WHAT DOES AN AREA SALES MANAGER DO?

The Area Sales Manager is tasked with the leadership and development of a sales team, emphasizing performance management, skill enhancement, and motivation. This role involves direct engagement in customer interactions, fostering strong relationships, and strategic planning to meet sales targets. Additionally, the position requires a keen understanding of market dynamics and competitor activities, ensuring the adaptation and execution of effective sales strategies and maintaining synergy between sales and technical teams.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Area Sales Manager

1. Area Sales Manager Duties

  • Strategy & Collaboration: Define semiconductor strategy working with multi-site/multi-practice teams based on next-generation technologies (AI/ML and more).
  • Technological Expertise: Extensive knowledge and experience in different nodes/technologies from 90nm to the current 5nm.
  • Sales & Foundries Knowledge: Having sold using different foundries like TSMC, Samsung, & Global Foundry.
  • Customer Engagement: Able to have an effective first round of technical conversation with customers on Semiconductor needs and qualifying a given lead.
  • Solution Development: Work closely with customers to understand offerings and roadmap, share that strategy with the practice team to define solutions, offerings, and proof of concept.
  • Cross-Selling Expertise: Work closely with multi-industry verticals to understand and cross-sell/up-sell semiconductor offerings from Silicon to Cloud.
  • Product Roadmap Planning: Define jointly product roadmap for adjacent and new markets, product localization.
  • Sales & IP Management: Sell existing LTTS IPs and shape/win new integrated opportunities.
  • Collaboration & Consensus Building: Collaborate and drive consensus on key decisions within and outside with customers.
  • Strategic Alignment: Drive business unit goals and align to growth strategy, growth measured on new revenue addition.
  • Communication & Reporting: Deliver overall messaging of status/issues to key internal/external partners and customers.

2. Area Sales Manager Details

  • Sales Planning & Execution: Planning and execution of all sales activities in the sales region France for Business Unit Consumer.
  • Market Analysis: Analysis of the market and potential, the competitive landscape, and market position in the region to create a sales strategy for profitable growth.
  • Customer Management & Development: Manage and develop existing customers.
  • Technical Consultancy: Provide technical consultancy in conjunction with Technical Service to accounts.
  • Relationship Building: Build strong and solid one-on-one long-term relationships with key decision-makers/influencers at accounts.
  • Sales Opportunities Identification: Uncovering up- and cross-selling potentials.
  • Product & Market Development: New product introduction and development of new markets.
  • Market Feedback: Provide feedback on market trends for the further development of products.
  • Target Setting & Accountability: Set ambitious sales and profit targets and have full accountability for achieving or exceeding targets.
  • Interdepartmental Collaboration: Close cooperation and communication with the manufacturing plants.
  • Reporting & Acquisition: Regular reporting into the organization, new customer acquisition.

3. Area Sales Manager Responsibilities

  • Relationship Building: Develop effective multi-level relationships internally and externally.
  • Consultative Selling: Use a mature, organized, & consultative approach to selling.
  • Target Achievement: Achieve agreed revenue and profit targets.
  • Customer Service Excellence: Ensure all customer requests, inquiries, and queries are dealt with in an efficient, personable, and professional manner.
  • Business Development: Work independently to source & secure new and incremental revenue opportunities.
  • Communication: Demonstrate strong communication skills when dealing with both customers and colleagues.
  • Process Improvement: Suggest and implement process improvements.
  • Performance Efficiency: Perform in an effective and efficient manner.
  • Customer Experience: Deliver an excellent customer experience, both internal and external.
  • Motivation & Commercial Awareness: Provide sales & service motivation and the ability to demonstrate commercial awareness.

4. Area Sales Manager Job Summary

  • Market Expansion & Client Development: Maximize market potential and develop an expanding client base in line with the company’s strategy, resulting in profitable sales of the company’s products and services within the territory.
  • Client Consultation & Solutions: Visit prospective clients to provide advice with solutions to customer’s requirements, which correspond to the company’s offers.
  • Influencer Engagement & Policy Insight: Maintain regular contact with key influencers to keep abreast of and, where possible, influence policy decisions including technical standards and procurement methods.
  • Technical Support & Training: Provide first-line technical support, including customer laboratory and plant trials; with training, be able to recommend products and to deal with customer technical, product performance, and quality queries.
  • Customer Collaboration & Technical Services: Work with customers to identify product needs, submit, and follow up on requests for technical support for work to be carried by GCP technical services.
  • Sales Canvassing & Territory Management: Carry out efficient and well-planned canvassing to maximize sales potential throughout the territory, including with consultants and end users.
  • Relationship Management & Account Management: Build profitable long-term relationships with the customer base, successfully managing the accounts.
  • Proposal Preparation & Sales Setup: Prepare product and pricing proposals to meet the customer’s requirements and set up the sale.
  • Product & Market Knowledge: Maintain a thorough knowledge of all products to be sold including a practical understanding of the applications, technical performance, sales features, and price points alongside those of competitors.
  • Market Monitoring & Strategic Insights: Monitor market activity, prices, and market share, identify trends and opportunities and communicate the same to the line Manager along with personal ideas and recommendations.

