1. Nicole Theron
Curriculum Vitae
6 Escada Estate Work: 011 233-6620
Scott Street Cell: 072 180 4637
Randparkridge
Nicole.theron@kellogg.com
ID Number 8311290085086
Nationality South African
Language English
Marital Status Married
Drivers License YES Code 08
Own Vehicle YES
Criminal Offence NONE
Educational Qualifications:
Matriculated: Northcliff High School Class of 2001
Subjects: Higher Grade: English, Afrikaans, Geography, Home Economics and Biology.
Standard Grade: Mathematics
Certificate: Varsity College Class of 2002
Business Computing (passed with exemption second in class)
Subjects: Marketing, Business Computing, Human Resource Management, Helpdesk, Business
Communications, Business Practice and entrepreneurship.
Skills & Professional Strengths
12 years’ work experience.
• Technical Proficiency – AccPac, MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, MS PowerPoint, MS Front Page, MS
Publisher, Pastel, Outlook, Introduction to Programming, Website Development and very internet savvy.
• Communications -- Good written and strong verbal presentation skills.
• Interpersonal Skills -- Able to get along well with co-workers.
• Negotiating Skills -- In-depth knowledge of negotiation, sales presentation and closing activities.
• Customer Relations -- Ability to build and maintain strong customer relationships.
2. • Hard-working -- Goal orientated, good motivator and ability to conduct product research and evaluation.
• Organizational Skills-- Exceptionally well organized, demonstrating self-motivation, creativity and
initiative to achieve both personal and corporate objectives.
Career Objectives
Position: National / Regional Sales/ Key Accounts
Location: Johannesburg
Overview: To secure a position with a well established organization with a stable environment that will enable me to use
my skills and professional strengths to increase the company growth.
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Employment History
National Key Account Manager – Away from Home & Convenience Oct 2013 – Present
Appointed position directly with Kellogg’s Company of South Africa (Pty) Ltd – manage a large portfolio of
customers in the Foodservices sector, Convenience and smaller retail i.e. Clicks, Dis-Chem and Fruit & Veg.
• Analysing key account sales performance and managing key accounts strategy and plan
• Negotiating and managing trading terms and pricing with key customers
• Managing listings, promotions & new product launches and increasing product basket in current and
new accounts
• Managing key account performance incl. volumes, rebates and budgets
• Implement company pricing policy through negotiations
• Maintain & control relevant pricing policy points to ensure a competitive position is maintained whilst
realizing pre-determined brand profitability
• Monitor, report and forecasting of sales through demand planning
• Maintain and grow foodservice and convenience distribution through bottom end agents and direct
customers
• Increase brand awareness and sales through innovation
• Monthly and other performance reports
• Cost saving initiatives
3. • Effective Administration and Invoicing
• Enquiring new business and growing existing base
Achievements:
• Managed to grow the Pringles brand for AFH & Convenience to be the largest contributor to the total
company’s overall number
• Won an award for Success at the national company conference – February 2015
• Built an average of 10 new customers and distributors on to the base from October 2013 to present
Regional Field Sales Manager – Kimberly Clark Account July 2013 – Oct 2013
4. After managing the Kellogg’s account for a good period of time successfully I was moved onto a larger
PNS account and became the Regional Field sales manager for the Kimberley Clark account.
Regional Field Sales Manager – Kellogg’s Account April 2012 – July
2013
Appointed position at Pack n Stack as Regional Field sales manager – Kellogg’s account – worked
closely with Spar & Pnp DC’s built strong and lasting relationships, managed to work successfully with a large team of
representatives and supporting staff.
Duties:
Operational
Management
•Know and understand area of operations well enough to serve as expert/specialist source of knowledge
on operations to principal.
•Responsible for formulating strategies and plans with Operations to meet principal’s sales targets in the
area
•Ensuring that all principal standards are met in stores by working with ASMs and field staff.
•Plan activities in the trade to ensure that principal requirements are met.
•Plan and coordinate activities, e.g. promotions and additional orders and NOD, NDD to ensure that stores
are adequate stocked to support activities.
•Ensure that returns are managed effectively and efficiently to reduce financial losses to company and
principal.
•Ensure that stock in storeroom is managed according to principal requirements to ensure that damages
(returns) are limited.
