The Zone Manager is responsible for the ‘Company to Dealer’ business relationship for a defined geographical territory or District. He/she is the primary interface between the Company and the Dealers in that district and is expected to manage the relationship in a spirit of both true partnership and performance management.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITIES
- Strong business acumen & Presentation Skills; written and verbal; able to walk people of various levels of an organization through project details and business cases, utilizing efficient and effective methods, as determined most appropriate for the audience and contents.
- Relationship building – able to read and connect with key business partners (incl Dealers) and establish collaborative partnerships.
- Able to work under tight deadlines, pressurized environments.
- Excellent analytical skills and the ability to do detailed root-cause analysis.
- Proven effective planning and time management skills.
- Problem-solving skills
- Conflict Management skills
- Project & business Plan development and implementation experience
- Must be able to work independently and take own initiative to ensure the expected results are achieved.
- Have a can do, find a way attitude and a very strong emotional resilience.
QUALIFICATIONS and EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Business Management/Marketing/related field
- Min 5 years Retail Automotive industry experience or OE field experience (ideally as a District Sales Manager) with a combination of other OE M&S experience is a must.
- Detailed Process knowledge of Dealer Sale operations, Systems and Procedures
- Must have worked in at least four of the following six areas, of which Ford Sales Planning and Automotive wholesale Marketing are both a mandatory prerequisite: - (Sales Planning - Order Control/ OTD analyst; Marketing; Ford Credit; Business Management; Aftersales (Service/Parts); Fleet; automotive retail sales)
- Up to date on the latest trends and technologies impacting Consumer Experience at transactional level.
- Frequent travel across the dealer network will be required, therefore a valid driver’s license is a must.
- Fluency and proficiency in English is a must
Dealership Sales Management
- Carry over orders (review and determine which sales can be brought forward)
- Stock analysis
- Sales vs. objective reviews
- Coach Sales Manager
- Dealer Sales Team Organisation structure and people quality assessed, and changes recommended where required.
- Forecast Mid-month Estimate (probe, understand and determine what actions can be implemented to rectify if below target)
- Achieve Retail and Wholesale sales objectives.
Dealership Retail Performance Management
- Review of objectives (month, quarter, pre and post analysis)
- Cross-sell analysis
- Dealer Action Plan (preparation, presentation, and review)
- Lead, manage and coordinate the Sales Review process with Dealer Planning and the Regional Manager
- Connectivity uptake
- E-Commerce rollout
- Manage all systems/CX processes with the CX manager.
- Management: Dealer Standards/FGE processes with CX Mngr
- Manage and ensure dealer satisfaction.
Sales Planning Meeting
- Review Sales Objectives/program targets
- PBR: Review financial benefits of Dealer Target achievement
- ‘Sell’ the programs for month ‘A’ e.g., FDAF/Marketing advertising/New SVP’s/New incentives/Carryover incentives etc.; pricing changes; show Ford developed merchandise props and direct mail, advertising layouts etc.
- ‘Plan’ with dealers their actions to achieve program targets e.g., develop/understand Dealership merchandising activity for the month/quarter.
- ‘Execute’ Dealer and Company Plans
Order To Delivery Process
- Conduct Detailed Stocking Opportunities File (SOF) Review/ Sales Availability Meeting (SAM) with dealer.
- Ensure compliance and adherence to all sales systems.
Customer Satisfaction Initiatives
- Customer Satisfaction: Sales (review performance, counsel and assist in process improvements – all aspects)
Business Management
- Facility (advise, counsel in conjunction with Dealer Development Manager who takes the lead to follow up on Dealer plans)
- Dealership sales staff levels (review/advice and counsel)
- Guard the Ford Brand image in accordance with Company policy requirements input as per Market Rep plan.
Training
- Product Knowledge
- 8-Step sales process
- Sales Consultant coaching and development
- District Sales Managers are responsible for soliciting enrolments in training courses managing their District to achieve 100% Dealership staff participation and qualification.
Meeting Attendance and Participation
- Monthly / Quarterly Reviews and Regional Dealer Meetings
- Dealer of the Year and Sales Merit Club
- Special Events (other)
Miscellaneous
- Provide competitive information feedback in a weekly feedback report, specifically including competitive merchandising actions and incentives.
- Bulletin management
- System and integration support
- Department support
- Back-up for other Field Sales Managers when they are on annual leave etc.
