Director of Sales
Gulf Brands International
مجموع سنوات الخبرة :22 years, 9 أشهر
One of the initial core objectives of this role was to refresh, build & motivate the On-trade Team to deliver sales targets on a weekly & monthly basis ensuring all the Team were facing the same direction & operating at pace.
•Responsible for Team success in achieving sales of our high profile portfolio of Spirits, Wines & Champagnes & increasing market share with new listings within the Bahrain On-trade.
•Assess & review business approach, create & implement target based yearly sales strategies & monitor weekly, monthly & quarterly.
•Deliver & exceed budgeted margin through promotional pricing, control of discounts & utilising A&P spend.
•Maintain our market share across bws categories in spite of aggressive discounting & spend from the competition by demonstrating to the customer the advantages of working with the brands in the GBI portfolio.
•Effectively helped in the production & delivery of Principal marketing plans & targeted sales volumes from Brand owners & Wine suppliers.
•Implemented a daily ways of working for the Sales Team which helped to track performance, identify new opportunities, increased awareness of Competitor activity, and objective achievement wins on each sales call.
•Responsibility of the business in the absence of General Manager & delivered weekly Operations & monthly Global meetings to GHG during these times.
•Delivered year on year growth within the On-trade in 2015 & 2016.
30% of my role within Spinneys is the focuses of winning back Business previously lost & establish a working relationship with On-Trade Accounts once more. 70% Account management delivering objectives set internally & by Brand Owners such as Bacardi Brown Foreman, Macallan, Dewar’s, Patron Tequilas & Moet Hennessy in the High End On Trade & Horeca sectors.
•Recognised as the Malt Specialist within Spinneys & MMI delivering Tastings, Trainings, Dinners & Events with Brands such as Macallan, Auchentoshan, Glenmorangie, Highland Park & Bowmore.
•Negotiating exclusive pouring contracts with full P&L & Brand support included.
•Deal with the whole transfer ordering process to ensure my products are always within the units, displayed & volume pull through.
•Monthly target of 20% Fine Wine business met & exceeded every month since joining.
•Successfully managed to achieve my target by selling large quantities of the product, getting the product displayed prominently & be included on cocktail lists.
•Planned & delivered successful Brunch Activity within 25% of my Accounts sponsored which such Brands as Moet & Chandon, Grey Goose & Bacardi.
•Delivered in-house Spirit training to colleagues within the On-trade Team.
•Successfully passed with Distinction WSET level 1 & 2 Wine & Spirits within 6 months of joining.
Actively promoting & ensuring Gulf Brand International’s portfolio in the High End On Trade & Horeca sectors within Bahrain. Beers, Wines & Premium Spirits.
•Work & deliver objectives requested by Premium Brand Owners such as William Grants & Son’s, Whyte & Mackay, Laurent Perrier Champagne, Grey Goose Vodka & Russian Standard Vodka & over 30 Wine Suppliers.
•Responsible for managing & influencing purchases in all the Duty Free Accounts (Bahrain Airport Services, US Military Base, Bapco, Bahrain Duty Free & Embassies) understanding the Landed Cost structure.
•Create & deliver Product knowledge training programmes for all On Trade Accounts on all Spirit Categories at all staff levels.
•Continually assist with In-house Brand Training for new, current colleagues & internal Staff of Gulf Brands International.
•Share Sales training / Closing techniques with existing Sales Team to help them close business that may arise in day to day & long-term opportunities.
•Educate the On-trade staff in product knowledge to assist them to ”sell up” or recommend alternative Brands to visiting Customers.
•Influence & host Premium Spirit & Champagne Dinners & Events highlighting our Portfolio Brands.
•Focus on bringing New Brands into the Bahrain Marketplace with successful launch results.
Directly responsible for over 30 brands on our portfolio such as Cointreau, Remy Martin, Balvenie single Malts, Glenfiddich Malts & Monkey Shoulder Whisky, Louis XIII Cognac, Hendrick’s Gin, Sailor Jerry Rum, OVD rum, Disaronno Amaretto, Reyka Vodka, DeKyper liquors, Three Barrels Brandy & Piper Heidsieck Champagne.
•Regional head for the strategic UK launch of Russian Standard Vodka into the On-trade.
•Coverage of the East Coast of Scotland from Edinburgh down to & including Newcastle
•Ensuring I can get as much exposure & volume for their portfolio within the on-trade sector
•Attended Whisky Trade Fairs UK wide representing Glenfiddich Whisky.
•Deal with the whole transfer ordering process to ensure my products are always within the units.
•Negotiating pouring contracts & assisting in getting our new products into the correct wholesale channels for each area.
•Deal with all routes to market liaising with Wholesalers (Laurence Smith, Waverley, Matthew Clark, Mortons & Wallaces Express) & Cash & Carry (Bookers, Bellevue & CJ Lang) on a weekly basis to decide how to promote & help push the brands.
•Regularly exceeded monthly, quarterly & yearly sales targets with margins & volumes delivered.
•Successfully completed the WSET Level 2 Spirits certification during my time here.
•Promoted in February 2010 to North Team Leader managing& inspiring 5 colleagues (Scotland & as far South as Birmingham) with their proposals, contracts & POS ensuring they achieve both their individual & team objectives & targets. I am responsible for the Northern Team’s yearly budget spend ensuring support for the correct brands in the correct areas. I am also responsible for all sales drives within each colleague’s territories.
Initially the focus was on business development and bringing in new accounts within the on trade sector. Within three months I was promoted to Brands Sales Manager once it became apparent the skills I transferred to the Business in expertise, closing and leadership qualities. Managing a team of 4 Sales Developers throughout the UK ensuring they achieved individual & team objectives & targets.
•Main focus was to launch / sell new unknown premium alcohol products for various global Drinks companies. This role involved getting Premium Brands established in the top style bars & restaurants in the UK.
•Successfully managed to achieve my target by selling large quantities of the product, getting the product displayed prominently & be included on cocktail lists as well as ensuring staff awareness.
•Created excellent in depth relationships with over 250 Accounts which consist of independent bar owners, Scottish based groups Festival Inns, Montpelier’s & Caledonian Heritable, Enterprise Inns & also UK wide groups such as Malmaison Hotels & The Livingroom (Living Ventures) & Punch Taverns.
•Also directly dealt with Wholesalers (Laurence Smith, Waverley, Matthew Clark, Mortons & Wallaces Express) on a weekly basis to decide how to promote & help push the brands.
•During my time with Fuel I also launched in the UK the brands Xante Pear Cognac (V&S Absolut), Sailor Jerry Rum (Wm Grants & sons), Appleton’s rum (J Wray & Nephew), Hendrick’s Gin (Wm Grants & sons), Monkey Shoulder Malt (Wm Grants & sons) & the relaunch of Merrydown Cider (SHS Brands) and Bulmers (S&N).
Primary focus was a mixture of re-connecting and business development with clients who have not been spoken to for a number of years or indeed ever. This involved tenacity & sales aptitude to persuade the client that business can be conducted despite not being on their PSL or SLA.
•Liaised with Senior Management & Director levels continually throughout the day to offer solutions.
•Recognized as top Sales Account Manager in Company in 2002 throughout the 5 offices of which I was rewarded with a Mercedes SLK.