About the position
Role Overview
A well-established procurement and cross-border trading business is seeking an experienced Sales Representative to manage and expand its existing customer base in Zambia. The successful candidate will be responsible for maintaining strong relationships with current customers, identifying new business opportunities and increasing sales within the Zambian market. The role requires frequent travel into Zambia, a strong understanding of cross-border trade and export processes, and practical knowledge of products supplied to the hardware, engineering, mining and agricultural sectors. This position is suited to a mature, commercially driven sales professional who has previously conducted business in Zambia and understands the country's market conditions, customer expectations and business environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Existing Customer Relationship Management
- Manage and maintain relationships with an established portfolio of customers in Zambia.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned customers.
- Conduct regular customer visits, meetings and follow-ups.
- Develop a thorough understanding of each customer's operational requirements, purchasing patterns and future needs.
- Ensure that customer enquiries, quotations, orders and concerns are attended to promptly and professionally.
- Build long-term relationships with key decision-makers, procurement personnel and other relevant stakeholders.
- Monitor customer satisfaction and proactively address any service-related concerns.
- Identify customers who may be at risk and implement appropriate retention strategies.
- New Business Development
- Identify and pursue new business opportunities throughout Zambia.
- Assist in resolving delays, documentation challenges, customs-related issues and other cross-border complications.
- Understand the commercial and logistical considerations involved in supplying customers across national borders.
- Remain informed about relevant cross-border trade requirements and operating conditions affecting the Zambian market.
- Product and Market Knowledge
- Develop and maintain detailed knowledge of the organisation's available product ranges and procurement capabilities.
- Advise customers on appropriate products based on their operational and technical requirements.
- Understand commonly sourced products within the following sectors:
- Hardware
- Engineering
- Mining
- Agriculture
- Keep informed about market trends, competitor activity, product availability and customer demand.
- Identify new product ranges that may be suitable for the Zambian market.
- Communicate customer feedback and market intelligence to management.
- Obtain the necessary product information from suppliers where technical clarification is required.
- Travel and Customer Visits
- Travel to Zambia approximately once every two weeks.
- Plan customer visits efficiently to maximise sales opportunities and relationship-building activities.
- Maintain a structured travel and customer engagement schedule.
- Prepare thoroughly for each business trip by confirming appointments, customer requirements and sales objectives.
- Submit feedback and reports following customer visits.
- Represent the organisation professionally during all local and cross-border engagements.
- Be available for additional travel when required by business or customer needs.
- Sales Administration and Reporting
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date customer information.
- Record customer interactions, quotations, opportunities and follow-up activities.
- Prepare regular sales activity, pipeline and performance reports.
- Submit travel plans, call reports and customer visit reports when required.
- Monitor outstanding quotations, orders and customer payments in collaboration with the relevant departments.
- Provide management with accurate sales forecasts.
- Maintain organised records of customer requirements, agreements and communications.
- Ensure that all internal procedures and approval processes are followed.
Minimum Requirements
The successful candidate must meet the following requirements:
- Proven experience in sales, account management or business development.
- Previous business or sales experience within Zambia.
- Strong country-specific knowledge of the Zambian market.
- Practical knowledge of the export or cross-border trading industry.
- Willingness and ability to travel to Zambia approximately every two weeks.
- Knowledge of products used within at least one or more of the following sectors:
- Hardware
- Engineering
- Mining
- Agriculture
- Experience managing existing customer relationships while developing new business.
- Strong commercial awareness and negotiation ability.
- Ability to work independently and manage a geographically dispersed customer portfolio.
- Valid passport and ability to travel across borders.
- Valid driver's licence.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Outlook, Excel and Word.
- Ability to prepare professional quotations, proposals, reports and customer correspondence.
Required Competencies
Sales Ability
- Strong prospecting and lead-generation skills.
- Proven ability to develop new customer relationships.
- Ability to identify and convert sales opportunities.
- Confident presentation, negotiation and closing skills.
- Target-driven and commercially focused.
- Ability to grow revenue within an existing customer portfolio.
Relationship Management
- Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to engage confidently with customers at different organisational levels.
- Professional and customer-focused communication style.
- Ability to establish trust and maintain long-term commercial relationships.
- Strong customer-service orientation.
Commercial and Industry Awareness
- Understanding of pricing, margins and profitability.
- Awareness of the operational challenges involved in cross-border trade.
- Ability to understand customer industries, purchasing processes and technical requirements.
- Strong market awareness and ability to identify emerging opportunities.
Personal Attributes
- Mature, professional and commercially minded.
- Self-motivated and able to work with limited supervision.
- Resilient and comfortable working in a target-driven environment.
- Adaptable and able to operate effectively across different countries and business environments.
- Honest, reliable and accountable.
- Proactive in identifying and resolving customer concerns.
- Comfortable spending a significant amount of time travelling.
- Able to remain calm and solution-focused when dealing with cross-border delays or operational challenges.
Key Performance Indicators
Performance may be assessed according to:
- Achievement of monthly, quarterly and annual sales targets.
- Growth in revenue generated from the Zambian market.
- Number of new customers successfully acquired.
- Retention and growth of existing customer accounts.
- Gross profit and margin performance.
- Number and quality of customer visits conducted.
- Conversion rate of quotations and sales opportunities.
- Accuracy of sales forecasts and pipeline reporting.
- Frequency and quality of customer follow-ups.
- Customer satisfaction and relationship strength.
- Accuracy and completeness of sales and customer records.
- Successful coordination of cross-border orders and customer deliveries.
Travel Requirements
Regular cross-border travel is a fundamental requirement of the position. The successful candidate must be prepared and legally able to travel into Zambia approximately every two weeks.
The position may involve:
- Extended periods of driving or air travel.
- Overnight stays away from home.
- Meetings at customer offices, mines, farms, industrial facilities and operational sites.
- Occasional travel outside normal working hours.
- Additional travel depending on customer and operational requirements.
***Salary - R30,000 - R40,000 CTC + Varying Commission, based on basic provided + Travel Expenses Paid + Provident Fund (Negotiable, based on skills, experience and in relation to current package)
Desired Skills:
