Area Sales Manager

Role Overview

The Area Sales Manager drives cylinder sales and availability across an assigned territory by working closely with distributors, retailers and the sales team. The role turns market insights into practical sales plans, strengthens field execution and builds the capabilities needed to grow Proto’s market share while responding to competitive activity.

Key Responsibilities

• Set daily priorities with distributors, including morning planning at distributor premises, then lead field visits to current and prospective outlets against territory sales targets.
• Maintain product availability by coordinating with distributors and managing Sales Representatives (SRs), while keeping territory coverage plans current and aligned with market segmentation.
• Use knowledge of Proto’s products, customer needs and local market conditions to recommend relevant solutions and identify opportunities for volume and distribution growth.
• Develop joint customer plans with distributors, agree measurable performance goals, and review progress weekly or monthly to identify actions and resolve gaps.
• Define clear daily execution standards for distributors and sales teams, and translate the 365 essentials principles into consistent in-market activity.
• Coach and mentor the TSR team and distributor sales staff through regular trade accompaniments, focused feedback and practical support in selling and negotiation.
• Plan and supervise customer activations and promotions, ensuring they are delivered on schedule and in full; address execution shortfalls with timely corrective action.
• Monitor area performance across spend, volume, margin and profitability, and uphold company standards for ethics, compliance, internal controls, audits and workplace health and safety.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in business management, sales or marketing.
• Experience in sales and marketing with a record of achieving challenging targets; FMCG experience, particularly in channel or distributor management, is preferred.
• Knowledge of route-to-market development, sales execution, negotiation, marketing strategy and customer relationship management.
• Ability to identify commercial opportunities, develop business strategies and translate them into effective field execution.
• Experience managing performance and developing the sales capabilities of direct teams or distributor partners.
• Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to assess sales and financial performance and make sound decisions.
• Commitment to high integrity and the ability to follow and reinforce applicable policies, controls and guidelines.