1. GENERAL MISSION
Reporting to the Regional Sales Director US & LATAM Local markets & Travel Retail, your role as Area Sales Manager Central America is to manage and strengthen Distributor local markets and the Travel Retail business accounts across the region. While doing so, you will mainly be in charge of formulating the adequate development strategy to ensure long-term success. With the support of the team, you will identify and activate the building blocks to grow the business (top & bottom lines) in line with regional and global expectations for the brand.
You will set standards and objectives for all doors while optimizing and overseeing operations to ensure efficiency.
You will be responsible to ensure best position possible for the brand in each door while nurturing a very strong business relationship with each distributor and TR account across the area. You will be expected to liaise with other ASM to insure regional synergies where possible.
The region includes markets such as (but not only) Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Caribbean islands (with cruise ships network) but also Peru being a key market. Mexico will be managed separately and will not be part of the Central America area manager scope.
Main duties and Responsibilities
Audit the area
Analyze current client list, store distribution, Beauty Advisor resources, client margin structures, assortments and make recommendations to improve current situation and build the future of the brand with a long-term vision.
Audit the state of business and identify areas of improvement
Develop the business and relationship with clients/buyers
Formalize the development growth strategy for all clients
Ensure compliance with company’s policies and operational guidelines
Negotiate sell in and sell out targets and follow up achievements with buyers
Negotiate new margins or global deals (when necessary)
Sound understanding of optimization of store operations and standards for success
Keep strengthening our visibility and image through negotiation of personalized fixtures in key doors, assortment per clients and at POS level
Regularly visit points of sales and animate the BC community
Build a strong and respectful relationship with clients/buyers
Closely monitor store and client warehouse inventories
Monitor and constantly activate sell out trends
Open new accounts and stores, when business opportunity
Optimize and rationalize product assortments
Ensure Price positioning is respected and in line with pricing strategy
Marketing
Negotiate strong trade plans to improve brand visibility, in coordination with Marketing Manager and HQ team
Ensure on-time and high-quality implementation/execution of our animations, in partnership with our Marketing team
Visibility in store/Merchandising
Make sure visual merchandising guidelines are communicated and implemented
Elaborate personalized planograms for personalized fixtures
Training/Motivation
Plan and coordinate with Regional Trainer and Sales Delegate training for generic staff and Hermes Beauty Advisors: product stories, stock management, merchandising
Organize sales incentives with all account and ensure they are in line with the Budget
Forecasts
Prepare and monitor forecasts and make sure they are diligently sent to markets
Follow up, process and negotiate orders with buyers on a monthly basis
Reporting
Communicate retail sales reports per client/door/units on a monthly basis
Share competition best practices
Budget / Finance
Build detailed sell in and A&P budget in line with strategy, during budget cycles
Manage and follow up P&L by client / P&L by personalized counter
Undertake sound financial management to ensure stores are profitable and stay within budget
Deal with problems by providing creative and practical solutions
Prioritize investment per client to keep a profitable P&L to support retail needs and protect brand image according to brand guidelines
Manage T&E budget
Management
Optimize Beauty Consultants resource allocation according to client/store potential and situation
Recruit and manage an Account Executive TBC in 2022
Profile & Key Requirements
You are a dynamic, entrepreneurial and well-rounded sales professional with a BA in Business Administration or Master Degree academic background and a minimum of 7 to 10 years’ experience in the luxury fragrances and/or cosmetics category
You have a previous proven experience as area manager or similar managerial role and understand the business mechanism of this channel and
You are fluent in English and Spanish while French is a plus
You have a strong sales and business acumen background with analytical skills
You enjoy being multi-task and wearing multiple hats at the same time
You are a team player capable to work and travel autonomously as much as working with all team members
You have strong negotiation skills while being diplomatic with all business partners and internal teams involved
You have excellent problem-solving abilities, and you are agile and can adjust your vision and business approach according to business reality
You have excellent interpersonal and communication skills
You are curious, quick-witted, ingenious
You have knowledge of performance evaluation metrics and principles.
You are interested in working within a small, multi-task and fast-growing team environment
You have a proactive attitude and good organizational skills
You have an excellent mastery of MS Office, Excel in particular
You are open to travel extensively – approx. 50%