Key Account Manager - Automotive Refinish Coatings

The Sherwin-Williams Company is looking for a dynamic, customer orientated Key Account Manager to support a rapidly growing part of our Automotive Refinish Coatings business in South Africa. The candidate will ideally be based in Johannesburg and will have an extensive knowledge of the Refinish Coatings market; be goal driven and have a strong commercial background.

Formal Education: Tertiary education in a related field is preferred. 

Technical Knowledge Requirements: Sales experience in the Automotive Refinish Coatings market; Commercial and industry knowledge. Qualified spray painter or similar application experience preferred

Travel Requirements: This role will have a national travel requirement of +-75%

The Key Account Manager is responsible for growing our market share by identifying and selling to prospective customers/target accounts.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Travel to existing customers, handle daily business and provide technical service and consultancy to them.

• Search for and create new business opportunities in accordance with business needs, possibilities and capacity.

• Collect reliable customer/territory information and estimate individual customer potential.

• Conduct competitive product testing and comparisons to Sherwin-Williams and identify current competitors’ strengths and weaknesses and Sherwin-Williams’ competitive advantage.

• Develop brand market development plan and obtain approval.

• Develop a strategy to sell to target customers and identify items or product categories that require specific attention in support of this strategy.

• Develop weekly selling plan and conduct sales calls accordingly, occasionally in conjunction with the Sales Manager.

• Determine where customer is in the overall selling process and what steps are necessary to accelerate the process.

• Conduct product demos to support the selling process.

• Access product/technical information to support customers’ application requirements.

• Complete required call and expense reports on a timely basis.

• Identify products and quantities that must be carried in inventory to support customer needs and communicate this to servicing facility.

• Manage forecasting with the customers and provide details to the business to ensure orders are placed via Supply Chain accordingly

• Identify potential problems and work with the Sales Manager to resolve.

• Handle customer complaints within lines of authority and manage the process to resolution.

• Assist Sales Manager in resolution of product supply problems.

• Positively represent and promote company, materials, solutions, service and other business benefits.

• Creates and uses proper market knowledge.

Salary Frequency: Monthly