Head of Sales

1.     About Easy Solar

Easy Solar is a West African company transforming the way households and businesses live, work and play; by making high-quality energy products affordable and accessible. Our market ranges from off or partial grid households and businesses to customers looking to supplement their energy needs. Easy Solar distributes a range of solar products, appliances and complementary lifestyle products, while providing customers with consumer-financing solutions through mobile technology. The technology enables customers to make small payments over time until they own the product outright. Sales are done through our ever-expanding network of agents and shops across the country.

Easy Solar is currently operational in Sierra Leone and Liberia, and our products and services have reached over 450,000 people since launching operations in 2016.

 2.     About the Role

The Head of Sales will lead our Sierra Leone Sales Team which is a diverse portfolio of sales roles and responsibilities. The role will involve developing and managing a highly motivated sales team, backed by targeted marketing strategies to support the sales of life-improving products across the country. The Head of Sales will be responsible for driving all sales activities and achieving regional and national targets.

3.     Responsibilities and KPIs

Sales Strategy

• Responsible for overseeing all sales activities of Easy Solar and managing the various sales teams
• Establish sales objectives by forecasting and projecting sales volumes per region for new and existing products broken down by region per territory sales manager
• Set targets and communicate goals, objectives, and key results across sales team
• Lead in the formulation of new sales strategies and optimize route-to-market activities
• Shadow sales teams in the field to better understand and identify solutions to challenges faced in terms of converting leads and increasing upselling
• Assist in the creation and implementation of sales tools, processes and materials
• Develop optimized single sales objectives around value selling proposition
• Understand key client business drivers for all opportunities by identifying individual client buying influences
• Own all plans and strategies for developing business and achieving the company’s sales goals

Reporting

• Report directly to Sales and Operations Director and Senior Management on progress towards sales objectives and key results
• Advise the Senior Management team on market intelligence and share ideas on how best to action
• Surveying consumer needs and trends; tracking competitor activity and recommending product variations based on statistics
• Create quarterly and annual sales plans, forecasts, and KPI reporting for sales staff; share with the broader Easy Solar team and review weekly sales plans with various sales managers
• Work closely with the Operations team to maintain sales volume by continually adapting to market conditions and communicating the desired product mix

Talent

• Recruit, manage, and maintain a highly productive national sales force made up of Territory Sales Managers, Sales Supervisors, and commission-based agents to ensure national coverage and saturation of Easy Solar Sales Agents and Shops
• Engage and manage staff performance, capabilities, and capacity development through coaching and frequent field trips
• Plan and execute internal product sales trainings for the field sales teams
• Plan and execute external product sales trainings when new partners have been on-boarded

KPIs

• Deliver within the set targets (monthly/quarterly/annual) across product range and revenue forecast
• Consistent growth of agent and shop network
• Optimized sales head count (numbers are active and within approved budget forecasts)
• Achieve within desired company sales KPIs

 4.     Desired Skills and Experience 

• Minimum degree in Business/Management/other relevant field from reputable university
• At least 5-years’ work experience in a rapid sales growth environment
• Proven track record of hitting and exceeding targets and building partnerships
• Demonstrate problem solving capability – ability to create win-win situations while deriving desired numbers and outcomes
• Demonstrate the ability to understand business goals and recommend new approaches, policies and procedures to effect continual improvements in business objectives, productivity (utilization)
• Strong mindset for continuous improvement and meeting or exceeding expectations and able to demonstrate complete discretion and confidentiality
• Superior verbal and written communication skills, with an emphasis on tact and diplomacy
• Business driven, people focused, with exceptional influencing skills; Excellent organizational, multi-tasking, presentation and time-management skills
• Passion for social enterprise, development of people and environmental benefits
• Solid understanding of home solar technology is a plus

 5.     What We Offer

• A very attractive, performance-based, remuneration with benefits
• Plenty of opportunities to grow within the company
• The opportunity to take part in one of Sierra Leone’s most exciting entrepreneurial companies that has a strong commitment to outstanding customer service, user-friendly, high-quality life-changing devices and environmental sustainability
• Frequent coaching and training
• The opportunity to work closely with a young, international, tech-driven team of renewable energy enthusiasts