Area Sales Manager General Trade

Overview

Drive execution excellence across General Trade by ensuring superior in-store execution, distribution expansion, sales force productivity, and sustainable sales growth within the assigned territory.

The ASM is responsible for translating national and regional commercial strategies into field execution by leading distributor sales teams, improving Perfect Store compliance, expanding outlet coverage, increasing product availability, and strengthening execution standards across all General Trade channels.

Act as the key business partner for distributors within the assigned area, ensuring sales objectives are delivered through strong field management, capability development, disciplined execution, and continuous performance improvement. Work closely with Distributor Development Manager (DDM), Trade Marketing, Supply Chain, and distributor management teams to maximize market opportunities and operational effectiveness.

Responsibilities

Perfect Store Execution

• Drive Perfect Store implementation across all priority outlets within the territory.
• Ensure high standards of On-Shelf Availability (OSA), visibility, display quality, and planogram compliance.
• Monitor and reduce Out-of-Stock (OOS) occurrences through proactive field execution and distributor coordination.
• Execute national and local activation programs with excellence at the point of sale.
• Conduct regular market visits to assess execution quality and identify improvement opportunities.
• Ensure merchandising standards are consistently delivered across all assigned outlets.
• Track Perfect Store KPIs and implement corrective actions to close performance gaps.

Distribution Execution

• Expand Numeric Distribution (ND) and Active Outlet coverage across assigned territories.
• Increase penetration of priority SKUs and growth-driving products.
• Identify whitespace opportunities and execute outlet acquisition plans.
• Ensure optimum product availability across traditional trade channels.
• Drive distribution growth while maintaining productivity and cost effectiveness.
• Monitor distribution performance and collaborate with distributors to address gaps.
• Support execution of new product launches and distribution expansion initiatives.

Sales Force Productivity

• Manage distributor sales supervisors and sales representatives to maximize productivity.
• Improve strike rate, productive calls, route compliance, and calls per day.
• Establish clear performance expectations and KPI accountability.
• Conduct regular field coaching, joint visits, and performance reviews.
• Optimize territory coverage and route effectiveness.
• Ensure disciplined execution of daily sales fundamentals and sales processes.
• Leverage sales performance data to identify improvement opportunities and corrective actions.

Sales Growth & Market Performance

• Deliver territory sales volume, revenue, and market share objectives.
• Drive sustainable growth through improved availability, distribution, and execution.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activities, and customer developments.
• Identify growth opportunities within assigned territories and key trade areas.
• Execute regional and national sales initiatives to achieve business targets.
• Support successful implementation of promotional and commercial programs.
• Ensure achievement of territory KPIs aligned with company objectives.

People Development & Capability Building

• Coach and develop distributor sales supervisors and sales representatives.
• Conduct regular field coaching sessions and capability assessments.
• Identify skill gaps and implement targeted development plans.
• Build strong sales management and execution capabilities within distributor teams.
• Ensure compliance with training and development programs.
• Create a performance-driven culture focused on accountability and continuous improvement.
• Develop succession pipelines for critical sales roles within distributor organizations.

Performance Management & Distributor Collaboration

• Partner closely with distributor management teams to deliver agreed business objectives.
• Conduct regular business reviews covering sales, distribution, execution, and productivity.
• Monitor KPI achievement and ensure corrective actions are implemented promptly.
• Maintain strong communication and alignment between company and distributor teams.
• Support implementation of Route-to-Market (RTM) and Go-to-Market (GTM) initiatives developed by the Distributor Development Manager.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, execution standards, and reporting requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Management, or related discipline.
• 5+ years of FMCG sales experience, with strong exposure to General Trade channels, preferably snacks categories
• Proven experience leading distributor sales teams and managing field execution.
• Strong understanding of General Trade operations, route management, and distribution systems.
• Experience managing Perfect Store programs and execution KPIs.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Demonstrated experience in coaching, training, and developing sales teams.
• Strong leadership, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficient in sales analysis, territory management, and performance monitoring.
• Willingness to travel extensively within the assigned area