Trade regional manager

Description

Trade regional managers are responsible for activities and staff in an assigned region for a specific chain of stores.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to trade regional manager:

assistant trade regional manager
area sales manager
regional sales and marketing manager
senior trade regional manager
store trade regional manager
trainee trade regional manager
regional sales manager
graduate trade regional manager
regional product sales manager

Minimum qualifications

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as trade regional manager. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Trade regional manager is a Skill level 3 occupation.

Trade regional manager career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to trade regional manager.

hardware and paint shop manager
toys and games shop manager
retail department manager
floor and wall coverings shop manager
second-hand shop manager

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of trade regional manager. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of trade regional manager with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

pricing specialist
brand manager
online sales channel manager
purchasing manager
import export manager in tobacco products

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of trade regional manager.

Employment law: The law which mediates the relationship between employees and employers. It concerns employees’ rights at work which are binding by the work contract.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of trade regional manager.

Create solutions to problems: Solve problems which arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising information to evaluate current practice and generate new understandings about practice.
Identify suppliers: Determine potential suppliers for further negotiation. Take into consideration aspects such as product quality, sustainability, local sourcing, seasonality and coverage of the area. Evaluate the likelihood of obtaining beneficial contracts and agreements with them.
Implement marketing strategies: Implement strategies which aim to promote a specific product or service, using the developed marketing strategies.
Study sales levels of products: Collect and analyse sales levels of products and services in order to use this information for determining the quantities to be produced in the following batches, customer feedback, price trends, and the efficiency of sales methods.
Set up pricing strategies: Apply methods used for setting product value taking into consideration market conditions, competitor actions, input costs, and others.
Analyse data for policy decisions in trade: Analyse data about a specific company, retailer, market or store formula. Process all gathered information into a corporate plan, and use it to prepare upcoming policy decisions.
Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
Maintain relationship with customers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.
Expand store regional presence: Identify and develop strategies to expand the company’s regional coverage.
Perform data analysis: Collect data and statistics to test and evaluate in order to generate assertions and pattern predictions, with the aim of discovering useful information in a decision-making process.
Carry out sales analysis: Examine sales reports to see what goods and services have and have not sold well.
Enforce company values: Implement and monitor the values and ethical principles of the company, throughout the chain stores under its supervision.

Maintain relationship with suppliers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.
Negotiate sales contracts: Come to an agreement between commercial partners with a focus on terms and conditions, specifications, delivery time, price etc.
Use it systems for commercial purposes: Convey and communicate data and make commercial decisions by using internal and external IT-systems where appropriate.
Comprehend financial business terminology: Grasp the meaning of basic financial concepts and terms used in businesses and financial institutions or organisations.
Handle financial overviews of the store: Monitor the financial situation, analyse the store’s sales figures.
Ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations: Implement and monitor company activities in compliance with legal contracting and purchasing legislations.
Implement sales strategies: Carry out the plan to gain competitive advantage on the market by positioning the company’s brand or product and by targeting the right audience to sell this brand or product to.
Carry out statistical forecasts: Undertake a systematic statistical examination of data representing past observed behaviour of the system to be forecast, including observations of useful predictors outside the system.
Perform project management: Manage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project’s progress in order to achieve a specific goal within a set time and budget.
Monitor customer service: Ensure all employees are providing excellent customer service in accordance to company policy.
Apply territory planning: Plan the most cost-effective coverage of a sales territory with the available sales resources. Take into account prospect numbers, density, and buying patterns.
Maintain financial records: Keep track of and finalise all formal documents representing the financial transactions of a business or project.
Negotiate buying conditions: Negotiate terms such as price, quantity, quality, and delivery terms with vendors and suppliers in order to ensure the most beneficial buying conditions.
Perform market research: Gather, assess and represent data about target market and customers in order to facilitate strategic development and feasibility studies. Identify market trends.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of trade regional manager. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

General principles of food law: The national and international legal rules and requirements applied in the food industry.
Cold chain: The temperature at which certain products are to be kept for consumption.
Geographical routes: The interpretation of geographical information such as locations and distances between them.
Product comprehension: The offered products, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of trade regional manager. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Apply conflict management: Take ownership of the handling of all complaints and disputes showing empathy and understanding to achieve resolution. To be fully aware of all Social Responsibility protocols and procedures, and to be able to deal with a problem gambling situation in a professional manner with maturity and empathy.
Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
Recruit employees: Hire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.
Apply strategic thinking: Apply generation and effective application of business insights and possible opportunities, in order to achieve competitive business advantage on a long-term basis.
Organise product display: Arrange goods in attractive and safe way. Set up a counter or other display area where demonstrations take place in order to attract the attention of prospective customers. Organise and maintain stands for merchandise display. Create and assemble sales spot and product displays for sales process.
Measure customer feedback: Evaluate customer’s comments in order to find out whether customers feel satisfied or dissatisfied with the product or service.
Meet deadlines: Ensure operative processes are finished at a previously agreed-upon time.
Ensure stock storage safety: Ensure that products are stored appropriately. Keep in line with safety procedures.
Motivate staff to reach sales targets: Stimulate your staff to achieve sales goals set by the management.

ISCO group and title

1420 – Retail and wholesale trade managers

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Trade regional manager – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022