•Ensure that principals’ damage objectives are met
•Ensure that shelf-health is maintained according to principals’ specifications to ensure principal
satisfaction. Includes
o Shelf and product hygiene
o Shelf layout
•Ensure that promotions are implemented on time and correctly as per the promotional planning/grid and
the company and principal requirements to increase sales and meet principal specifications.
•Follow up on orders not delivered and sort out problems to the satisfaction of the customer and the trade
to ensure that stock is available on shelf as soon as possible if necessary.
•Manage distribution of POS in area to ensure that promotions are implemented on time and correctly.
•Maintaining and monitoring incentive drives to ensure compliance with principal requirements.
•Plan and strategize, in cooperation with Operations, to meet sales and returns targets for principal in
5. region.
•Monitor progress on implementation of principal-specific activities and identify and solve problems within
24 hours.
•Work with field staff on a regular basis to ensure that Operations are kept informed about principal
standards.
Financial
Management
• Grow income of principal by increasing sales and decreasing expenses in area.
• Improve on sales targets to ensure company and principal income.
• Improve on returns targets to decrease losses to principal and company.
• Manage absenteeism and timekeeping to control losses due to overpayment.
Information
management
• Manage the flow of relevant information: principal <-> company <-> field staff
• Monitoring of the online information centre, specifically red flags, feedback and returns on a daily basis and act
upon any urgent issues to ensure that all potential issues are identified and solved as soon as possible.
• Monitor progress of feedback to principal regarding specific events and ensure that any problems or non-
compliance are identified and handled as soon as possible.
• Ensure that relevant information is communicated to Operations and IMS Department on time and in the correct
format.
• Communicate all relevant information to the IMS Department and Operations and ensure that implementation takes
place on time and correctly.
• Monitor IMS to ensure that feedback is reported to principal as per principal requirements.
• Monitor speed to market progress and address any issues as soon as possible.
• Use information on IMS to communicate to field staff and implement activities, e.g. promotions.
• Identify and communicate ‘red flag’ issues to line manager and principal ASAP and follow up on consequent action.
• Report results of operational implementation on time and correctly to meet principal requirements.
• Monitoring all additional surveys, e.g. price surveys and ensuring the quality of the information
• Monitoring and ensuring quality assurance of information to the business and feedback to the principal.
• Preparing presentations to Operations and the principal to ensure effective and efficient communication between
principal and company.
Customer
management
• Understand the trade environment in the area and in specific stores to be able to serve as specialist operational and
channel/area resource.
• Understand principal strategies, products and activities to be able to serve as specialist source on principal to
business.
• Understand principal strategies, products and activities to be able to strategies and plan with Operations to ensure
that principal standards are met in store.
6. • Manage relationship with field staff to result in maximum benefit for principals in stores.
• Manage relationship with principal representatives to maintain a superior level of customer management.
• Solve queries immediately, effectively and efficiently and within 24 hours to maintain good relationship with principals
and the trade.
Achievements:
• I was recognized for my passion, hard work and determination on the Kellogg’s account and promoted to
handle a much larger account for the business – Kimberly Clark.
Regional Sales Manager at Stafford Bros & Draeger Jan 2010 –
April 2012
Promoted to Regional Sales Manager - Managed a successful sales team, maintained excellent relationships with
principals and nurtured trade relations.
