Area Business Manager, Bertoua (Bilingual)
- Location: Bertoua, Cameroon
Sun King Cameroon is looking for Area Business Manager In the course of its activities.
Team Overview:
The EasyBuy Direct Sales team is the customer-facing division of Sun King’s pay-as-you-go (PAYG) direct-to-consumer sales business. This team is responsible for recruiting, managing, and overseeing a vast network of commission-based sales agents known as “Energy Officers.” These agents are tasked with promoting and selling Sun King’s PAYG solar solutions and delivering continuous customer support within their designated regions.
Through the EasyBuy PAYG solar business model, customers can acquire a Sun King solar home solution by making an initial down payment and paying off the remaining balance through installments over time.
Role Overview:
- The Area Business Manager will oversee sales, collections, and distribution activities in the assigned area, facilitating the direct distribution of Sun King Solar products through the EasyBuy Business unit. This role involves managing a network of agents referred to as “Energy Officers.”
- The Area Business Manager is accountable for driving sales growth, ensuring timely and accurate collections, and maintaining a sustainable expansion of the Direct Distribution network.
Key Responsibilities:
- Recruit and Retain Energy Officers: Build, train, and sustain a team of at least 40 Sun King Energy Officers in the designated area. Leverage various local influencers—such as village leaders, teachers, religious figures, doctors, and farmers—to identify and attract talent capable of effectively selling Sun King EasyBuy products. Establish a positive reputation and goodwill for Sun King’s mission to provide clean, affordable, and reliable energy solutions in the community.
- Training and Development: Equip Energy Officers with comprehensive training on all aspects of the business, including sales, collections, product knowledge, technical aspects, inventory, and logistics. Ensure they operate with the highest levels of integrity, ethics, and professionalism when interacting with customers.
- Role Clarity: Clearly define the daily tasks, sales and collections strategies, routes, and targets for Energy Officers. This includes ensuring they have well-defined sales areas, confidence in demonstrating and selling Sun King products, and the ability to address basic customer queries on the spot. Maintain constant availability to address any questions or concerns.
- Daily Field Visits: Conduct weekly check-ins with each Energy Officer in your area, either through in-person meetings, customer sales, or phone calls. Address any challenges faced by Energy Officers and report them to your Regional Business Manager weekly. Ensure the first five sales of each new Energy Officer are completed under your supervision to guarantee a solid understanding of the sales and collection process.
- Joint Fieldwork: Collaborate with groups of Energy Officers in the field on a weekly basis to provide hands-on sales and collection training. This includes organizing night activations, market activations, and community visits to drive sales through group activities.
- Exceed Sales and Collection Targets: Aim to meet or surpass the sales and collection targets set by your Regional Business Manager on the 2nd of each month. Provide regular updates on sales, Energy Officer recruitment, customer issues, and resolutions.
- Field Sales Processes: Monitor daily collection progress with Energy Officers and provide ongoing training to improve collection efficiency. This includes profiling customers and areas, ensuring timely follow-ups, resolving customer issues, and repossessing systems as a last resort if payments default.
- Market Awareness: Stay informed about competitors offering similar products in your area and take proactive steps to protect and expand Sun King’s market presence. Keep management informed and take necessary actions to ensure Sun King remains the leading brand in solar products within your area.
- Customer Issue Resolution: Deliver exceptional customer service related to product delivery, training, payment processes, installation, and after-sales support. Work with Energy Officers to establish clear expectations and procedures to resolve customer issues within 24 hours.
- Marketing and Budget Management: Provide necessary marketing materials and equipment, such as smartphones, to Energy Officers while ensuring a high return on investment for marketing, supply chain, store maintenance, and smartphone distribution costs.
- Review Meetings: Organize weekly meetings with Energy Officers, ensuring the presence of your Regional Business Manager to address any unresolved customer or operational issues. Facilitate high attendance and productivity during these meetings, recognizing outstanding performers and maintaining high levels of motivation among Energy Officers.
- Retail Expansion: Collaborate with an Area Retail Coordinator to expand the retail network in your area. Follow established processes for retail activities and ensure the growth of high-performing retailers within your operational area.
You might be an ideal candidate if you:
- Hold a degree in a business-related discipline or possess equivalent qualifications, along with a minimum of 3 years of practical experience in B2C sales.
- Have a strong command of computer applications, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
- Reside in Cameroon and have a good understanding of the local area, specifically Bertoua and its surrounding villages.
- Are proficient in both English and French.
- Bring extensive experience in customer care.
- Demonstrate a high level of creativity, with an ability to think innovatively and remain cost-conscious.
- Excel in planning, organizing, and prioritizing tasks, always focusing on maximizing value and maintaining a strategic perspective.
- Have a natural talent for building relationships, both internally and externally.
- Are an attentive listener, skilled at coaching others, and committed to continuous learning.
- Exhibit operational excellence by keeping promises, staying informed, and delivering outstanding customer satisfaction.
What We Offer:
- Opportunities for professional growth in a dynamic, rapidly growing industry with a significant social impact.
- A collaborative and open-minded work culture, filled with passionate colleagues who are driven by the challenge of creating innovative solutions that make a profound impact on people and the planet.
- A truly multicultural environment where you can work with and learn from individuals from various geographies, nationalities, and backgrounds.
- Access to structured and customized learning and development programs through the Sun Center for Leadership, designed to help you become a better leader, manager, and professional.
