Responsibilities:
- Develop and evolve a customer strategic and tactical plan:
- Customer analysis reviewing previous plan and performance with key conclusions. From this build a SWOT ( strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis.
- Develop customer specific (SMART) plans that cover overall strategy, specific goals (what will be achieved) and tactics ( how this will be achieved) for range, merchandising, promotions, pricing, service and distribution.
- Clear volume & profit (latter as appropriate) phased goals by brand by account.
- Build a datal plan detailing the planned presentation, agreement and implementation of all elements of the customer plan.
Execution Of Customer Plan:
- Appropriate levels of written, verbal and face to face communication with the customer ( to be determined by specific account).
- Presentation, negotiation and implementation of targeted plans for range, merchandising, promotions, pricing, service, and distribution.
- Develop a productive business to business relationship with the customer
- Build and log a clear understanding of the customer structure, roles and individuals.
- Periodical visits to the customer to develop a trust based, mutually beneficial relationship at the all appropriate points of interaction.
- One major business review with all customer / company key personnel. Quarterly business reviews with primary contact (Buying).
- Consistently high customer service: same day response time; prioritisation and solving of customer ‘issues’ within agreed time frames.
- To an appropriate level, have a clear undersatnding of how the customer makes key decisions, who owns / influences / implements them and built relationships with key personnel as a result. As appropriate, facilitate multi-functional relationships between the customer and the company to influence key decisions.
Building internal multi-functional alignment to the account to achieve volume / profit goals:
- Within the specific account plan, work with line manager to focus the required internal resources against specific goals:
- Trade Marketing / Category management, time / resource allocation.
- Logistics (supply chain), time / resource allocation.
- Build an account budget and gain agreement to it, to deliver customer specific plans at the desired profitability.
- Communication and commitment building within field support teams.
Customer Administration:
- Maintain an account file that represents the current situation within the account in terms of the key sales drivers.
- Build and keep updated store database for the account.
- Provide desired level of forecasting for company production planning.
- Complete all customer administration as required (eg. Promotional proposals, product files etc)
- Weekly store visits to validate compliance to account plans.
- Continually updated budget with exact status on every activity / invoice.
- Evaluation of all key customer activities within the plan (eg. Promotions)
- 1 - 3 years experience in an organised trade environment.
- Exposure and understanding of category management principals within the organised trade environment.
- Basic computing skills: Excel, Word, Powerpoint.
- Leadership Imperatives:
- Understands & manages key business drivers.
- Takes Initiative
- Creates a positive work environment.
