in collaboration with management including the handling of lead responses processing and handling of enquiries and prospecting.
- Report and track all lead generation initiatives including follow ups, capturing information and scheduling of appointments.
PRODUCT and RETAIL DEVELOPMENT
- Collaborating with the team and management to maximize profit by up-selling or cross-selling in the field and/or in store.
- Propose new products lines and/or channels and/or categories based on data and needs analysis.
- Always ensuring pricing competitiveness and reporting concerns for action from management.
- Working with the product development team and management on new product development based on in field insight, knowledge and customers needs analysis.
- Proposing new ideas for solutions based on the market and customer requests and competitor assessments.
- Ensure visibility of proper Point of Sale, Point of Display, and key placement of the range of products displayed in every store, including inspection of product and the quality of displays.
- Where necessary report discrepancies or concerns to management.
- Assistance with inventory in stock and stock takes in the retail stores nationally by doing regular site visits and reporting low stock levels to ensure that there are no stock shortages.
- Working with the assigned personnel at each respective client to assist with stock level adherence, reordering and delivery in line with the clients’ ordering processes.
- Management of any service level agreements by client and work with management on areas that may require improvement or adjustments. Engage with customers to ensure that project and service delivery to them is in line with their expectations.
- For clients who have assigned consignment stock to their store, assist with spot checks and monthly stock takes to ensure sales reporting is accurate and sales are justified inline with their usage and sales for the period.
- Ensure that Brand Activations are properly and efficiently executed and where necessary make changes to ensure that the company standards are met.
- Report any issues to management and provide feedback of each activation.
- Conduct effective sales training to the team where needed.
- Participate in client events and ensure that all marketing and sales collateral is available prior to attending the event.
- Assist with promotion planning with retail division.
- Assist with market research including competition, customer demand and market trends.
- Analyse product performance based on SKU including movement, contributions, and aging stock.
- Assist with new product launch plans to the retail sector including training where necessary.
- Work with distributor to arrange the events, including brand launch, new product launches and promotional events and all branding and advertising is in line with company standards.
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
- Individual must possess a minimum of 5+ years combined Sales and/or Key Accounts experience
- Must have stationery industry background with a minimum of 5+ years’ experience
- Familiar with stationery companies worldwide
- Minimum of 10 years working experience
- Ability to travel locally
- Ability to think creatively and strategically
- Possess excellent communication skills
- Excellent command of English both written and verbal, speech clarity
- Must be a good listener, presenter, and a people’s person
- Strong interpersonal skills and an ability to build rapport with customers
- Previous sales experience and an organised approach to work
- Hardworking with a strong work ethic
- Attention to detail; organization, presentation, written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong negotiable skills, with ability to follow through on client contracts
- Ability to multitasks and manage more than one key account
- Proven results of delivering client solutions and meeting sales goals
- Own vehicle and cell phone is a must
