Territory Sales Manager

Job title : Territory Sales Manager

To manage an assigned smaller territory or mini area and deliver primary and secondary sales targets by generating distributor orders, ensuring stock availability, supervising distributor sales representatives, expanding productive outlet coverage and executing the company's route-to-market and in-market execution standards.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

PRIMARY SALES AND DISTRIBUTOR DEVELOPMENT

• Deliver assigned monthly, weekly and daily primary sales volume, value, product-mix and priority-SKU targets for the assigned territory.
• Identify and recommend the right distributor or wholesale distributor required to provide effective coverage of the assigned area, in line with the company's appointment criteria and subject to ASM approval.
• Assess distributor capability, including financial capacity, infrastructure, warehouse, manpower, vehicles, market reach and willingness to invest, and support the onboarding process after approval.
• Prepare practical distributor-wise and SKU-wise order plans based on secondary sales, stock norms, market demand and agreed business targets.
• Generate and follow up distributor orders, payment readiness, dispatch and delivery while maintaining healthy stock levels and avoiding stock-outs, excess stock and ageing.
• Review primary and secondary sales alignment and agree corrective actions with the distributor and Area Sales Manager.

SECONDARY SALES AND REDISTRIBUTION

• Supervise distributor sales representatives to achieve daily and monthly secondary sales, load-out, strike-rate, lines-sold and productivity targets across assigned routes.
• Translate territory targets into clear route-wise, salesperson-wise and SKU-wise targets and review achievement every day.
• Ensure all sales and payment transactions are accurately captured through approved SFA/DMS tools and reconciled daily.
• Drive effective redistribution from distributor to wholesale and retail outlets, ensuring availability of the right assortment and pack sizes.
• 3. ROUTE-TO-MARKET, COVERAGE AND RETAIL DEVELOPMENT
• Implement approved Permanent Journey Plans, route and beat plans, call frequency and outlet coverage standards within the assigned territory.
• Ensure field teams work the approved days and routes, use SFA devices in trade, achieve the required calls and maintain strong productive-call levels.
• Expand numeric distribution by continuously identifying, recruiting and activating new wholesalers, retailers, stockists and other priority outlets.
• Drive availability, visibility, merchandising, price compliance, range selling and execution of approved sales drivers in covered outlets.
• Ensure trade schemes, promotions and new-product initiatives are executed only as approved and are clearly communicated to distributors and field teams.

DISTRIBUTOR AND CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT

• Maintain regular engagement with assigned distributors and conduct structured weekly performance reviews covering primary sales, secondary sales, stock, collections, route productivity and service issues.
• Ensure distributor infrastructure, manpower, vehicles, working capital and operational readiness are adequate for the assigned business.
• Build professional relationships with key wholesalers and retailers and ensure prompt resolution of service, claim and complaint issues.
• Ensure distributor and customer transactions comply with the company's commercial policies, approved pricing, schemes and control requirements.

PEOPLE SUPERVISION AND FIELD EXECUTION

• Lead daily alignment or gate meetings with distributor sales representatives to communicate targets, focus SKUs, schemes, routes and execution priorities.
• Conduct regular joint fieldwork, on-the-job coaching and performance reviews with assigned sales representatives.
• Monitor attendance, route adherence, productivity, discipline and reporting quality; address performance gaps and escalate repeated non-compliance to the ASM.
• Provide accurate input on manpower requirements, onboarding, training needs, incentives and deployment within the territory.

DMS, STOCK AND PROCESS CONTROL

• Check the Distributor Management System (DMS) daily to confirm that opening stock, purchases, sales, returns, collections, closing stock and other required transactions are posted accurately and on time.
• Train, coach and regularly guide the distributor DMS operator on correct system usage, transaction posting, daily reconciliation and reporting requirements.
• Conduct periodic physical stock checks against DMS records, investigate variances and ensure timely correction or escalation.
• Ensure strict FIFO/FEFO practice at distributor and outlet level and drive zero avoidable expiry, damage or unaccounted stock.

MARKET INTELLIGENCE, REPORTING AND COMPLIANCE

• Collect and submit verified market intelligence on competitor pricing, promotions, new products, distribution, trade margins and customer feedback.
• Submit complete and accurate daily, weekly and monthly reports within agreed timelines, including MTD performance and recovery plans for gaps.
• Comply with the company's policies, ethical standards, data confidentiality, health and safety requirements and approved ways of working.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Primary sales volume, value and NIV achievement; product-mix and priority-SKU achievement.
• Secondary sales achievement, primary-secondary alignment and distributor stock norms.
• Numeric distribution, productive outlets, new outlet activation and range/lines sold.
• Route adherence, call productivity, strike rate, SFA/DMS usage and reporting accuracy.
• Stock availability, inventory ageing, FIFO/FEFO compliance, expiry and return levels.
• New distributor identification, capability assessment, onboarding support and assigned-area coverage.
• DMS accuracy, daily transaction posting, operator capability, stock reconciliation and exception closure.
• Distributor order fulfilment and complaint resolution.
• Field-team productivity, coaching frequency, execution quality and compliance.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or HND/OND in Business Administration, Marketing or a related discipline from a recognised institution.
• NYSC completion where applicable.
• Minimum 3-5 years of FMCG field-sales experience, preferably in beverages, including distributor and route supervision exposure.
• Valid driver's license is an advantage; willingness to travel extensively and work in the field from Monday to Saturday.
• Must be able and willing to use a smartphone and approved sales automation tools for daily reporting.