General Mills - Area Sales Manager - General Trade

About Company :

One of the world's leading food companies, General Mills operates in more than 100 countries and markets more than 100 consumer brands, including Cheerios, H- agen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Yoplait and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2013 global net sales of US $17.8 billion.

We seek out the best of the best and give them development, support and the chance to lead something big. Choosing a career with us means joining a company that makes a difference for others. There is tremendous opportunity here for people who want to advance the industry through innovation and nourish the world with quality.

POSITION TITLE : AREA SALES MANAGER - GENERAL TRADE

REPORTS TO :REGIONAL SALES MANAGER

KEY PURPOSE :

Business growth and expansion has raised both volume and complexity of sales work in India. This work is currently managed through the Sales team that operates out of regions in India.The GMI India portfolio of products has increased in scope, depth and complexity in the last five years. Our businesses in India are highly regulated, and growing and one of the focus for investment both from the international division and the global business services (offshoring) group. An Area Sale Manager is required to manage the Sales of this expanding business. The incumbent will be responsible for achieving retailing and primary targets of the territory assigned to him in the most cost-effective manner - through efficient and effective deployment of funds, hiring and retaining the best possible WBs and optimal deployment and utilization of manpower.

Geographic Area :

- Market Segment - Traditional Trade including Stand Alone Stores

- Current Team Size -

- SOs

o Indirect field force

- Current distribution - 3500 outlets

- CFAs-

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES :

1. Develops Sales plans and budgets to achieve or exceed the annual sales objectives for the Area. Monitor and control the sales budget to ensure optimum utilization of resources in the region. Responsible for accurate SKU forecast for assigned area.

2. Generate top line growth, volumes & sales of company products in the region through a team of salesmen in order to achieve or exceed the annual targets

3. Conduct regular weekly market visits with team and RSM to check route coverage, competitor activity and continuously search for new opportunities in order to increase sales in the region by ensuring expansion into new outlets

4. Provide distributors and customers in the area with information about new or improved products and services in order to improve sales in the area

5. Develop and maintain an efficient and optimum distribution & DSM network to ensure the comprehensive availability of company's products and services across the region to achieve or exceed the sales targets

6. Establish and ensure that all sales administration procedures relating to the area are properly implemented to support the sales teams in their efforts to accomplish the sales targets

7. Audit, co-ordinate and follow up with the storehouse / depot supervisor to ensure that adequate inventory stock of product is maintained for the area in order to meet the sales delivery schedules and provide the distributors with superior levels of service and meet the needs of the customer

8. Liaise with the Marketing team to ensure that adequate marketing support by way of merchandising and promotions is available in the area in order to provide successful new product launches, increase brand visibility and promote sales in the region

9. Interview, induct and develop the necessary Area Sales Management organization structure and ensure the right calibre of staffing and appropriate training to meet all jobInduct and develop the necessary DSM / Promoter organization structure and ensure the right caliber of staffing and appropriate training to meet all job requirements.

10. Induct and develop the necessary DSM / Promoter organization structure and ensure the right caliber of staffing and appropriate training to meet all job requirements.

11. Create and submit weekly reports on JC Spend, Targets, weekly reports etc as per schedule.

12. Submit, validate and co-ordinate for claims processing.

D. KNOWLEDGE AREAS / SKILLS

1. Excellent sales and negotiation skills

2. Good communication and 'people skills'

3. Confidence, motivation and determination

4. The ability to work well on their own at a high level of autonomy and personal responsibility and also as part of a team

5. Good organizational and time management skills

6. The ability to deal with rejection

7. Attention to detail

8. The ability to develop in-depth knowledge about their products and markets

9. Good business sense and a professional manner

10. Willingness to travel sometimes at very short notice.

11. Unquestionable integrity and the ability to build trusting relationships at all levels

12. Fluency (verbal and written) in local language & English is essential

LEADERSHIP SKILLS :

1. Ability to identify development areas in team members and coach them on these

2. Ability to breakdown strategic business plans into individual sales targets for team

3. Build trust in team and motivate for higher performance and results

4. Ability to adapt to change and cascade changes down the team

5. Strong business acumen to create business solutions to deal with local challenges.

6. Analytical skills to understand competitor strategies, and deploy alternate plans to mitigate any loss of business.

KEY INTERFACES :

Internal Marketing - Scheme communication, competitor activity - as and when required

MSM team - schemes, promotions, stocks etc - Monthly

Quality assurance - Quality complaints, issues etc - as and when required

Regional Commercial Team :

External Very regular interaction with the CFAs, WBs, Retailers, Consumers as listed in the Sales Officers sheet.

Promotion agencies - for local promotions - as and when required.

Experience & Qualifications :

INCUMBENT PROFILE

- A full-time MBA from premier / Level II institutes, specialization in Sales and Marketing and around 3 years of Sales experience, 3 years of which should be Sales experience in the FMCG sector, ideally Food companies.

- Should have good knowledge of Sales, distribution, Finance and Marketing concepts.

- Good general management, negotiation, leadership, analytical & people management skills.

- Should have sharp business acumen.

- General Mills prides itself in being one of the most admired companies for its integrity in managing its business and its employees. The successful candidate will need to exhibit high standards of integrity and have a very strong core belief in - doing the right thing- and be resilient and persistent in ensuring that integrity is maintained at the highest level. He/she also needs to act to address and resolve conflicts early and in an open and direct manner, communicate candidly with bosses, peers and employees. He or she should also be able to work effectively within teams and across businesses and functions.

Do the right thing all the time

Ensure all dealings are transparent and conducted with ethics & integrity. All contracts meet audit & risk requirements for life of contract.

Play to Win

Deliver exceptional value for the customers and delivering on the commitments. Always putting consumer first.

Win as a Team

Build open & trusting work relationships. Respecting & embracing differences and working across boundaries to get the best outcome for the company.

Grow and Inspire

Inspire people to be their best - not only at General Mills but also in our community. Building diverse teams and empowering them to make a difference.

Act Boldly, move quickly

Seek improvements in every area of the company. Quickly sense & respond to risks & opportunities. Take decisive actions on critical priorities.