The development and operation of regional markets are often carried out through "regional branches". Regional branches refer to functional departments at all levels such as regions, branches, operation departments, regional sales departments and offices. , subordinate to the enterprise. Enterprises operate (or assist dealers to operate) the local market through regional branches. We refer to the heads of these branches as "regional managers". Sometimes, enterprises enter the regional market by "appointing representatives" (rather than setting up branches). We call the representative of the enterprise in charge of the regional market "regional manager".
The regional manager is the "government official" of the enterprise in the local market, and is directly responsible for the development and management of the regional market. They are the bridge between enterprises and markets. In order to achieve regional goals, they need a lot of coordination, communication, guidance, supervision and support. At the same time, regional managers are also front-line personnel, who need to constantly explore the market, visit customers, collect information, organize sales promotion or carry out other types of marketing activities.
1. Main functions of regional managers
The regional manager is the authorized representative of the enterprise in the local area, and is fully responsible for the development and operation of the local market, mainly responsible for the regional sales target. The regional manager reports to the superior (refers to a higher-level regional manager or head office leader) and accepts his leadership. In addition, while guiding and managing regional sales, it is also necessary to assist superiors in regional research, publicity and promotion activities. Its main functions are as follows:
Decompose and implement local sales target, expense budget and payment plan.
Responsible for the completion of sales targets and payment collection in the region.
Select, manage and coordinate regional distribution channels, establish regional distribution network according to the overall marketing policy of enterprises, and strengthen after-sales service and credit management.
Set and distribute the sales targets of business representatives in the region fairly.
Visit important retail and wholesale customers regularly and make promotion plans.
Responsible for the recruitment, training and assessment of regional sales staff.
Guide regional business representatives to carry out business and accept their work reports.
Select and manage distributors in the region.
Conduct market research regularly and irregularly.
Close contact with major customers.
Provide regional management and development suggestions and regional market information to superiors.
Responsible for collecting or processing ordering, delivery, exchange and return information in this area.
Responsible for managing and controlling the use of various budgets and expenses in the region, reviewing the expense reimbursement of regional sales personnel (business representatives, tally clerks and promoters) and guiding them to work in the most economical way.
Handle (or assist dealers to handle) bad debts, bad debts, price adjustment, loss reporting and other matters.
Formulate various rules and regulations.
Accept other tasks assigned by superiors.
2. The "Six Roles" of Regional Managers
Because the regional manager should perform the above functions, in a sense, the regional manager needs to play a variety of roles such as market planner, regional authority, regional leader, coach, receiver and publisher of market information.
Market planner
Regional managers usually have strong market planning ability, which is very important for consolidating and expanding the share of their products in the local market.
The development and management of the market is a process of promoting products (or services), developing and managing the market by comprehensively using various resources. According to the overall strategic deployment of the enterprise, the regional manager should make specific plans for the specific market (such as determining the channel form in the region, making specific plans, and organizing the implementation of the four promotion combination tools, etc.). Therefore, the regional manager must have rich market experience and strong market planning ability.
If the marketing ability is divided into "software" and "hardware", then the quality of marketers is the "software" of enterprises. Enterprise's "hardware" (capital, equipment, factory buildings, etc.). ) is usually relatively constant and limited. How to open up a vast market with limited resources has put forward higher requirements for all marketers, especially marketing managers. As the authorized representative of the enterprise in the regional market, the regional manager bears great responsibility for the development and promotion of the local market. To complete or exceed the tasks assigned by the enterprise, he must make a detailed regional action plan in advance, so as to "plan before moving". Therefore, a certain marketing planning ability is one of the essential qualities of a regional manager.
Regional authorities
The regional manager is the leader of the garrison and needs to lead the team to carry out various tasks effectively and win the respect and trust of customers. It can be said that the regional manager almost represents the image of the enterprise, which requires the authority of the regional manager.
Regional managers need to have rich product knowledge, market knowledge, sales skills, and good management and communication skills; Excellent regional managers will often guide customers' business activities, be good consultants to customers and win their respect; Excellent regional managers usually give systematic training and guidance to sales staff (including dealers' sales staff) to improve their skills and quality; In addition, the regional manager's own market development ability and market planning ability are also important factors to lay his authority. ...
Excellent coach
Regional managers often undertake the work of managing regional sales teams. In a sense, the success of the team is the success of the regional manager. In order to build a regional sales team with excellent quality, tenacious style, invincible and invincible, regional managers need to play the role of "coach" in daily sales management.
