About the role:

The Zonal Business Manager will drive sales, collections, and entire business operations in the entire zone they are assigned to, for the direct distribution of Sun King Solar products sold on Pay-As-You-Basis (also called and recognized as “EasyBuy” Business unit. This is done through a large network of agents called Field Agents who visit door-to-door and sell. EasyBuy technology and services allows customers to purchase units by paying for their Solar products in small installments, thus ensuring they are extremely affordable for off-grid or rural customers. The Zonal Business Manager is ultimately accountable for generating sales, ensuring collections are timely and accurate and keeping the entire direct distribution network growing rapidly in a sustainable manner, with the help of their team that typically consists of Regional Business Managers, Area Business Managers, Sun King Store Executives, Customer Loyalty Executive and all field agents in the region.

What you would be expected to do:

Hire, retain and motivate the entire zonal team for the best performance:

• The Zonal Business Manager’s team typically consists of Regional Business Manager, Area Business Managers, Sun King Executives, and Field Sales Executives (there may be some variations based on the region).
• The Zonal Business Manager is expected to ensure they create a world-class winning team in their zone that is disciplined, process-oriented, and devoted to delivering the best customer experience.

Training:

• Provide training on several aspects of the business such as sales, collections, product, technical, inventory and logistics related.
• Ensure the team is fully aligned and managed professionally, demonstrating the highest level of integrity, ethics, and professionalism while dealing with Sun King customers.

Provide role clarity to Regional Business managers, Area Business Managers and Sun King Store Executives:

• Provide complete clarity to the team related to their day-to-day tasks, sales & collections plans, routes, and targets. This includes ensuring that your sales team has a pre-settled sales route/area to sell in, they acknowledge how to demonstrate and sell Sun King products, they have the confidence to be able to present and resolve basic customer queries on the spot, and they have access to Regional Business Manager at all times in case of questions and concerns.

Conduct Joint Fieldwork with Regional Business Managers:

• Conduct joint fieldwork with Field Sales Executives to provide sales and collection training on a weekly basis and drive Field Service Executives' engagement. This includes doing night activations, market activations, visiting local communities and gatherings such as SACCOs, Self Help groups, retail centers and markets to make group sales.

Exceed your sales & collections targets:

• Meet or exceed sales and collection targets established and consented upon on the second of every month with your sales supervisors.
• Provide daily and weekly updates on sales, Field Sales Executive recruitments, customer issues and resolutions, and New Area Launch preparations as expected and aligned with the Country Business Leader.

Drive robust field sales processes:

• Review sales and collection progress daily and provide adequate training to the team on better collections in your areas. This includes customer and area profiling, ensuring regular and timely collection follow-ups, resolving customer issues to ensure they make payments, and repossessing the systems as a last recourse if the customer defaults.

Resolve Customer Issues:

• Provide world-class assistance to your customer as it relates to product delivery, training on how to use and make payments, installation, after sales warranty issues.
• Ensure that you work with Field Sales Executives to establish clear expectations and processes to resolve all customer issues within 24 hours.

Control Marketing and other assistance spend:

• Provide adequate marketing assistance and equipment (such as smartphones) necessary to all your areas.
• Ensure we get maximum return on investment for all the costs we incur in areas of marketing, supply chain, store maintenance and smartphone issuance.

Review meetings with Areas:

• Ensure that Regional Business Managers and Area Business Managers are conducting periodic table meetings and reviews with all Field Sales Executives under their purview.
• Conduct surprise visits to field meetings and areas to ensure that the sales processes and standards observed are of the highest quality.
• Recognize outstanding performers from time to time and ensure the motivation of the entire zonal team is maintained at an all-time high.

You might be a strong candidate if you:

• Have a degree in a Business-related field, with an MBA as an added advantage.
• Have at least 6 years’ experience in sales, of which 3 years in a senior managerial position, preferably having worked in Distribution, microfinance, Banking, or BOP Business
• Have proven strategic business capability with the ability to engineer solutions, transform teams and drive business processes.
• Passionate about working with rural, off-grid consumers and resolving their issues.
• Motivated by the social mission to provide energy to consumers and employment to rural communities. Should be value-oriented.
• Good communication skills and ability to build and manage large field sales executive teams.

• Drive sales, collections, and entire business operations in the assigned zone for direct distribution of Sun King Solar products.
• Manage a large network of Field Agents.
• Ensure timely and accurate collections.
• Grow the direct distribution network sustainably.
• Hire, retain, and motivate the zonal team (Regional Business Managers, Area Business Managers, Sun King Executives, Field Sales Executives).
• Create a disciplined, process-oriented, and customer-focused team.
• Provide training on sales, collections, product knowledge, technical aspects, inventory, and logistics.
• Ensure team integrity, ethics, and professionalism.
• Provide role clarity and set daily tasks, sales & collections plans, routes, and targets for the team.
• Ensure sales team has clear sales routes/areas, product demonstration skills, and ability to resolve basic customer queries.
• Conduct joint fieldwork with Field Sales Executives weekly for training and engagement.
• Organize night activations, market activations, and community visits for group sales.
• Meet or exceed monthly sales and collection targets.
• Provide daily and weekly updates on sales, recruitment, customer issues, and new area launches.
• Review sales and collection progress daily and train the team on better collections.
• Implement customer and area profiling, collection follow-ups, issue resolution, and repossession as a last resort.
• Provide world-class customer assistance for product delivery, payment, installation, and after-sales warranty.
• Ensure customer issues are resolved within 24 hours.
• Control marketing and other assistance spend, ensuring maximum ROI.
• Ensure Regional and Area Business Managers conduct regular review meetings with Field Sales Executives.
• Conduct surprise visits to field meetings and areas to ensure high-quality sales processes and standards.
• Recognize outstanding performers and maintain team motivation.

• Sales
• Collections
• Business Operations Management
• Team Leadership
• Training
• Customer Service
• Strategic Planning
• Communication Skills
• Field Sales Management
• Problem-Solving
• Marketing
• Supply Chain Management
• Inventory Management
• Logistics Management

• Degree in a Business-related field
• MBA (added advantage)
• Proven strategic business capability
• Ability to engineer solutions
• Ability to transform teams
• Ability to drive business processes
• Passion for working with rural, off-grid consumers
• Value-oriented
• Good communication skills
• Ability to build and manage large field sales executive teams