5. Area Sales Manager Accountabilities

  • Training Contribution: Contributes towards training sessions and sales meeting discussions.
  • Market Research Assistance: Assist in the collation of market information to maintain a successful sales strategy.
  • Event Participation: Assist at exhibitions, seminars, presentations, or activities not necessarily directly related to normal daily work.
  • CRM Management: Maintain up-to-date customer files/records through the company’s CRM database.
  • Data Compliance: Enter all activity data into the Company’s Database in accordance with reporting procedures.
  • Report Submission: Submit completed reports on time and in accordance with reporting procedures.
  • Expense Management: Responsible for the prompt submission and correct disclosure of business expenses.
  • Policy Adherence: Operates at all times in accordance with the terms and conditions defined within the company’s Policies and Procedures including any supplements.
  • Professional Image: Present a highly professional company image at all times, operating to a high moral and legal code of conduct.
  • Material Management: Keep all sales material and equipment in pristine condition and in good working order.
  • Presentation Preparedness: Be prepared and equipped with suitable samples, literature, and marketing material to support a presentation.

6. Area Sales Manager Functions

  • Role Understanding: Ensure full understanding of one's role in delivering company business plans and objectives, and develop a vision for one's area.
  • Time Management: Plan and manage time efficiently and effectively to maximize productivity.
  • Feedback Provision: Provide regular feedback on activity to the manager.
  • Cycle Adherence: Ensure that call cycles are properly recorded and adhered to.
  • Client Liaison: Maintain regular and effective liaison with existing clients to understand needs and drivers and exceed expectations.
  • Opportunity Maximization: Maximize business opportunities through specification sales and networking.
  • New Client Strategy: Identify new clients and develop a strategy to maximize opportunities, including arranging and/or delivering CPD seminars.
  • Contractor Communication: Maintain a positive and proactive level of communication with the existing contractor network, including regular meetings, to engender mutual trust and understanding.
  • Market Sector Strategy: Seek and create new business by developing a clear understanding of market sector opportunities in one's area and prioritizing specifying clients within these sectors.
  • Information Sharing: Ensure that all relevant market information is shared with the line manager and the agreed strategy is acted upon.
  • Project Tracking: Ensure all projects are tracked throughout the design and procurement stage to maximize the conversion ratio.

7. Area Sales Manager Job Description

  • Sales & Development: Drive sales and ensure business development for Animal Nutrition in the CIS market territory.
  • Customer Support: Ensure efficient customer support in the CIS market territory.
  • Consultation: Consult customers on maintenance and operation of production lines.
  • Complaint Resolution: Handle customer complaints and resolve concerns.
  • Action Planning: Prepare action plans and schedules to increase business activities in the territory.
  • Market Transparency: Ensure transparency in the CIS market territory regarding market potential, competitor activities, customer trends, etc.
  • Negotiation: Conduct sales conversations and contract negotiations.
  • Solution Development: Develop technical/technological ideal solutions with and for customers, including interpretation of flow sheets, layouts, etc.
  • Record Management: Manage and update client and contractor records on the company database.
  • Technical Competence: Continuously develop and demonstrate technical competence and understanding via reports, specifications, and client interaction.
  • Project Management: Work closely with colleagues to act as Project Manager, taking overall responsibility and ownership for projects from conception to completion.

8. Area Sales Manager Overview

  • Budget & Forecasting: Proposes sales budget and forecasts with detailed information on specific engines and versions and controls the sales.
  • Commercial Strategy: Define the commercial conditions to apply to each customer (price lists, discounts, and commercial conditions), following established policies.
  • Customer Engagement: Visits regularly existing and potential OEMs and Dealers.
  • Market Monitoring: Monitors the market and the orders portfolio.
  • Market Proactivity: Takes a proactive stance on market sizing opportunities and anticipating potential threats.
  • Problem Resolution: Handles and solves specific problems with Distributors and OEM accounts.
  • Interdepartmental Liaison: Acts as an interface with company departments to make the solving process smooth and quick.
  • Customer Support: Is proactive in solving customers’ issues, even when out of direct responsibility.
  • Dealer Management: Chooses, appoints, develops, and monitors Dealers and Key Dealers.
  • Sales Oversight: Visits Dealers and OEM accounts regularly to ensure that sales budgets are met.

9. Area Sales Manager Details and Accountabilities

  • Team Leadership: Frontline management responsibility for the area sales resources.
  • Team Development: Manage, develop, coach, and motivate the area sales team through effective performance management processes.
  • Customer Engagement: Active involvement in customer visits, coaching, planning, and direction.
  • Revenue Targeting: Set and drive the attainment of revenue targets throughout the area.
  • Sales Efficiency: Drive sales efficiency through regular sales reviews and corrective action plans.
  • Market Analysis: Understand the market and drive sales competitors within the given area.
  • Trend Adaptation: Adapt to forthcoming business and market trends in agreement with the defined strategy.
  • Customer Relations: Create and maintain relationships at key levels with selected customers and accounts.
  • Risk Management: Responsible for contractual risk assessments and supports credit control actions following payment overdue.
  • Interdepartmental Relations: Responsible for maintaining good relationships between sales and technical organization.