About the position
About the Company
The business is an independent fuel service provider based in Germiston, supplying quality fuel and related services to motorists, fleets and commercial customers. Unlike a single-brand forecourt, the business has flexibility in how it sources fuel from multiple major suppliers, allowing it to respond competitively to customer requirements. The company is now investing in dedicated external sales capability to grow its commercial diesel customer base and establish sustainable, long-term business-to-business relationships.
Purpose of the Role
The External Sales Representative will be responsible for identifying, developing and converting new commercial diesel opportunities into active, profitable customer accounts. This is a field-based new-business role with a strong focus on disciplined prospecting, face-to-face engagement, commercial negotiation, customer onboarding and repeat fuel-volume growth. The successful candidate will be expected to build a healthy pipeline of businesses with recurring diesel requirements and develop long-term trading relationships that contribute to sustainable revenue growth.
Key Responsibilities
New Business Development
- Build and maintain a targeted prospect list of companies with recurring diesel requirements.
- Target sectors including:
- Transport and logistics.
- Commercial fleets.
- Construction.
- Plant and equipment operators.
- Manufacturing.
- Agriculture.
- Other suitable high-volume fuel users.
- Generate leads through cold calling, field canvassing, referrals, networking, database research and direct customer visits.
- Secure appointments with business owners, fleet managers, operations managers, procurement teams and other fuel-purchasing decision-makers.
- Understand each prospect's:
- Fuel consumption.
- Ordering patterns.
- Current supplier arrangements.
- Service expectations.
- Pricing sensitivity.
- Operational challenges.
- Prepare and present clear commercial proposals that position the business as a responsive, reliable and competitive fuel-supply partner.
- Convert qualified opportunities into active accounts.
- Maintain a healthy pipeline capable of delivering consistent monthly sales growth.
Sales & Commercial Management
- Obtain current market information and work with management to provide accurate pricing and commercial proposals within approved margins and trading parameters.
- Negotiate professionally without compromising profitability, payment terms, operational capacity or customer-service standards.
- Maintain accurate records of:
- Prospect activity.
- Quotations.
- Agreed terms.
- Expected volumes.
- Decision dates.
- Follow-up actions.
- Track all active opportunities and move prospects through the sales process from initial contact to agreement, onboarding and first purchase.
- Provide reliable short-term sales forecasts.
- Identify and escalate competitor activity, commercial risks or pricing concerns where necessary.
Customer Onboarding & Account Growth
- Coordinate the collection and submission of all customer information required for account approval, trading setup and operational fulfilment.
- Ensure that pricing, payment arrangements, order processes and service expectations are clearly understood before trading begins.
- Work closely with management and operational teams to support a smooth first order and reliable ongoing service.
- Maintain regular contact with active customers.
- Monitor customer satisfaction and address service concerns promptly through the appropriate internal channels.
- Grow account value by:
- Increasing order frequency.
- Growing fuel volume.
- Recovering inactive customers.
- Identifying additional commercially viable opportunities.
- Remain alert to overdue payments or changes in customer risk and escalate concerns promptly.
Territory & Activity Management
- Plan weekly field activity to maximise productive customer-facing time across Germiston, the East Rand and the broader agreed sales territory.
- Balance:
- New prospecting.
- Scheduled meetings.
- Follow-up activities.
- Account visits.
- Administration.
- Maintain consistent pipeline momentum.
- Submit concise weekly activity and pipeline reports covering:
- Calls.
- Appointments.
- Quotations.
- Wins.
- Expected volumes.
- Challenges.
- Next steps.
- Represent the business professionally at customer sites.
- Comply with all applicable site, road and fuel-handling safety requirements.
Key Performance Measures
Performance will be assessed through a combination of sales activity, pipeline quality and commercial outcomes.
New Business Activity
- Qualified prospecting calls.
- Direct approaches.
- Customer appointments.
- Site visits completed.
Pipeline Quality
- Value and expected volume of qualified opportunities.
- Accuracy of pipeline stages.
- Consistent movement of opportunities through the sales cycle.
Conversion
- Quotations accepted.
- New customer accounts activated.
- First orders secured.
Fuel Volume
- New and repeat fuel litres or sales value achieved against monthly targets.
Profitability
- Sales completed within approved pricing and margin parameters.
Account Development
- Increased order frequency.
- Customer retention.
- Reactivation of inactive accounts.
- Growth of existing customer volumes.
Sales Discipline
- Timely follow-up.
- Accurate customer and opportunity records.
- Consistent reporting.
- Reliable sales forecasting.
Customer Experience
- Responsiveness.
- Ownership of customer issues.
- Customer service and relationship feedback.
Ideal Candidate Profile
Experience
- Minimum 3 years of successful external B2B sales experience.
- Proven evidence of personally winning new customers.
- Experience selling diesel, fuel, lubricants, fleet services, transport solutions, industrial products or another recurring business service would be highly advantageous.
- Demonstrable experience in:
- Cold calling.
- Field prospecting.
- Building a sales pipeline.
- Closing commercial opportunities.
- Experience engaging with:
- Business owners.
- Fleet managers.
- Procurement teams.
- Operations managers.
- Other commercial decision-makers.
- Comfortable working within an owner-managed or entrepreneurial environment where initiative, pace and accountability are important.
Qualifications & Practical Requirements
- Grade 12 or equivalent qualification is required.
- Relevant sales, marketing or business qualification would be advantageous.
- Valid driver's licence.
- Reliable own transport is essential for regular customer visits and prospecting.
- Confident spoken and written English.
- Additional commonly used Gauteng business languages would be advantageous.
- Competent in:
- Microsoft Office.
- Email.
- WhatsApp.
- Basic digital sales or customer-record systems.
- Willing and able to work in the field and travel throughout the agreed sales territory.
Core Competencies
Hunter Mindset
- Actively creates new opportunities.
- Comfortable prospecting for new business.
- Resilient when dealing with rejection or longer sales cycles.
Commercial Judgement
- Understands the relationship between price, volume, margin and repeat business.
- Able to consider payment risk and commercial viability when pursuing opportunities.
Relationship Building
- Builds credibility with practical and operationally focused customers.
- Develops strong, long-term commercial relationships.
Negotiation
- Protects commercial value while identifying workable terms for both the customer and the business.
- Confident handling pricing discussions and objections.
Personal Discipline
- Plans activity effectively.
- Follows through on commitments.
- Maintains accurate records.
- Manages time and priorities consistently.
Ownership
- Takes responsibility for sales outcomes and customer commitments.
- Identifies and escalates problems before they negatively affect the customer.
Communication
- Communicates clearly, confidently and professionally.
- Comfortable engaging in person, telephonically and in writing.
Integrity
- Handles pricing, customer information, payment considerations and commercial commitments responsibly and professionally.
***Salary - R16,000 - R20,000 CTC, inclusive of petrol + cell phone allowances (Negotiable, based on skills, experience and in relation to current package)
Desired Skills:
