Sales Manager

Sheldon Recruitment and Selection; Durban; On-site; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Full time

Job summary

A logistics and shipping company in Durban seeks a strong sales leader to drive customer engagement and manage a high-performing sales team. The successful candidate will have over 10 years of senior-level experience in logistics, with proven expertise in sales leadership, people management, and a deep understanding of trade lanes in Africa and the Far East. The role involves developing sales strategies, managing key accounts, and aligning with national commercial objectives. A competitive salary is negotiable.

Qualifications

• 10+ years senior-level commercial shipping or logistics experience across trades.
• Proven track record in sales leadership and business development.
• Strong knowledge of Africa and Far East trade lanes preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the Durban branch sales plan in alignment with national strategy.
• Lead major customer negotiations and support sales executives.
• Ensure retention of existing business through structured relationship management.

Skills

Sales leadership

People management

Relationship management

Negotiation skills

Commercial acumen

Education

Grade 12

Relevant tertiary qualification in Sales, Marketing, Logistics or Commerce

Tools

CRM

MS Office

Job description

The role ensures strong customer engagement, disciplined pipeline management, and alignment with national commercial strategy, while providing leadership, coaching, and performance direction to the branch sales team.

Applicants are required to meet the following criteria:

• Grade 12 with 10+ years senior-level commercial shipping or logistics experience across trades
• Proven track record in sales leadership, people management and business development
• Strong knowledge of Africa and Far East trade lanes preferred
• Advanced computer literacy including CRM and MS Office
• Excellent relationship management, communication and negotiation skills
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of margin, yield and portfolio management
• Proactive, solutions-driven leader with resilience and execution discipline
• Relevant tertiary qualification in Sales, Marketing, Logistics or Commerce advantageous

Personal Attributes

• Strategic thinker with execution capability / Customer-centric and performance-driven
• Strong influencing ability across internal and external stakeholders
• High integrity and professionalism / Adaptable and resilient in a dynamic market environment

The successful applicant would be responsible for, but not limited to:

Sales Leadership, Strategy & Growth

• Develop and execute the Durban branch sales plan in alignment with national commercial strategy.
• Drive delivery of volume, revenue, and product-mix targets across all trade lanes and value-added services including intermodal.
• Identify, prioritise, and convert new business opportunities into profitable accounts.
• Ensure consistent, disciplined pipeline management, account planning, and opportunity tracking.
• Lead major customer negotiations and support sales executives in structuring commercial proposals.
• Monitor competitor activity, market conditions, and pricing dynamics and share actionable intelligence with national leadership.
• Promote full product suite including ocean, intermodal, cross-border TBL, and value-added services.

Customer & Key Account Management

• Maintain oversight of key customer relationships within the branch portfolio.
• Support customer-centric engagement through professional interaction and after-sales service.
• Ensure retention of existing business through structured relationship management, service recovery, and periodic performance reviews.
• Oversee preparation and submission of quotations, approvals, forecasts, and marketing reports.

Booking, Allocation & Space Management Support

• Own the national coordination of daily booked tonnage for all services managed through Durban, ensuring space utilisation is maximised. Take the lead in arranging additional space through other branches where required and escalated any space surpluses or booking gaps to the National Sales Manager for national promotion and allocation across the three branches.
• Lead on internal reporting on space utilisation, allocation performance and booking trends to assist commercial decision-making.

Team Leadership & People Development

• Lead, coach, and develop the Durban sales team to high-performance standards.
• Set clear objectives, KPIs, and expectations aligned with national goals.
• Conduct regular performance reviews, identify skills gaps, and drive training and development initiatives.
• Foster collaboration with national sales, operations, documentation, finance, and logistics teams to ensure seamless customer delivery.
• Embed a culture of CRM discipline and data-driven decision-making across the branch sales team.
• Promote a culture of accountability, professionalism, and strong ethical compliance.

Marketing & Commercial Execution

• Prepare and present marketing material, performance reviews, and customer presentations.
• Support regional and national campaigns, events, tenders, and brand-building initiatives.
• Contribute to strategy initiatives aimed at market share and service improvement.

Operational & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Maintain close working relationships with internal departments to ensure service excellence.
• Act as escalation point for branch-level customer concerns impacting performance or delivery.
• Work closely with the Customer Service department to ensure that customer feedback, concerns and requirements are actioned promptly and effectively, and that insights are shared both ways to continuously improve service delivery.
• Collaborate proactively with the Equipment department to ensure availability of containers to support confirmed and forecasted bookings, and to identify and resolve any potential equipment supply risks in advance.

Administration & Performance Control

• Track branch sales performance against targets and contribute to national reporting.
• Ensure timely submission of weekly call plans, sales reporting and customer engagement updates.
• Maintain structured filing and documentation for customer activities, quotations and contracts.
• Ensure adherence to policies, code of conduct, and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure CRM data quality standards are maintained at all times and include CRM compliance in performance management reviews

Salary: Negotiable