National Sales Manager

The National Sales Manager (NSM) will lead and significantly expand market presence across South Africa for an established Logistics business. The NSM will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive national sales strategy focused on proactive new business acquisition and aggressive revenue growth, rather than solely account management. This role requires exceptional leadership skills to effectively manage and mentor a team of Regional Sales Managers and drive a high-performance sales culture.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Sales Leadership & Business Development (New Business Focus)

• Develop and Execute Strategy: Formulate and implement a robust national sales strategy with clear, measurable targets for new business acquisition, market penetration, and revenue growth within the road logistics sector (express parcel delivery).

• "Hunter" Focus: Personally drive high-level new business development initiatives, focusing on securing large, strategic, and high-value contracts. Set the standard for proactive, aggressive sales efforts across the organisation.

• Market Analysis: Conduct ongoing market research, competitive analysis, and industry trend identification to identify new opportunities, potential clients, and areas for service expansion.

• Target Setting: Establish challenging but achievable individual, regional, and national sales targets (volume, revenue, margin) and ensure continuous tracking against KPIs.

• Sales Pipeline Management: Oversee and manage the entire national sales pipeline, ensuring Regional Sales Managers and their teams maintain a healthy, active pipeline weighted towards new business.

2. Team Management & Performance

• Leadership and Mentorship: Recruit, train, coach, mentor, and motivate a team of Regional Sales Managers (RSMs) to achieve and exceed their sales quotas.

• Performance Management: Hold RSMs accountable for individual and regional performance, conducting regular reviews, sales meetings, and one-on-one sessions.

• Process Improvement: Implement best-practice sales processes, reporting standards, and CRM usage to improve efficiency and sales conversion rates.

• Culture: Foster a high-energy, competitive, collaborative, and ethical sales culture focused on new business growth and customer-centric solutions.

3. Financial & Operational Oversight

• Budgeting: Manage the national sales budget, ensuring optimal resource allocation and a high return on investment (ROI) for sales activities.

• Pricing and Contracts: Work closely with the Finance and Operations teams to ensure profitable pricing strategies are applied to all new and existing business, and oversee high-level contract negotiations.

• Reporting: Deliver accurate and timely national sales forecasts, pipeline reports, and performance updates to the Executive Team.

Minimum Requirements

• Experience: A minimum of 8 years in a senior sales management role within the South African logistics, road freight, or other high volume industry is essential.

• Proven Track Record: Demonstrable, quantifiable success in a new business-focused sales manager role and achieving significant revenue growth.

• Leadership: Proven experience in successfully managing, mentoring, and leading a dispersed, high-performing team of Regional Sales Managers.

This role will suit a proactive sales leader, who is driven by growing the market and inspiring sales teams in proactive sales strategies.