A typical day in the life of a Territory Sales Manager (TSM) with SRP is fast-paced, dynamic, and filled with a mix of customer interactions, sales tasks, and logistical work. The role requires flexibility, strong communication skills, and the ability to multitask, as the TSM is responsible for managing existing relationships, driving sales, and expanding their customer base. Here’s a closer look at what a day might entail:

Morning Start (7:30 AM – 8:30 AM)

A TSM’s day often starts early, especially if the stores they visit are spread out across a large geographic area. Depending on the distance to their first customer, they might be up and on the road by 7:00 AM, or later if the store is closer to home. Before they hit the road, there are a few essential tasks:

• Preparation: Ensure that the handheld device is loaded with the details of the day’s stores and that the van is fully stocked with the necessary products for the visits.
• Safety Checks: Conduct a quick safety check on the vehicle to ensure everything is in good working order for a day of travel.

Once everything is set, the TSM heads out to their first store.

First Store Visit (Varies by Store Schedule)

Upon arriving at the store, the TSM’s primary goal is to build rapport with the store manager and ensure that the store’s needs are being met.

• Greeting and Relationship Building: The TSM starts with a friendly greeting, asking how things have been since the last visit. This is an opportunity to touch base, address any concerns, and build a relationship.
• Product Introduction & Promotions: The TSM may present new products or promotions available to the store. This is a key moment to highlight any exciting opportunities for the customer to boost their sales.
• Store Organization: TSMs ensure that displays are properly merchandised. This can include tidying up shelves, ensuring product placement is optimal, and organizing products for ease of access.

Sales Orders and Inventory Management

After ensuring the store is organized, it’s time to focus on the sales side of the visit.

• Returns and Credits: If there are any returns or damaged goods, the TSM processes the necessary credits.
• Order Creation: The TSM creates a sales order based on the store’s needs. This includes any stock that needs replenishing, or new products they might be ordering.
• Picking the Order: Once the order is created, the TSM heads to their SRP truck to pick the items that need to be delivered.
• Order Verification: At the store, the TSM and the store manager go over the items and confirm that everything is in order.

Merchandising and Quality Control

Once the order is delivered, the TSM gets to work on visual merchandising:

• Display Setup: The TSM ensures that any displays are set up according to SRP’s guidelines. This is where they ensure the store’s product displays are tidy, attractive, and well-stocked.
• Photo Documentation: To maintain high-quality standards, the TSM takes photos of the displays and sends them to the Head Office for quality control purposes.

Visiting Additional Stores (Throughout the Day)

Throughout the day, the TSM continues with store visits. Their goal is to complete 8-10 visits per day, making sure to balance time between customer interactions and logistical tasks. Every store visit is an opportunity to:

• Drive Sales: By maintaining a high level of product knowledge and promoting promotions, the TSM actively drives sales in their territory.
• Account Management: For existing accounts, the TSM focuses on maintaining relationships, addressing any concerns, and ensuring customer satisfaction.
• Inventory & Stocking: For stores that need additional inventory or have specific ordering needs, the TSM handles all aspects of restocking, returns, and product ordering.

End of the Day (Around 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM)

After a long day of store visits, the TSM wraps up their day by ensuring all paperwork, sales orders, and inventory counts are up to date.

• Review of Orders and Documentation: The TSM verifies all orders have been entered correctly into the system and ensures all quality control photos have been sent.
• Route Planning for Next Day: Depending on where the TSM will be traveling the next day, they might review their schedule and route to ensure maximum efficiency.
• Evening Debrief: Some TSMs may also use this time to reflect on the day’s successes, challenges, and to prepare for the next round of customer interactions.

Key Responsibilities Throughout the Day:

• Customer Relationship Management: Building and maintaining strong relationships with existing customers while always looking for opportunities to bring new stores into the SRP family.
• Sales and Merchandising: Driving sales by promoting products, introducing new items, and ensuring high-quality merchandising standards are met.
• Inventory and Logistics: Handling stock orders, product returns, inventory counts, and ensuring products are delivered on time.
• Quality Control: Maintaining visual standards for product displays and ensuring customer satisfaction.

The Role’s Versatility

The role of a Territory Sales Manager is dynamic, requiring a mix of soft skills like relationship building and hard skills like inventory management and logistics. It’s about balancing the day-to-day tasks of product management with strategic goals like expanding the customer base and boosting sales. Whether it’s visiting existing stores, building new accounts, or managing logistical tasks, a TSM plays a crucial role in keeping operations smooth and ensuring that SRP’s products are well-represented and readily available to customers.

Conclusion

A day in the life of a TSM with SRP is challenging but rewarding. It’s about maintaining relationships, solving problems, promoting products, and always being on the move. Whether you’re tackling inventory, making new sales, or organizing displays, every day offers new opportunities to make an impact.