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

Brand Arbor Services and Retail LLP; Mumbai; Hybrid; INR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail services company is seeking an Area Sales Manager to drive state-level growth through effective management of Primary and Secondary sales. This role involves owning the distributor lifecycle, ensuring strong execution in C/D/E retail outlets, and leading field teams. The ideal candidate will have 12-15 years of FMCG sales experience and strong expertise in driving growth in high-density retail environments. The position requires extensive field travel and a hands-on approach to managing distributor relationships.

Qualifications

• 12–15+ years FMCG field sales experience.
• Proven ownership of Primary + Secondary sales at large area/state level.
• Strong experience in Distributor lifecycle management including onboarding and governance.
• Deep execution experience in C/D/E category retail with high outlet density.

Responsibilities

• Own full-state Primary & Secondary sales targets with sustainable growth.
• Manage distributor lifecycle from onboarding to deboarding.
• Drive retail expansion in C/D/E outlets and ensure strong execution.
• Hire, manage, and coach Team Leads and field teams.

Skills

FMCG field sales experience

Distributor lifecycle management

Collections and credit discipline

Strong execution experience

Proficient in Excel and CRM systems

Job description

Ensure strong retail execution. Attendance, outlet coverage, route adherence, reporting quality.

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).