Sales Manager Johannesburg, Gauteng, south-africa
FULL_TIME
Duties and Responsibilities: Sales strategy, planning and execution: Set and keep refining the sales strategy for the company, in line with the group's commercial objectives and approved business plans. Break the company's growth targets down into monthly, quarterly and annual targets for the team and for each marketer. Maintain a written sales plan that names target industries, prospective clients, referral partners, geographic opportunities and funding channels. Concentrate business development on mining, construction, transport, manufacturing, aviation, agriculture and power generation, plus any other sector that fits the company's risk appetite and return requirements. Plan separately for internally funded deals and for deals brokered through third-party finance houses. Look for new revenue streams, partnerships, referral channels and markets. Keep a rolling sales forecast built on real opportunities, realistic deal values, expected approval dates and expected payout dates. Sales team leadership and accountability: Recruit, onboard, train and develop marketers and business development staff within the approved staffing structure. Agree targets, activity standards and performance expectations with each team member. Hold regular one-on-ones and team meetings to review progress, deal with obstacles and agree corrective action. Track individual and team results against target: new leads, qualified opportunities, applications submitted, approvals, signed contracts and payouts. Pick up underperformance early and put documented improvement plans in place, with clear actions and deadlines. Make sure every marketer carries an active, credible pipeline and owns each opportunity from first contact through to payout. Handle disciplinary and performance matters in line with company policy and labour legislation. Build a culture where accountability, commercial discipline and results are expected of everyone. Lead geenrationg and business development: Own the flow of qualified opportunities into the business. Run structured lead-generation initiatives: direct prospecting, industry networking, referrals, strategic partnerships, client visits and marketing campaigns. Expect marketers to go out and prospect for new business, not wait on inbound leads, existing clients or referrals. Build and maintain relationships with equipment dealers, manufacturers, auctioneers, contractors, transport operators, mining companies, brokers and other industry players. Set timeframes for allocating, contacting, qualifying and following up leads, and hold the team to them. Plan targeted campaigns and industry promotions together with Marketing. Review conversion rates to see which channels and activities give the best return. Point lead generation at clients with a genuine funding need, the capacity to repay and suitable assets or transactions. Deal qualification, structuring and commercial oversight: Before a deal goes to Credit, confirm it is commercially viable, properly priced and within the company's funding mandate and risk appetite. Coach marketers in assessing the client's business model, funding requirement, purpose of the transaction, repayment ability, asset suitability and overall commercial rationale. Make sure deals are properly qualified before significant time is spent processing them. Oversee preliminary structuring and pricing, including fees, deposits, rental terms and repayment structures, within approved guidelines. Decide the funding route for each deal: funded internally or placed with an external finance house. Review complex or material transactions before submission so the proposal is realistic, complete and well motivated. Work with Credit to answer queries, improve application quality and resolve structuring issues without lowering credit standards. Stop sales staff from promising approvals, pricing, terms or turnaround times that have not been authorised. Escalate transactions that need management approval in line with the delegation of authority. Protect returns by making sure fees, commissions and other agreed revenue are priced in and properly recorded. Sales pipeline and transaction conversion: Keep direct oversight of the whole pipeline, from lead and qualification through application, credit assessment, approval, contracting and payout. Make sure all leads and deals are captured and kept up to date on Monday.com or the designated CRM. For every transaction, know its status, owner, outstanding requirements, next action, expected completion date and any risks or delays. Run a pipeline review that picks out stalled deals, overdue actions, material risks and deals that need management intervention. Give every active opportunity a next action, an accountable person and a realistic payout date. Monitor conversion at each stage and act where deals are being lost or delayed. Work with Credit, Legal, Administration and Operations to clear bottlenecks and shorten the time from lead to payout. Move approved deals to signed contract and payout without unnecessary delay. Look into lost, declined, withdrawn and stalled deals, and apply what is learned. Make sure forecast revenue is backed by credible, documented opportunities. Client relationship management and revenue growth: Build and maintain relationships with key clients, strategic accounts, referral partners and industry stakeholders. Get personally involved in significant transactions and high-value opportunities that need senior attention. Grow existing relationships into repeat business, further asset-finance opportunities and referrals. Manage client expectations professionally and keep communication consistent throughout a transaction. Handle escalated client concerns and coordinate with the relevant departments to resolve them promptly. Stay visible in the market through client meetings, site visits and industry events. Build relationships for the long term rather than for once-off deals. Sale reporting, forecasting and management information: Give executive management accurate sales reports on time, at the agreed intervals. Report actual performance against target, covering: Qualified leads generated and new opportunities opened Applications