Area Sales Manager (ASM) – State Owner (Primary + Secondary)

Job Title

Area Sales Manager (ASM) – State Owner (Primary + Secondary)

Department

Sales

Reporting To

Zonal Head / Head of Sales

Location

State-level role (Extensive field travel)

Employment Type

Full-Time

Role Objective

Own and drive the complete state-level growth engine by managing Primary (Company → Distributor) and Secondary (Distributor → Market) sales with a strong execution focus on C/D/E-category retail outlets, while scaling Wholesale, HoReCa, and Institutional channels.

This role carries end-to-end accountability for distributor lifecycle, revenue, collections, field productivity, execution metrics, and contribution.

Key Responsibilities

A. State Business Ownership (Primary + Secondary)

• Own full-state Primary & Secondary sales targets with sustainable month-on-month growth (no artificial primary loading).
• Build and execute state business plan: district/town prioritization, distributor network design, coverage model, and channel mix.
• Cascade targets into TL/FOS-level goals and drive execution through weekly performance cadence.

B. Distributor Lifecycle Ownership (Onboard → Maintain → Deboard)

Onboarding

• Appoint and ramp distributors across the state (target 50–60 distributors or as per state map).
• Finalize distributor terms: territory, margins, credit limits, dispatch SLAs, claims/returns, and reporting compliance.
• Ensure distributor readiness: infrastructure, delivery capability, salesman strength, working capital, data reporting.

Maintenance & Governance

• Conduct weekly/monthly distributor reviews covering: primary, secondary, stock, fill rate, ageing, returns, claims, overdue.
• Enforce pricing and scheme discipline; prevent leakage/undercutting (especially in C/D/E outlets).
• Maintain healthy stock norms: prevent stock-outs and dead stock.

Deboarding

• Identify non-performing/non-compliant distributors and execute clean deboarding with settlement, stock liquidation, and territory transition.

C. C/D/E Category Retail Expansion (Core Focus)

• Drive aggressive distribution and repeat sales in C/D/E retail outlets (kirana, theke + chakna counters, small impulse outlets).
• Implement structured beat planning for high-density, low-ticket outlets.
• Drive outlet journey: conversion → first order → repeat ordering.
• Ensure strong retail execution:
• Counter placement, micro-visibility, impulse conversion
• Correct SKU assortment and pack-price ladder by outlet type
• Implement retailer retention through revisit norms, service levels, and complaint resolution.

D. Wholesale Growth Ownership

• Identify and scale high-potential wholesale clusters.
• Drive volume through case deals with disciplined pricing.
• Ensure wholesale does not become a GT pricing leakage channel.

E. HoReCa & Institutional Business Development

• Build and own BD pipeline for:
• HoReCa (menu inclusion, placements, reorder cadence)
• Institutions (canteens, corporates, hospitals, schools/colleges, hostels)
• Negotiate commercials, payment cycles, and delivery cadence.
• Ensure repeat business and throughput (no vanity onboarding).

F. Team Leadership & Execution Discipline

• Hire, manage, and coach Team Leads (TLs) and field teams (FOS).
• Enforce discipline on:
• Attendance, outlet coverage, route adherence, reporting quality
• Coach teams on sales pitch, objection handling, competitor switching, scheme communication, and negotiation.

G. Collections, Credit Control & Contribution

• Own collections and outstanding across distributors and key accounts.
• Enforce credit policy, ageing control, and stop-supply rules.
• Own contribution and ROI: optimize trade spends and manpower cost.
• Ensure clean and accurate data: distributor ledgers, claims/returns, outlet master, outstanding, scheme accounting.

Metric Ownership (ASM Accountability)

Sales & Execution

• Primary Sales (₹) vs target
• Primary–Secondary alignment and stock health (Days of Inventory)

C/D/E Retail Metrics

• Outlet additions, activations, and repeat rate (15/30 days)
• Key SKU availability % and stock-out rate
• Strike rate, AOV, and SKU mix

Field Productivity

• Revenue per FOS
• Outlets covered per FOS
• Order value per FOS
• Cost per FOS vs contribution

Financials

• Collections ageing and overdue %
• Claims/returns closure TAT
• GM% protection and leakage incidents (near-zero tolerance)

BD Channels

• Wholesale throughput (cases/month) and active accounts
• HoReCa active outlets, menu placements, reorder rate

Requirements

Candidate Profile

• 12–15+ years FMCG field sales experience (Snacks/Beverages/Impulse preferred).
• Proven ownership of Primary + Secondary sales at large area/state level.
• Strong experience in Distributor lifecycle management (onboarding, governance, deboarding).
• Existing distributor network exposure (50–60 distributors).
• Deep execution experience in C/D/E category retail (high outlet density, high frequency, low ticket).
• Demonstrated success in Wholesale, HoReCa, and Institutional BD.
• Strong collections and credit discipline; zero tolerance for leakage.
• Comfortable with high travel and 6-day field intensity.
• Proficient in Excel and CRM systems.

First 90 Days Success Indicators

• State fully mapped with 50% distributor onboarding completed.
• Distributor governance cadence active (primary, secondary, stock, ageing).
• TL/FOS productivity system installed with visible improvement in coverage, AOV, and strike rate.
• Reduced stock-outs and stabilized forecasting.
• Improved ageing and active leakage controls.
• BD pipeline created with first scalable wins (not one-offs).