Sales Manager

ROLE SUMMARY

The Sales Manager will be responsible for driving revenue growth across the assigned territory, leading and mentoring a team of 10-15 Sales Executives, and building strong retail and distribution relationships. The ideal candidate combines strong sales leadership with genuine product knowledge of perfumes and fragrances, and a working understanding of perfume raw materials, so they can train the team, engage trade partners credibly, and make sound category decisions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead, coach, and manage a team of 10-15 Sales Executives across the assigned National territory, setting clear individual and team sales targets.
• Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual sales targets for the region and drive execution through the team to achieve or exceed them.
• Plan and execute route-to-market, beat plans, and territory coverage to maximize reach across retail, wholesale, and distribution channels.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with distributors, retailers, and key accounts (perfume/cosmetic stores, general trade, modern trade, and gifting outlets).
• Conduct regular field visits and joint calls with Sales Executives to review performance, resolve escalations, and identify new business opportunities.
• Guide the team on fragrance families, concentration types (EDP, EDT, attar/oil-based), and product positioning so they can sell with confidence and handle customer queries accurately.
• Provide basic technical input on perfume composition and raw materials (essential oils, aroma chemicals, alcohol/oil bases, fixatives) to support product training, customer objection-handling, and coordination with the product/sourcing team.
• Track competitor activity, pricing, and new launches in the fragrance category and share market intelligence with management.
• Monitor primary and secondary sales, stock availability, and dispatch coordination to avoid lost sales due to stock-outs.
• Plan and execute trade promotions, festive/seasonal sales drives, and in-store visibility initiatives in coordination with the marketing team.
• Ensure timely collections, credit control, and adherence to company commercial policies across the distribution network.
• Recruit, onboard, and train new Sales Executives; conduct periodic performance reviews and skill-development sessions for the team.
• Prepare and present regular sales reports, forecasts, and territory performance reviews to senior management.

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

• Graduate in any discipline; MBA/PGDM in Sales & Marketing preferred but not mandatory.
• 8+ years of experience in field sales, with at least 23 years in a team-handling / sales management role.
• Prior experience in the perfume, fragrance, cosmetics or personal care industry is strongly preferred.
• Good working knowledge of perfumes and fragrance families (floral, woody, oriental, fresh, etc.) and different product formats (EDP, EDT, attar, deodorants, gift sets).
• Basic knowledge of perfume raw materials — essential oils, aroma chemicals, natural extracts, fixatives, and carrier bases — sufficient to train teams and engage confidently with trade and customers.
• Proven track record of achieving sales targets and managing a field team of similar size (10–15 executives).
• Strong relationship-management skills with distributors, retailers, and key accounts.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and people-management skills; comfortable working with Hindi- and English-speaking trade partners.
• Willingness to travel extensively within national territory.
• Proficiency in MS Excel/Word and comfort with basic sales-reporting tools or CRM software.