Area Sales Manager

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MAIN PURPOSE:

• ASM is responsible for achieving sales, distribution, and profitability targets by effectively managing both sales to distributors/wholesalers/dealers) and sell-out (supporting bakeries to drive product usage, trials, adoption, and repeat orders in collaboration with the technical team).
• This role ensures strong execution of commercial strategy, develops the Sales and Technical teams, and builds long-term partnerships with distributors and key bakery customers.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

Sales Strategy & Planning:

• Translate company annual and monthly targets into regional/area sales plans and individual targets for Sales and Technical Executives.
• Develop and implement sell-in and sell-out plans for the assigned region, including distributor focus and growth plans, bakery segment priorities, and key account management.
• Contribute to annual budget and rolling forecast processes with clear assumptions.
• Distributor Management (Sell-In)
• Manage and develop assigned distributors/wholesalers/dealers to achieve agreed sales, distribution, and profitability targets.
• Conduct regular Joint Business Planning (JBP) with key distributors, covering volume/mix targets, new product launches, trade promotions, and credit/AR management.
• Conduct regular Joint Business Planning (JBP) with key distributors, covering volume/mix targets, new product launches, trade promotions, and credit/AR management.
• Ensure all distributor agreements, commercial terms, and trade investments are approved and implemented in line with company policy.

Sell-Out & Bakery Development:

• Define priority bakery segments and key accounts in alignment with channel strategy.
• Guide Sales Executives in planning bakery routes, identifying and categorising target bakeries, and implementing sell-out activities.
• Collaborate with Technical Executives to plan and execute bakery demos, trials, and trainings, converting successful trials into regular orders via distributors.
• Track and report on trials, success rates, conversions, and volume generated from bakery sell-out projects.

Team Leadership & People Development:

• Lead a team of Sales Executives and Technical Executives.
• Set clear objectives and KPIs for team members, aligned with company targets.
• Conduct regular field coaching and joint visits with team members.
• Provide structured feedback and development support on selling skills, distributor management, bakery approach, technical communication, and customer handling.
• Conduct performance reviews, identify skill gaps, and define individual development plans.
• Ensure high team engagement, discipline in reporting, and adherence to company values and policies.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Business Performance Management & Reporting
• Collaborate with Trade Marketing to implement trade and in-bakery activities for new launches and focus products.
• Coordinate with Supply Chain/Demand Planning to provide demand inputs and monitor stock availability.
• Work with Finance/Credit Control to manage AR performance and take corrective actions for overdue accounts.

Business Performance Management & Reporting:

• Own the regional P&L contribution (Net Sales, Volume, Gross Margin).
• Review and report on sell-in performance, key sell-out metrics, new product launch performance, AR status, and distributor stock days.
• Prepare and present monthly performance reviews, including results vs. targets, key wins/challenges, action plans, and resource needs.
• Other tasks as assigned by Line manager

• Strong leadership and people development capabilities.
• Solid territory management experience, preferably managing regions such as Central Vietnam, Mekong Delta, or Southeast Vietnam, with thIdeal Profile:e ability to prioritize opportunities effectively.
• Experience in managing multi-brand/general distributors.
• Strong business planning and execution skills.
• Data-driven mindset, with the ability to analyze sales data and make informed business decisions.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, especially Application Solutions/Technical teams, to deliver customer solutions.
• Coaching and people development capabilities are considered an area for further strengthening.