Duties:
• Setting of annual budgets
• Handling and management of Spar Lowveld Account ( Listings & Pricing )
• Managing out sourced sales and merchandising agents in the outlying country regions
• Understanding of consumer market
• Growing and maintaining sales in regions under my control
• Nurturing relationships with customers across all levels to encourage sales and customer loyalty
• Calling on relevant buyers at store level to enhance existing business and to create new business
opportunities
• Ensuring all necessary and relevant steps taken to meet set budget
• Dealing with customer complaints and queries and formulating resolutions
• Managing representatives in my region in a professional and motivational manner
• Ensuring representatives are fully trained and up to date on product knowledge
• Keeping track of competitor activity
• Conveying of information on competitor activity to representatives, brand manager and CEO
• Maximization of sales by implementation of shelf drive reports and the management thereof
• Heading negotiations for deals and displays at store level
• Gathering and analysis of market related information
• Management of in-house promoters
• Training of promoters, internal and external
7. • Operations management of trade exhibitions
• Planning of trade visits for our principles
• Checking and analyzing daily orders before processing takes place
• Ensuring any products that appear in the broadsheet are ordered for in the correct
quantity and have maximized shelf space as well as additional cross merchandising
• Working together with merchandising regional managers to ensure that merchandising is up to standard so
that maximization of sales can take place
• Providing representatives with store objectives to be achieved at store level
Area Sales Manager at Stafford Bros & Draeger Oct 2008 – Jan
2010
Promoted to Area Sales Manager - Managed representatives in the trade, maintained excellent relationships with
principles and management on store level
Duties:
• Ensuring and checking that all customers orders are processed correctly
• Managing a team of 6 representatives in the field
• Ensuring that my area was correctly managed and generating the correct monthly income
• Filling in for reps if they were on leave
• Store checks – ensuring reps stores are up to standard and providing them with in store objectives
• Adding value by working with reps and guiding them to reach their full potential
• Managing merchandisers as well as dealing with their management if problems were to arise
• Handing in reports tracking improvement in my area
8. Sales Representative at Stafford Bros & Draeger Nov 2005 – Oct 2008
Accepted Sales Representative position – Start of my Sales career and introduction to the FMCG industry.
Duties:
• Professional introduction to existing customers
• Negotiation of deals at management level
• Placing & processing orders with the customers
• Negotiation of floor space / display space
• Handling all stock controls for customers
• Building & Maintaining strong and lasting relationships
• Management of merchandisers
• Ensuring maximum exposure for all products
Achievements:
• Won every sales incentive in this position
• Constantly achieved the highest sales revenue in this position
• Top Sales Representative for 3 years running
Personal Assistant at Copy Type Electronics (Pty) Ltd Mar 2004 – Oct 2005
Accepted the personal assistant position – the professional dealing with clients and securing of potential business
for my three managers
Duties:
• Personal Assistant work for three sales managers
• Managing of all lead processes and capturing of new business leads
• Follow up phone calls to all leads generated.
• Updating and knowledge of competitor information
• Loading of all new deals and distribution of paperwork
• Typing of quotes
• Filing and paperwork administration
• Faxing
• Taking messages
• Tele Sales
9. Sales Co-ordinator at Motion Business Solutions Oct 2003 – Feb 2004
Promoted to Sales Co-ordinator – managing of vital information for the sales team and ensuring that all admin
regarding the sales process was handled correctly
Duties:
• Managing of all sales processes to ensure the sales department has updated sales
information at all times. (Monthly Reports: Activity Report, Margin Report and Leads Analysis
• Managing of all lead processes and capturing of new business leads
• Updating and knowledge of competitor information
• Filing and paperwork administration
• Follow up phone calls to all leads generated.
• Professional introduction to customers
• Loading of compliment slips on a daily basis
• Loading of all new deals and distribution of paperwork
• Relief to reception
Receptionist at Motion Business Solutions Jan 2003 – Sep 2003
Accepted the receptionist position – Managed frontline with professional telephonic manner
Duties:
• Reception and switchboard
• Tying of a general nature
• Taking messages
• Faxing
• Managing switchboard relief
• Managing all matters relating to the reception area
• Personal Assistant to the Financial Director
Achievements:
10. • After starting out in reception as my first full time position in a short period of time, I was promoted to Sales
Co-ordinator
Interests
Going to gym, socializing with friends and most importantly spending time with my family
References
Motion Business Solutions: Ken Wienand (Currently employed at Xerox HO)
Contact Number: (011) 928-9111
Copy Type Electronics: Peter Dester
Contact Number: (011) 796-4800
Stafford Bros. & Draeger: Chris Lewis Enright
Contact Number: 082-853-5503
Kellogg South Africa: Brian Cowie
Contact Number: 083-479-5728
Trade References
SG Convenience: JJ Jerome
Contact Number: 082-772-5350
Tri-Star Foods: Mike Makhlouf
Contact Number: (011) 462-7299
Fruit & Veg Head Office: John Hoffmann
Contact Number: 082-550-751
Spar North Rand: Dandrick Jacobs
Contact Number: 071-352-0017
Spar South Rand: Malcolm Isaac
Contact Number: 071-290-0538