National Sales Manager

Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd - Sandbox; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 600 000 - 900 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading pharmaceutical company in Johannesburg seeks an experienced sales manager to spearhead product launches and drive strategic sales initiatives. You will lead a team, develop key account relationships, and analyze market trends to enhance sales strategies. Ideal candidates should have at least 8 years in sales management, preferably with an MBA and experience in the pharma sector. This full-time role offers a pivotal position in a mission-driven organization focused on improving healthcare in South Africa.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years of sales management experience.
• Experience in managing large teams with proven sales results.
• Understanding of the local Pharma and Medical device market.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement in-market launch plans for new products.
• Lead the sales strategy and oversee sales team activities.
• Cultivate relationships with key accounts and stakeholders.

Skills

Sales management

People management

Communication skills

Market understanding

Education

Relevant Degree

MBA (advantage)

Job description

As a company with a history of successful scientific capabilities that has led to several industry firsts, we continue to plan ahead and invest in business for the future. Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories in South Africa, is driven by the need for more affordable, innovative therapeutic solutions for patients.

Our promises clarify our purpose and the commitments that we make to patients and healthcare professionals. These include - bringing expensive medicines within reach, addressing unmet patient needs, finding ways to help patients manage their disease and forging partnerships with medical associations and patient advocacy groups to assist patients in achieving positive health outcomes.

We have an aspiration to create better patient journeys and our team is dedicated to creating patient‑centric solutions that address unmet medical needs of people in South Africa.

We are committed to providing access to affordable and innovative medicines, driven by our purpose of ‘Good Health Can’t Wait’.

Job Description

Role

Purpose: Develop and implement an in‑market launch plan for new products, develop forecasts for existing products and track achievement of sales, identify opportunities to strengthen the key account and distribution system, network with industry peers, build customer relationships, identify new opportunities to grow the business, identify capabilities and resources required for implementing relevant business initiatives.

Within: Regulatory norms and organizational policies

With the Objective of: Increasing sales volume and achieving SFKPIs thereby creating a positive impact on market share and ranking of Dr Reddys in the industry.

Strategic Management

• Lead the sales strategy conceptualization in terms of selection of right distribution network, market, customer, product and execution for driving sales growth.
• Brainstorm and create new ideas beyond current scope of business (e.g., new channels, new partnerships to form, new capabilities) to support growth aspirations and strategic objectives.
• Business acumen- Communicate organization core values, goals, and objectives to empower salesforce to position solutions to clients, by understanding the competitive position of Dr. Reddy’s & our unique value proposition.
• Understand customers, analyze impact of industry trends on customer behaviour, research competitors and assist in adapting service offering to better meet their needs.
• P&L understanding- recognize all aspects of the costs related to a sale, estimate customer profitability (investment vs return).
• Set individual sales targets for sales team, delegate responsibility for customer accounts to sales team (territory alignment/management/allocation, frequency of visits etc), co‑ordinate sales action plans for individual salespeople.
• Oversee the activities and performance of the sales team, ensure sales team have the necessary resources to perform properly, monitor the achievement of sales objectives by the sales team. Support key account manager in building and reviewing key account plans. Liaise with other company functions to ensure achievement of sales objectives. Formulate sales policies and procedures.
• Prepare budgets, control expenses and monitor budgets. Conduct regular ROI for sales spends. Maintain inventory control. Preparation, monitoring of achievement of monthly LE. Conduct market research and competitor/customer analysis.
• Cultivate effective business relationships with decision makers in key accounts.
• Ensure and review weekly sales planning by RSMs for sales targets for respective region.
• Ensure implementation of brand strategy by the sales team.
• Ensure weekly and monthly sales reviews at the appropriate levels.
• Conduct RCA and develop action plan with Sales & Marketing team in order to turn around performance as per necessity.
• Give regular feedback to marketing team on effectiveness of brand strategy.
• Guide and work with RSMs & MRs to resolve issues in the region.
• Define size and structure of sales force required to achieve goals.
• Collaborate with sales team and cross‑functional team members to set leading and lagging indicators for sales performance.
• Lead sales team in the development of target customer list, priority market segments, regions and accounts. Identify potential bottlenecks to success and work to eliminate them.
• Assess errors in planning and implementation, learn from mistakes, and adapt plans throughout the year.
• Establish ongoing communication and collaboration cadence with marketing to support sales success throughout execution of the plan.

