A vacancy exists for a Business Unit Manager within the Micro-Merchant Division – Sales, in Johannesburg, Gauteng.  

General Description:

• Overall regional sales business unit management
• Regional business unit profit & loss accountability which includes
  • Delivery of VAS Sales within the region to or above budget targets
  • Management of sales team costs to budget
  • Management of vending device controls and deployment within the region
• Detailed leadership & management of sales channels and teams, which include both:
  • Company sales representatives and line management
  • Independent sales agents.
• Liaison & co-ordination with the Marketing department to ensure field marketing and promotional activities within the region are aligned with sales objectives and company strategy
• Identification and deployment of Kazang / Cash Connect drop-safes at key strategic locations within region to enhance growth and sustainability of Kazang trading communities in the marketplace.
• Management of regional administrative resources responsible for device administration, staff administration, customer support co-ordination, customer segmentation analysis & support.
• Overall responsibility for leading and managing entire regional team and office administration

Key Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Leadership & Development:

• Leading the entire Kazang regional team to build culture and align initiatives and targets to company strategy and budget objectives
• Leading and developing immediate field sales team managers, sales representatives and customer retention executives. The Central Region incorporates Gauteng and North West provinces.
• Identifying and recruiting correctly skilled and driven staff to fulfil the sales and administrative team requirements within the region. These will change from time to time to align with company growth strategy.
• Lead and foster business partnerships with independent Sales Agents as part of overall sales team.
• Work closely with Cash Connect regional team to identify and support each other with synergistic market opportunities.

• Foster a trustworthy relationship with your Sales Director that allows you to work independently whilst knowing when to seek guidance and decision-making approval. Be prepared to share good and bad news as required.

Sales & Marketing:

• Grow regional VAS revenue to meet and exceed the annual budget targets
• The above is to be achieved through both a Direct Sales and Agency channel approach
• Closely monitor sales and agency team performance through the KSIS system to ensure optimal vending device deployment
• Identify and develop geographic and trading node opportunities for sales growth. Deploy Direct and Agent resources accordingly to maximize these opportunities.
• Identify and co-ordinate deployment of drop-safe sites within the current and new growth region marketplaces to maximize cash management efficiency and sales retention.
• Ensure the Kazang brand is fostered and grown through staff and agency alignment and standards, field marketing opportunities and overall custodianship of the brand. Ie live it yourself

Customer retention:

• Continually monitor, both yourself and through your team, active vending device performance to ensure Average Revenue per Unit (ARPU) and device lifecycle is maximized.
• Work closely with Head Office and the Priority Customer channel to ensure accurate customer segmentation in your region to align support of the Priority customer channels.
• Ensure alignment of Direct Sales and Agent channels to avoid ‘churn’ of each other’s bases through overlapping vending device deployment.
• This involves close collaboration with field technician teams (as run by Operations department) and use of Customer Retention Executives (CREs)
• Ensuring regional administrative team optimize the CRE and technical resources within the region through efficient route planning and logistical co-ordination.

Asset management:

• Ensure administrative team control:
• Vending device stock and accurately allocate and manage sales representative and agent ‘boot, stock.
• Efficient collection and return of faulty vending devices to Business Support on a regular basis.
• Administrative control and monitoring of company vehicles and cellular phone assets.
• Work closely with Cash Connect team to ensure deployed drop-safes perform optimally to drive down cash collection costs thus justifying investment of asset.

Cost Control:

Assume responsibility for and ensure:

• Overall control of staff costs to budget
• Overall office, vehicle, travel and logistics costs minimized and / or aligned to budget or specific project plans.
• Work closely with Cash Connect team to ensure deployed drop-safes perform optimally to drive down cash collection costs.

 Administration:

• Ensure administrative team is optimally structured and resourced to fulfil all designated administrative tasks and roles as outlined elsewhere in this document.
• Your role will be best optimized through close, trustworthy support of a strong regional administration supervisor. Your alignment with the incumbent in this position will be critical in the early stages of establishment of your role. 

Reporting:

• Ensure weekly and monthly reporting to Sales Director and other Kazang senior management as required.
• Develop key weekly reporting and management cycles with your sales teams.
• Align customer retention reporting with Business Support and Sales to optimise results.
• Ad-hoc reporting on newly identified initiatives and development of projects as they unfold.

Competencies – knowledge, skills, and attributes

Key Commercial, Leadership & Technical experience and competencies:

• Knowledge of the Value Added Service (VAS) vending industry and its associated dynamics is preferred
• Prior commercial exposure to VAS and / or other informal and independent retail market trading or supply is preferred
• A proven ability to lead sales & support teams. Prior experience in managing teams in independent geographic locations (to head office) is a plus.
• Strong commercial savvy developed through prior experience in managing business unit cost centre and deliverables.
• Entrepreneurial flair is necessary to fit the Kazang trading culture and think on your feet.
• Sound EXCEL and data analytical skills. Sales performance tracking in this organization is very data driven.

 Educational

• Minimum of a matric exemption
• Undergraduate degree or diploma in business, sales or marketing is ideal
• Computer skills training or literacy

Administration/communication/Technical skills 

• Sound ability to lead and work within a computerized sales and administrative environment
• Sound Computer literacy: able to work independently with email word processing, spreadsheets, use the internet. This is essential to facilitate communication across the business and with outside stakeholders
• Critical administrative skills include good organizational and planning skills as well as problem-solving and time-management skills.  Attention to detail, well as the ability to manage multiple demands, is a necessity.
• Sound numeric and analytical skills
• Sound communication skills in English (both verbal and written).