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A Day in the Life of a...
Business Account Manager

 

 

Are you thinking of a career in Business Account Management? But wonder what the next step is? With such a broad range of possibilities on offer, what's right for you? To help you decide, we're taking a look at what's out there and the people who are doing it.

Position: Business Account Manager

Location: Office and Field Based


I have been with Nestle over 7 years now working my way up through field sales to my current role as Business Account Manager for Biscuits & Impulse on the Sainsburys account. My day can be extremely varied and it is rare that two days are the same. One day I can be in Hull visiting Jacksons, a convenience chain Sainsburys recently bought, discussing tailored New Product launches in their 116 convenience stores. Another day I could be in London with the Sainsburys Biscuit Buyer presenting a Full Year Business Plan. Ultimately though my job is all about driving profitable sales for Nestle in the areas I am responsible for. We have sales profit and market share targets set at the start of the year and track ourselves weekly against these objectives.

Breaking my job down a bit further I have to concentrate on the distribution of our lines, the display of our products, make the most of new product development and get the optimum amount of promotional activity implemented in my specific areas. Getting all this right gives us the best opportunity of hitting our targets. With Sainsburys all this forms part of an Annual Joint Business Plan with Nestle, this can take many weeks to negotiate but once finalised forms a platform allowing us to both drive our businesses forward.

Confectionery is a very competitive market but equally has to be one of the most exciting. People always want to try the latest chocolate bar and new products are one of the main drivers of the category. I have to be very well organised and prepared working to league times often 6 – 12 months in advance. For example, now in April I am already working on Christmas 2005, and Easter 2006 is just around the corner for me! It’s not all long term though, challenges come along where you may need to action activity fast, turning things round in a matter of days so you need to be able to prioritise your workload and be flexible in your approach.

The job is not just about selling Nestlé’s portfolio of products. You need to have an in depth knowledge of the category you are working on and be able to argue your case based on a total market perspective. Negotiating and Influencing skills are vital and being able to prepare for, and anticipate responses is crucial in achieving your goal.

Mondays tend to be restricted to the office, reviewing the previous weeks sales and planning for the coming week to ensure everything runs as smoothly as possible. There are sales meetings with your specific channel and also the Sainsburys team have a meeting with supply chain and customer service to ensure we are all aligned. Mondays also tend to be the day for amending forecasts, this is another crucial factor to the job, the more accurately we can forecast the smoother things run. Obviously things can go wrong, for example new lines can sell better than you ever expected or conversely do not sell to your forecast. This is when you need to be adaptable and draw on your inter-personal skills and the relationships you have built up with your buyers and colleagues to come up with solutions.

There is very much a team atmosphere in the office. We periodically have away days where work and fun are combined, and be sure if you come to work for Nestlé you will immediately be introduced to York’s nightlife, as people from the office regularly go out and hit the town on a Thursday night.

On the whole I have found Nestlé a good employer. They have been very flexible with me, recently I decided to move back to my hometown, away from the Head Office in York and they have allowed me to work from home for two days of the week, saving precious time not commuting into the office every day. Also in terms of progression if you work hard and prove yourself you will be moved through the business, Nestle provide thorough training for everyone and are keen to make the most of the talent they have within.

Thanks go to Nestle for giving us A Day in the Life of a… Business Account Manager. If you would like to find out more about the opportunities within Nestle please click here.

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