Data Analytics & SFE Management

• Analysis and reporting of data pertaining to sales (i.e., sales report, Coverage, category/competition analysis, collections report) to all the major stakeholders in order to facilitate decision making.
• Forecast annual, quarterly and monthly sales revenue, generate timely sales reports analyse data to identify sales opportunities.
• Provide relevant inputs to conceptualize and plan for SFE; build required support for SFE Specialist. Give recommendations to build strong SFE systems. Review SFE KPI's regularly- sensitizing sales team when KPI's are low and taking appropriate action.
• Managing sales analytics towards digital interventions.
• Study IMS data for RPM (Represented Product Molecule / Market) vis a vis DRL performance; prepare bottom‑up sales forecast for the year and break it down by month;
• participate in discussions with stakeholders (BU & vertical heads) to finalize targets for the year, break down finalized targets among different RSMs after discussions with them
• set standards for sales processes; monitor field processes' compliance through cycle reviews, conduct timely reviews and evaluate plans for relevancy.
• Monitor updating of doctors' list on a monthly basis by the RSMs and ensure all customer list / segmentation/ visit frequency is as per design.
• Ensure effective planning and execution of medico marketing activities.
• Maintain relations with key HCPs and channel captains to drive initiatives required for delivery of our sales/strategic business plans.

New Product Launches

• Ensure implementation of the launch plan (execution excellence) in line with the marketing teams' strategy through preselection and targeting and collaborating with SCM to ensure availability of the new product.
• Ensure scientific knowledge of team members through training sessions in quarterly and biannual meetings.
• Monitor data on sales to ensure that the sales team meets the right doctors at the right frequency and distribute the right inputs; track progress with new product launch tracker;
• Review progress of launch on a regular basis with RSMs.
• Review achievement of sales numbers versus target; check implementation process (for launch plan), carry out analysis of SvT and provide this information to RSMs to initiate corrective action.
• Ensure and review the pre‑launch, launch and post launch process followed by team members.
• Conduct monthly reviews to gather post‑launch performance of new product and make necessary course correction.
• Drive the marketing plan execution rigorously and work with marketing team in terms of market feedbacks and course corrections.

Digital Marketing Management

• Support and execute the marketing plans including Patient‑centric innovation and Doctor‑centric innovation. Building or supporting various digital marketing initiatives like webinars.
• Execute patient‑support services and multi‑channel marketing in support with marketing team
• Identify how & where technology can be leveraged to generate insights:› Generating insights to understand organizational sales performance.
• Generating customer insights, synthesize data, findings, and integrate data analysis into sales planning and execution.

People Management

• Conduct goal setting, performance reviews as per plan, initiate Performance Booster plans for poor performers, hold regularly engagement discussion with team members along with discussion on career growth.
• Identify highly specific and tangible actions to improve performance and transfer successful practices of top performers to mid‑level performers.
• Identify training needs of subordinates & develop individual development plan.
• Recruits and onboards strong talent - gives substantial input into who gets hired (and when to exit non‑performers), ensure every new team member is set‑up for success in their role.
• Implement reward and recognition programs. Demonstrate to team members how compensation plan aligns with goals and objectives.
• Coach team for success, engage team members, leverage real world examples, storytelling and experience sharing as part of team learning. Ask specific, situational, and open‑ended questions to guide development discussion. Implement ongoing training and skill development solutions to ensure culture of continuous learning and improves sales performance.

Processes

• Ensure RSMs follow rigor of process execution.
• Monitor SFKPIs parameters on an ongoing basis (call coverage, Visit frequency compliance, TCFA, edetailing/core coverage) and take actions as required.
• Ensure territory alignment and portfolio alignment and customer list updates happens as required.
• Build a culture of right practices in line with COBE guidelines.
• Coordination with CFTs for effective operations and problem solving (SFE, SCM, NPL).
• As the Project Lead and responsible person, ensure the highest levels of governance and oversight of DREAM Programme and other related Pharmacy/Channel programmes.

Qualifications

Must have Experiences, Exposure and Educational background

• Relevant Degree with at least 8 years of sales management experience
• Completed MBA will be an advantage.
• Should have managed large teams, demonstrated consistent sales results
• Understanding of local Pharma and Medical device market, key trends & KOL relationship, therapy knowledge, Territory and Geography knowledge, Sales skills, Marketing management
• People management & coaching skill, Cross cultural orientation, Strong communication skills