Customer Development Manager

Core responsibilities:

• Work with Vendor Management Inventory (VMI)/ (sell in to distributor) to forecast service provider’s needs, follow up on orders to ensure timely and complete deliveries and prioritize service provider’s requirements when product is unavailable

• Influence and guide Distributor Sales Representatives’ (DSR) to achieve sales out through effective preplanning

• Provide service provider with an objective and trustworthy analysis of their business to develop collaborative strategies that drive incremental growth opportunities

• Lists New Product Development (NPD) in Indirect Customers to ensure speed to market of New Innovations

• Proactively understand the service provider’s needs and develop business solutions to meet Colgate and the service provider’s requirements

• Conduct regular business reviews and follow-up on sales activity, new products, customer service, receivables and claims

• Collaborate with service provider in recruiting and retaining DSRs including coaching and training new and old DSRs to be effective and efficient

• Provide effective coverage and visit assigned customers with required frequency to build rapport and perform customer business reviews to enhance future activities

• Ensure DSRs secure additional second site displays to reduce overall customer inventory and reduce slow and obsolete SKUs

• Lead all aspects of storage and condition of POPs in service provider’s warehouse and ensure sufficient POP call quantity for each month

• Collaborate with respective Merchandising Service Provider counterpart to ensure complete, effective and efficient monthly activation and merchandising according to planograms and merchandising guidelines

• Provide inputs on merchandisers’ itinerary to include new stores and improve overall efficiency of external merchandisers

• Collaborate cross functionally with Customer Service & Logistics to reduce the service provider’s warehouse inventory days

• Eliminate possibility of out of stock situation and build an optimal inventory level in service provider’s warehouse

• Implement and/or maintain First In First Out (FIFO) Practice and reduce Slow and Obsolete SKU from the service provider’s warehouse

• Work with Customer Service & Logistics to increase case fill rate during deliveries, reduce pallet withholding and drive Good Warehouse Practices in the service provider’s premises

• Strategically deploy customer investment funds to increase sales volume, distribution and market share

• Work with Customer Financial Services to establish cost to serve and analyze service provider’s return on investment regularly

Leadership/supervision:

• Lead a team of Merchandisers

Day-to-Day Responsibilities:

• Morning meetings to track and provide guidance to DSRs

• Field visitations to coach and train respective DSRs

• Check on daily sales to ensure forecast met

• Meet with key customers to ensure continuity of service and business

• Meet with service provider to address issues and resolutions

• Collaborate with DSRs each month to achieve thorough effective customer calls

• Enforce DSRs compliance of Must Sell SKUs in accordance with RE Handbook

• Ensure full compliance from DSR on monthly activities, detailing & road shows to be implemented flawlessly

• Provide DSRs with POP and ensure efficient utilization to improve brand visibility

• Secure and improve home shelf through customer and DSR collaboration

Requirements

• Bachelors’ degree, preferably in business

• Minimum 3 years of experience in Key Account management, distributor management, etc.

• Strong analytical skills

• Strong communication skills

• Computer literate

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