For the regional manager, he should care about the life and work of the sales staff and often provide them with appropriate suggestions; He wants to mobilize the enthusiasm of different salespeople in different ways; He should take the guidance of subordinates as his daily work, and will not wait until the year-end performance appraisal to give feedback and guidance; In addition, salespeople are often unwilling to innovate or even settle for the status quo because of fixed thinking and other reasons. At this time, the regional manager should encourage them to actively innovate and dare to break through ... In short, the regional manager should make his subordinates have skilled marketing and sales skills and cultivate excellent psychological quality through "training, counseling and teaching" to meet the job requirements.
Regional leaders
The biggest role of regional managers in the team is not to manage or supervise, but to "guide the direction" and "take the lead". Excellent regional managers can keep the regional sales team strong fighting spirit and high morale; Enjoy high prestige in the team; Be able to establish a new operating mechanism of regional market in combination with previous work experience; Good at finding problems and opportunities in work; Often clear-minded, able to make feasible plans; Can point out the direction for the team ...
Excellent regional managers don't focus on making tables, perfecting rules and regulations and other specific matters. Their characteristic is that they like to ask "Why ……"; The prestige of regional managers stems from their work experience, working ideas, communication skills, leadership style, position in the enterprise, personal feelings with sales staff and other factors; A good regional manager will not play the role of "rescuer" when communicating with sales staff, and will not simply focus on the solution to the problem and casually say "Why don't you …". He can create enough communication opportunities and distinguish what is an excuse and what is the essence of the problem …
:: Information recipients
Sales activities need a lot of information support, and "know yourself and know yourself" can be "invincible"!
Regional managers must keep abreast of competitors' trends, channel conditions, consumer responses, innovative sales methods and other "information". If the information is insufficient or inaccurate, it is impossible to launch a sales campaign that is beneficial to you. In addition, the regional manager should feedback the collected information to the superior in time, so that the enterprise can take concrete measures for specific problems.
Information publisher
Regional managers are the bridge and link between enterprises and customers. In addition to regularly feeding back customer information and market information to the superior, it is also necessary to regularly convey information about sales promotion, advertising, products, prices and other business activities to customers, so as to facilitate their cooperation or motivate them. Moreover, "delivering information to customers" itself is also a good communication opportunity.
3. Essential qualities of regional managers
As the regional manager needs to undertake a variety of functions and play a variety of roles, at least the regional manager needs to continuously strengthen his cultivation in the following aspects (including but not limited to the following abilities):
Command power
The regional sales team is equivalent to the first-line combat troops, and the regional manager is equivalent to the commander, commander, head, battalion commander, company commander or even platoon leader or monitor of the unit. He must have strong leadership and organizational skills, leading the team to complete the set tasks, and even exceeding the set tasks.
Guiding force
As the person in charge of the regional market, the responsibility of the regional manager is to lead his team to complete the tasks assigned by superiors. The difference between being a regional manager and an ordinary sales representative is also here: a regional manager needs a team to succeed! Therefore, it will be the key to success to provide effective guidance and encouragement for subordinates and urge them to finish their work better.
Insight and judgment
This is one of the necessary abilities for a team leader. The market is changing rapidly. Only when regional managers have strong insight and judgment can they make or adjust sales plans or strategies in time according to local conditions, thus ensuring the smooth realization of various goals.
creativity
As the saying goes, soldiers have no shape. In the face of fierce competition, regional managers as "commanders" must have extraordinary creativity. Only in this way can he break away from convention and win by surprise, and occupy the market with the least cost and the most effective way to achieve the set goals.
adaptability
The only constant in the market is change. A regional manager's job should always include two aspects: one is to develop the present, and the other is to reserve the future.
Communication skills
Social skills. As the front line of sales, regional managers need to contact all aspects of sales channels and all related aspects. In order to be confident in sales activities, he must have strong communication skills.
Physical strength and willpower
Sales work needs a lot of energy, and there will be many obstacles in the actual operation process. Without abundant physical strength and tenacious willpower, it is difficult to last.
personal charisma
Personal charm is a comprehensive expression of a person's knowledge, personality, appearance, speech and manners, and good personal charm is an important guarantee for carrying out work.
Good psychological quality
Regional managers should be able to make a comeback after failure. They must keep a stable mind, neither happy with success nor depressed with setbacks.
label
Regional managers are a special group. In the eyes of his superiors, he is a vassal and a government official. In the dealer's view, he is an ambassador or imperial envoy. The role of the regional manager is also like a "double-sided tape": in the hierarchical relationship, he connects the decision-making layer of the headquarters with the first-line executive layer; In terms of post functions, he is also a hub that binds the three functions of market, sales and service and makes it effectively "landing". Therefore, if the regional manager wants to play his role well, he must be strict with himself and keep practicing, which is also to ensure his promotion and position.