Area Sales Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION – AREA FIELD EXECUTIVE (AFE)

Industry: Cake, Bakery & Food Manufacturing
Department: Sales & Business Development
Designation: Area Field Executive (AFE)
Reporting To: Area Sales Manager / Business Development Manager
Location: Assigned Area / Territory
Employment Type: Full-Time

1. Job Purpose

The Area Field Executive will be responsible for market development, franchisee/store acquisition, sales growth, market visits, customer relationship management and territory expansion for the company's cake and bakery products.

The AFE will work closely with franchisees, distributors, retailers and company stores to achieve assigned sales and business-development targets.

2. Key Responsibilities

A. Area & Market Development

• Develop and manage the assigned geographical territory.

• Identify new business opportunities, potential franchisees and retail outlets.

• Conduct regular market visits and competitor analysis.

• Identify high-potential locations for new cake/bakery outlets.

• Generate leads through field visits, references, market research and networking.

B. Franchisee / Outlet Acquisition

• Identify and approach prospective franchise partners.

• Explain the company's franchise model, products, commercial terms and support system.

• Coordinate with the management for franchisee onboarding.

• Assist franchisees in documentation, outlet setup and initial operations.

• Maintain regular communication with existing franchisees.

• Ensure franchisee satisfaction and resolve operational issues by coordinating with concerned departments.

C. Sales & Business Development

• Achieve monthly and yearly sales targets.

• Increase sales through existing stores and new business opportunities.

• Monitor store-wise sales trends, ordering patterns and return percentage.

• Encourage stores/franchisees to increase product orders based on demand.

• Promote new products, schemes and seasonal products.

• Follow up on pending orders and payments where applicable.

D. Market Visit & Reporting

• Conduct daily field visits as per assigned route plan.

• Visit franchisees, distributors, retailers and potential customers.

• Maintain daily visit reports.

• Submit weekly and monthly sales and market-development reports.

• Maintain proper records of leads, follow-ups, conversions and lost opportunities.

• Report competitor pricing, products, schemes and market activities.

E. Coordination with Internal Departments
Coordinate with:

• Dispatch

• Logistics

• Production

• Accounts

• Admin

• Marketing

• Quality Control

• Store/Operations Team

for smooth order processing, delivery, product availability and customer support.

3. Franchisee & Store Support

• Monitor franchisee/store performance.

• Provide basic operational guidance and coordinate with the relevant team for technical/operational support.

• Assist in CSP/store staff training where required.

• Ensure implementation of company schemes and promotional activities.

• Monitor product display, branding and basic hygiene standards.

• Escalate customer complaints and operational issues to the appropriate department.

4. Sales & Performance Monitoring

The AFE should regularly track:

KPI

Responsibility Monthly

Sales Achieve assigned target

New Franchise Leads Generate & follow up

New Franchise Conversion Convert qualified leads

New Outlet Development Identify potential locations

Existing Store Growth Improve sales

Order Frequency Increase repeat ordering

Product Returns Monitor & reduce

Market Visits Daily/weekly target

Customer/Franchisee Retention Maintain relationships

Reporting Daily/weekly/monthly

5. Required Skills

• Good communication and convincing skills.

• Strong sales and negotiation ability.

• Good knowledge of local market.

• Ability to generate leads independently.

• Good relationship-management skills.

• Basic knowledge of MS Excel/Google Sheets and reporting.

• Ability to travel extensively within the assigned territory.

• Target-oriented and self-motivated.

• Problem-solving ability.

• Basic understanding of cake, bakery and FMCG products will be an advantage.

6. Qualification & Experience

Qualification: Graduate preferred; candidates with relevant sales experience may also be considered.

Experience:

• 1–5 years in Sales / Business Development / Food & Beverage / Bakery / Franchise Sales.

• Experience in cake, bakery, QSR, food manufacturing will be preferred.

• Freshers with strong communication and field-sales aptitude may also be considered for junior AFE positions.

7. Field Requirements

• Willingness to travel extensively within the assigned area.

• Two-wheeler and valid driving licence preferred.

• Smartphone required for field reporting and communication.

• Ability to work according to market requirements, including weekends/holidays when necessary.

8. Key Performance Indicators (KPI)

• Achievement of monthly sales target.

• Number of new leads generated.

• Number of new franchisees/outlets acquired.

• Conversion ratio of leads to franchisees.

• Territory sales growth.

• Existing outlet sales growth.

• Reduction in product return percentage.

• Market coverage and visit compliance.

• Franchisee/customer satisfaction.

• Timely submission of reports.

9. Preferred Candidate Profile

A suitable candidate should be energetic, field-oriented, target-driven and comfortable meeting new customers every day. Preference may be given to candidates who have existing knowledge of the local bakery/FMCG market and franchise business.

Salary: As per experience and company structure
Incentive: Performance-based incentive applicable as per company policy
Travel Allowance: As per company policy

Note: The AFE is primarily a field-sales and business-development role, with major responsibility for territory expansion, franchise acquisition and increasing sales of the company's cake and bakery products.

• It is a Full Time Field Sales job for candidates with 5 - 6+ years Experience.