submitted and credit approvals obtained Approval-to-acceptance conversion Contracts signed and transactions paid out Total transaction value and company revenue generated Internally funded versus externally placed business Pipeline value and expected payout dates Average turnaround time and the reasons for delays Lost and declined deals, with the reasons Individual marketer performance against forecast Provide a rolling forecast of expected approvals, signed deals and payouts, and flag any gap against budget. Explain material variances between forecast and actual, and take corrective action. Share commercial insight with management: market feedback, competitor activity and ideas for improving sales performance. Report outcomes, not meetings held, calls made or leads captured. Cross-functional coordination: Work with Credit, Finance, Legal, Administration, Operations and Marketing to keep transactions moving through the business. Make sure applications reach Credit meeting the agreed minimum information and documentation standards. Agree handover and communication requirements between Sales and the departments that assess, document and pay out deals. Work with department heads to fix recurring delays and process inefficiencies. Pass on accurately to the relevant teams any commitments Sales has made to clients. Attend management and pipeline meetings, update on material transactions and follow through on agreed actions. Respect the independence of Credit and the other control functions. Sales targets must never override risk-management requirements. Group cross-selling and opportunity identification: Look for cross-selling opportunities across all group companies, and where appropriate use relationships built by one company to generate business for the others. Understand each group company's products, services, funding capabilities and target markets, so that complementary solutions can be offered to existing and prospective clients. Build cross-selling into the sales strategy, the client engagement process and each marketer's performance expectations. Set up a structured process to identify, record, allocate and track cross-selling opportunities. Refer opportunities to the right group company and follow them through until they are converted, declined or otherwise closed. Work with the relevant management teams to find opportunities arising from existing clients, prospective transactions, referral partners, asset-finance requirements, equipment sales and rental needs. Record each opportunity in the group's CRM or pipeline system, including the referring company, receiving company, responsible person, potential value, next action and outcome. Report on the number, value and conversion rate of cross-selling opportunities and the revenue they generate. Encourage collaboration so that opportunities are not lost to internal silos, unclear responsibilities or poor communication. Handle cross-selling arrangements, referrals, revenue attribution and any intercompany fees or commissions in line with approved group policies and agreements. Process, compliance and sales governance: Comply with company policies, approved pricing structures, mandates, the delegation of authority and applicable regulatory requirements. Keep client information, application documents, quotations and supporting records accurate, complete and properly maintained. Record all material client engagements and transaction developments on the designated systems. Prevent unauthorised commitments, misleading representations and any attempt to bypass credit and approval processes. Make sure referral arrangements, commissions, fees and third-party relationships are authorised and documented. Keep client information confidential and handle it as the applicable requirements demand. Spot weaknesses in sales processes and recommend practical improvements to controls, accountability and turnaround times. Performance management and continous improvement: Set measurable performance standards for the sales function and review them regularly with executive management. Analyse the causes of underperformance, such as too little prospecting, poor lead quality, weak qualification, low conversion or slow progress on deals. Agree specific corrective actions with owners and completion dates. Identify training needs and build the team's ability to find, qualify, structure and present sound transactions. Review the sales incentive scheme and recommend changes that reward profitable, completed transactions rather than activity or approvals alone. Review sales processes, market positioning, customer feedback and competitor offerings on a regular basis. Feed lessons from unsuccessful deals back into future sales practice. Personal business development and commercial contribution: Stay hands-on in winning new business and building strategic relationships. The role is not purely administrative. Personally pursue selected strategic accounts, referral relationships and material opportunities that can contribute meaningfully to growth. Know the company's products, funding criteria, target markets, margins and competitive position well. Lead by example through disciplined prospecting, professional client engagement and ownership of deals. Contribute directly to the company's revenue and payout targets. Requirements: Experience of 3+ years in a sales leadership role. A proven track record of achieving sales and revenue targets. The ability and experience to create a sales plan to generate new business and establish referral partnerships. Experience in recruiting good BDO`s and building a sales team. Experience managing, developing and holding a sales team accountable. Strong commercial judgement and an understanding of finance transactions. Effective pipeline management, forecasting and deal-conversion capabilities. The ability to identify and develop cross-selling opportunities across the group. A willingness to remain actively involved in prospecting, client relationships and closing deals. Should you not receive a response within 2 weeks, please consider your application unsuccessful. Please refer to our website, , where all our active vacancies are advertised. 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