National Sales Manager

Overview:

Develop and execute the Brands’ commercial strategy, sales plans and resultant achievement of sales, margin and profit targets. To optimize the customer base by sourcing new opportunities. To develop relationships with key customers with a view to long-term business growth.

Key Result Areas:

Strategic Sales plans:

1. Brand Objectives - Ensure customers are aligned with the brand objectives
2. Brand Positioning and representation - Ensure best brand representation at retail in-line with brand positioning
3. Sales Targets - Achieve Sales Targets
4. Strategic Sales - Develop, maintain and review strategic sales plan to achieve quantitative and qualitative objectives. Execute against sales plan to drive product, price, placement and promotion strategies at retail. Customer sales strategies.
5. Sales performance - Monitor monthly performance against objectives and take action steps to ensure budget achievement.
6. Ensure that sales are maximized.
7. Chase every growth opportunity to increase performance. Identify and capture sales through maximizing opportunities with key accounts promotions.
8. Report back to the business on brand performance so that new initiatives can be developed to increase market share.
9. Identify and prospect new group sales opportunities.

Relationship building:

1. Build relationships that can be leveraged.
2. Display superior on-going market & competitor knowledge and can be seen by retailers as the industry expert in your sector.
3. Extensive understanding of market drivers, retail activity calendars and key events / activities/ timelines/ promotions.
4. Oversee relationships and present to key accounts, develop key accounts strategy plans, negotiate aggressively to minimize redundant stock at best possible price/ margin.
5. Identify opportunities for Store within store, brand partnership arrangements.

Budgeted sales and profit achievement:

1. To achieve company sales and profit objectives
2. To ensure targets are being achieved
3. Ensure GP % is being achieved as well as sales targets through commercial pricing.
4. Achieve budgeted sales & margin rands for the brands.
5. Ensure that the business meet sales and margin targets of agreed “strategically important” (image growth or profitability) accounts as a priority

Range Briefing and finalization:

1. Working closely with Brand Managers, create initial range brief and target price point Include latest season best and worst sellers at independents and at retail.
2. First finalization and range feedback with receipt of first samples.
3. Participation in the finalizing range, costing’s and pricing
4. Drive the development of catalogue, price lists and marketing support material.

People Leadership and Decision Making:

1. Ensure agents are working to all sales KPI’s.
2. Work closely with agents on organic growth in their territory.
3. Provide appropriate reporting from the sales force back to the business.
4. Drive Agents to achieve monthly in-season targets
5. Customer and agent follow up on day-to-day issues related to the brands

Inventory Management:

1. Keep ideal stock levels to maximize sales and minimize GP% erosion.
2. Assist the back end of the business by reducing unnecessary stock holdings.
3. Ensure on time delivery and an appropriate flow of stock.
4. Constant review of stock levels as well as timely sales of current and non-current product.
5. Ensure appropriate measures are taken to achieve on-time delivery of all garments.
6. Execute the clearance of all obsolete inventory at the best possible price.
7. Clearance pricing and markdowns.
8. Inventory management.
9. Minor distribution issues.

Minimum Skills/Requirements:

1. Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Economics, or related field.
2. Proven experience (typically 10 years) in Sales, strategy development, or a similar role.
3. Excellent project management skills with the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
4. Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams and present strategic plans to senior leadership.
5. Experience in market analysis, budgeting, and business performance reporting.

Skills and Competencies:

1. Retail business management (buying, & planning processes, product life cycles)
2. Strategic Sales Planning, Operations and Segmentation
3. Understanding of business & account profitability, margins etc.
4. Sales & Marketing Integration
5. Sales and Sales Forecasting
6. Strategic Planning
7. Financial Acumen
8. Business Development
9. Retention Strategies
10. Brand and Territory Management
11. Analytical Thinking: Ability to analyze business data and market trends to develop insights and make informed decisions.
12. Attention to Detail: Exceptional focus on details, particularly when working with data and forecasts.
13. Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop and implement business strategies that align with organizational goals.
14. Collaboration & Communication: Strong interpersonal skills for working across departments and effectively communicating complex ideas.
15. Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and evolving business environment.